Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek #5)(48)
Author: Brenda Novak

Well, overall they’d had a nice time. There were a few moments when he’d felt a little spooked by the possessiveness in her touch. And it was a bit odd that, even though they’d kissed, he hadn’t been in the mood to make love.

But she hadn’t pushed him.

See? Even in that she was perfect. He’d said that it had been a hell of a day and he was exhausted, and they’d had a piece of pie and watched TV. With her, life would be simple. So what if he didn’t want to jump into bed all the time? He just needed a chance to acclimate to being physical with someone he’d never previously viewed in a sexual way. Ignoring that slight resistance wasn’t quite so easy when you were sober.

He was almost home when he checked his phone and saw that he’d missed a call from Sophia. It’d come in not long after she’d left his place.

Curious, he pulled over to listen to her message.

“Ted? Um…sorry to bother you. I was wondering if you have a gun you could lend me. But…I’ll figure out something else. Don’t worry. No need to return this call.”

A gun? Why would she need a gun?

He considered calling her back, but it was close to midnight. He doubted she’d be up this late. He hoped not. With the way things had been going for her, she needed the rest.

Right now he felt like he could use some rest, too. Since she’d come to work for him, his life hadn’t been the same, and he had a feeling it might never go back. If he continued seeing Eve, he could be married this time next year.

Putting the transmission back in Drive, he turned around. He figured he could go by Sophia’s. If there were any lights on, he’d return her call, make sure everything was okay. The fact that Chief Stacy had been so antagonistic toward her, when he held so much power in Whiskey Creek, was disconcerting. Then there was that incident with Alexa at school. Maybe Connie had gone home and told her parents the same story she’d told Mrs. Vaughn and they’d decided to get nasty. After all, Sophia and Lex were in that huge house all by themselves, and everyone knew where they lived. Ted didn’t think his fellow residents would do anything to cause serious harm—but Sophia had asked for a gun. There must’ve been a reason.

He snapped off his headlights as he arrived at the top of the hill and turned toward the house. The DeBussi mansion was the only residence up here. It wasn’t as if he’d be disturbing any of Sophia’s neighbors. He just didn’t want to shine bright lights into her windows, didn’t want to scare her if she happened to be up.

Not only that but, truth be told, he preferred she not know he’d come to check on her. This was strictly for his own peace of mind.

He barely pressed on the gas; mostly he let the engine idle as he rolled toward her house. Several strips of toilet paper fluttered from the tallest trees, as if they’d recently been T.P.’d and whoever’d cleaned up couldn’t reach that high, but other than the dim pagoda lamps strategically placed in the landscaping, no lights were on.

This had been a waste of time. Sophia and Alexa were in bed, as he’d imagined.

Reassured, he nearly made a U-turn at the end of the court so he could go home. He would’ve hurried out of there; he was seconds away from doing just that when he spotted a dark shape on the porch.

Because that shape looked human, he hit the brakes instead of the gas.

Were Sophia and Alexa getting T.P.’d again? Or was that someone trying to get in?

Whoever it was didn’t turn at the sound of his engine. After pulling into Sophia’s circular drive, he parked and walked quickly toward the house. He’d almost decided he’d been wrong. What he saw couldn’t be a human. There was still no reaction to his approach.

But then he realized why. It wasn’t someone; it was Sophia. She was sitting on a metal fold-out chair, since her lawn furniture had been taken from the house. Fast asleep, her breath misting in the cold air, she had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders—and a rifle in her lap.

Obviously she’d found a gun. But…what was she doing?

He reached out to give her shoulder a shake, pausing when he noticed the broken window. An object had been thrown through it. Then he saw what looked like the word Bitch spray-painted across her front door. A symbol had been drawn on the porch, too. It seemed to be some kind of rocket….

Someone had done more than T.P. the property. Had this happened tonight? Judging by Sophia’s attempt to defend her house, he guessed it had.

“Shit,” he muttered and shoved his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the rest of the damage.

His voice finally woke Sophia. She leaped out of her seat and grabbed for her gun, but he whipped it away.

“Calm down,” he said. “It’s me.”

“Ted?” The blanket had slipped off. Although she was fully clothed in sweats and tennis shoes, he could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she struggled to cope with the shock.

“What are you doing out here in the cold?” he asked.

It seemed to take her a moment to realize she wasn’t under attack. She blinked, then peered out at the lawn and beyond, as if she still wasn’t convinced. “I could ask you the same thing,” she said when she returned her attention to his face.

“On my way home, I saw that I missed your call. I was concerned because you asked for a gun, so I decided to drive by and check that you were okay.”

She drew a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry to put you to the trouble. I shouldn’t have bothered you. I wouldn’t have if…if I thought I could borrow a gun from someone else.”

He motioned at the guard post she’d set up. “What’s this all about?”

“I was…I was making sure they don’t come back.”

“Who are they?”

She picked up the blanket. “How would I know? They weren’t here when we got home. But they left me some nasty surprises.” She pointed at the broken window. “That’s part of it. So is the penis you’re standing on.”

“Penis?” He looked down at the porch floor. The rocket. Of course.

“They spray-painted swearwords in various places and broke some stuff, too. But it was the message they left that…that really upset me.”

“What’d it say?”

Grasping the blanket with one arm, she dug the house key out of her pocket and gestured with it toward the door. “You can see for yourself. It’s inside.”

He stepped aside while she let him in. “Who gave you this?” he asked, hefting her gun.