Joey's invitation to stay and talk awhile didn't last very long. I was pretty uncomfortable with the whole situation and my oncoming migraine told me it was best if I just called it a night. Quite frankly, I found it too difficult to try to have a normal conversation in an unfamiliar place with a police officer I didn't know. The circumstances were too bizarre. I didn't know how to act and all I could think about was the monstrous ever-growing list of things I had to do at work and school. I had a new job to prepare for. I had exams to take and essays that were going to be overdue. I couldn't afford to be hiding out in Officer Joey's house. What was my boss going to think? What would my professors say? What if I lost my job?
I mumbled a goodnight to Joey and trekked down the hall toward his bland guest room. He could at least add a little personality to the room if he was going to have people over. Then again, I didn't know if Joey even had anyone that visited.
I laid on top of the covers for almost an hour, my mind a whirlwind. I couldn't begin to comprehend the idea that my dead aunt's boyfriend was trying to kill me over her estate. I'd heard of instances like that, but only in books or movies. It just didn't sound real. I almost couldn't bring myself to believe that it was happening to me. Although, it had taken me until just recently to wrap my mind around past things that had happened to me.
He invaded my thoughts again. I shut my eyes tight and wished that for once I could forget the things he'd done.
The sound of Joey walking up the stairs to his room brought me back to reality. The brightness coming through the crack under my door disappeared when he turned the hall light off. I reached over, tugging the string on the window to open the blinds a bit. I was too uncomfortable to sleep in complete darkness, and the moon made a good nightlight substitute.
I finally crawled under the covers, pulling them up over my head and leaving just enough of a gap to see the wall. I created my own blanket cocoon. I must have stared at the wall for another hour, drowning in my thoughts before eventually giving up on sleep.
I sat up in bed, debating whether or not to go downstairs for a drink or maybe watch TV until I got tired enough to go back to bed. I didn't want to do anything that might piss off Joey. After all, it was his house. I was an uncomfortable guest and he'd told me not to get used to this.
I couldn't tell if it was real or if my mind was playing tricks on me, but the longer I sat there, I began to hear things in the silence. I tried to write it off as the house settling, but it's hard not to think it's something more sinister when you know you're basically being hunted. I glanced out the window repeatedly, making sure no one was outside. Then I started wondering if Joey had remembered to lock all his doors.
Of course he locked the doors! He's a cop! the logical voice in my head sounded off. That didn't make me feel any safer though.
A clap of thunder signaled storms rolling in. The loud boom was enough to send me scrambling out of bed and into the hallway. On any other night, I would've welcomed a midnight thunderstorm with open arms. I'd always enjoyed the sounds of thunder and rain hitting my window. But my nerves were so shot, the littlest thing would've probably startled me out of my skin.
I tiptoed to Joey's room, not even giving it a second thought that going in there might be off limits. I figured the safest place I could be was with a cop, and that overrode all uncomfortable feelings of waking him up when I knew he was probably in his boxers.
I cringed when the bedroom door made a squeak as I opened it. I half expected Joey to jump up, gun in hand, ready to shoot. I walked to where he laid in bed, about to tap on his shoulder when his hand latched onto my arm, eliciting a shriek from me.
"Forget to knock?" he asked, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
He waited several seconds before releasing his hold on me. I knew he was studying my body language and probably also scanning me for weapons. I tried to stifle any chances of panicking. I didn't want to have a panic attack in front of this man. I didn't want him to see me as any more vulnerable or messed up than he already did, but it was hard to withhold my emotions when Joey grabbing my arm reminded me of him again.
Heart still pounding like a bass drum, I took a seat at the foot of the bed, fighting the urge to run back to the guest room. I wondered if Joey could hear my pulse. Surely, it was as loud as the thunder outside.
"I'm s-sorry," I stuttered. "I couldn't sleep. I guess I thought I'd feel safer if I talked to you."
Joey's intense expression softened. He nodded, adjusting his position. As he moved, lightning reflected off of something beside him. Once my eyes focused on the object, I recognized the shiny barrel of a pistol lying on the nightstand. It didn't seem to faze him that I'd noticed it.
"Not knowing." Joey's voice brought my gaze back to him.
I didn't know what he was talking about.
He leaned back against the dark wooden headboard, glancing momentarily to the window where rain had begun pelting the glass in a harsh rhythm.
"Not knowing where they are or when they're going to make a move," Joey clarified. "It's scaring you."
I was relieved that he couldn't read my mind and see what was really bothering me. He was certainly right about the unknown scaring me. I had no idea if I should be on guard all the time or if the threat was even eminent. I didn't know who was coming after me, which made it more difficult since I didn't know who to look for and avoid. I had no way of knowing when the supposed hitman might show up. Nor did I have the slightest clue what to do if I happened to come into contact with him. Would I even have the opportunity to get away? Still, none of that made me as uneasy as remembering him. What if this hitman thing happened to be interconnected with him? I wasn't about to tell Joey about him though. He didn't need to know about that part of my life.
"What am I supposed to do, Joey?" I asked, trying to calm my heart rate. "I can't afford to go into hiding or go on the run. I have a job. I have college. I'm so busy and I'm supposed to start a new job soon. I can't just disappear."
I hoped he understood, but I had a sinking feeling he was going to disagree.
"Look, I'm taking a risk here, too," he argued.
I was quickly intimidated by him raising his voice. Again, it brought flashbacks of him.
"My precinct has no idea what I'm doing. I can get my ass busted big time if my department finds out I contacted you, much less took you away from your apartment and everything without their approval. I'm aware of the possibility that this might all be for nothing," he told me bluntly. "But I didn't want to risk knowing something could happen to somebody and not doing a damn thing about it! That's why I became a cop. To protect people. Maybe my coworkers have a different set of values."
It meant a lot to me that Joey was willing to risk Boston P.D. bringing the hammer down on him for giving a shit about my safety. I didn't even know this man and here he was disobeying rules and protocol to keep me from potentially getting hurt. It was hard to fathom the situation was even real. I wished someone with a camera would pop out of the closet, laughing, and tell me this was all a prank. It was nice to think an officer would go to these lengths to help me, but at the same time, I would much rather the potential threat not exist in the first place.
"Thank you," I finally said.
It was all I could come up with. I wanted to say more but no words would form.
Joey simply nodded, getting back under his covers and scooting over. He patted the spot beside him and I took that as an invitation to join him.
"You're serious?" I raised my eyebrows.
I'd known him for less than a day and he was offering me comfort in his bed. My mind had already been blown with him letting me stay at his house and making me food. But this? This was too much. There were boundaries, obvious ones. This was crossing a line.
"It's up to you. You came in here for comfort. You're welcome to stay, if you want," Joey shrugged sleepily.
I tried to avoid my thoughts taking a dive into the gutter at the sight of him lying shirtless in bed. I couldn't go there. I wouldn't go there.
"I shouldn't..."
He rolled his shoulders and moved to get more comfortable. "Suit yourself."
I started to head back to the guest room but a sharp crack of thunder sent me scrambling into Joey's bed beside him. What the hell had gotten into me? I'd never been scared of storms.
I was too embarrassed to say anything to Joey and laid in silence, staring at the closet door until I finally fell asleep to the soft tapping of the rain.
When I awoke, it was still storming, but it was morning. I moved my arm back, feeling of the spot behind me, but Joey wasn't there anymore. I rolled over to see the covers ruffled where he'd gotten out of bed. Out of habit, I reached for my phone on the nightstand, but remembered it wasn't with me. Surely, my coworkers had tried contacting me. The clock read eight-sixteen. I usually started my morning shifts at seven and I was never late. My boss was probably livid.
"Joey?" I called, climbing out of bed.
The chilly air sent shivers through my body as I walked toward the hallway. I wondered if Joey had already gone to work. I didn't like the idea of him leaving me alone in his house without so much as a word that he was heading out. Someone could come in and kidnap me while he's gone. I wouldn't have much chance of fighting back if I was still asleep because he hadn't thought to wake me up.
I padded down the hall to the bathroom. Upon opening the door, I was shocked to find Joey in nothing but a white towel.
"Oh my god!" My face turned a deep shade of crimson as I hurriedly turned around. "I'm so sorry!"
Instead of hollering at me like I'd expected, Joey just chuckled. "You're fine."
"I'll just... I... yeah," I mumbled, making a beeline for the kitchen.
I busied myself searching for frozen breakfast food I could heat up and found a bacon and egg breakfast sandwich. I was mortified.
Moments later, Joey made his way into the kitchen as well. He seemed to be completely ignoring the fact that I'd basically just seen him naked. I avoided all eye contact and conversation, the situation too awkward for me to speak to Joey or even look at him. I kept anticipating him saying something about me barging in the bathroom.
"Here," he finally spoke up, handing me a phone.
It was an older style black touch screen that looked well-used. I looked at him, confused.
"It's a burner. You can use it to call me if you need to. And I do mean only me, Jessica. I can't risk you talking to friends, family, work or school. The last thing I need is somebody tracking us down. Please tell me I can trust you." He stared at me intently and I felt like I was shrinking in size under his gaze.
I was too intimidated by his stare to even think about disobeying his orders. I nodded in understanding, watching him button his dark blue uniform shirt.
The light over the stove caught the badge on his chest, making it appear sparkly as he moved.
"I'm going to work," he said as he slid his phone into his pocket and smoothed out his shirt. "I'll try to be back early. There's food if you get hungry. Keep the doors locked. Don't go outside. If you must, call me, but please don't make a habit of it. When I get back, we'll pack up and head out. Understand?"
"Yes."
Joey grabbed his keys and headed to the garage where I heard him raise the door. I walked to the front window where I could see him exit the garage, maneuvering his squad car around the BMW in the driveway.
"So that's where his squad car was," I muttered to myself as I watched the black and white vehicle fade down the street.
He hadn't been lying to me. He really was a police officer. Seeing the proof allowed me to put a little extra faith in him.
I wandered around the kitchen trying to think of what I could busy myself with. It felt strange standing in the house alone. Having to wait around for him to get back from work didn't sound to me like a day well spent.
I wished I'd been able to bring my computer. I could've used the time to work on assignments. Besides that, I couldn't stop worrying about how pissed my boss probably was over my absence. I couldn't even call in sick! I added in the fact that I had no idea where we were going to go when Joey returned. It was infuriating. I just wanted to go home and have my normal, boring life back.
With nothing else to do, I decided then was as good a time as any to take a shower. I didn't know when my next opportunity to do so would be, and I didn't have to worry about Joey walking in on me naked.
I waited on the water to heat up and then stepped in the glassed-in shower. I assumed Joey worked a regular eight-hour shift, which meant he would probably get home around five. I tried to enjoy my alone time and the chance to clean up, hoping it would make me feel better, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of someone watching me. I must've wiped the steam off the glass ten times just to make sure no one had followed me into the bathroom. I hurried to finish up and nearly froze my ass off when the cool air hit me, stepping out of the shower. It felt good to be clean, but the soapy water hadn't washed away the nagging out-of-place feeling or the thoughts of him that lingered in the back of my mind.
I dried off with one of Joey's fuzzy white towels. A giggle escaped my lips when I noticed the tag on the towel had the name of a hotel on it. Obviously, he'd stolen a few bath towels. It amused me to think a police officer had stolen something.
My smile faded when I heard the doorbell.
I rushed to get dressed in some fresh clothes, nearly tripping myself as I tried to sneak down the staircase while pulling my jeans up. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, the person on the porch was no longer ringing the bell, but instead began pounding their fist on the door. My pulse quickened as the banging grew louder. I felt a hard lump forming in my throat.
Picking up the burner phone Joey had given me, I sneaked toward the front window again. The blinds were just barely cracked where I could see out but no one could see in. I peeked through, seeing a man in a black jacket and black jeans beating on the door. My hands began shaking and the nerves in the pit of my stomach reminded me I didn't know what Joey's number was. I quickly searched through the phone, hoping he might've added himself as a contact. I was relieved when Officer Cavannaugh appeared in the contacts.
The man at the door paused as soon as I pressed the call button. I froze, dreading the possibility of him somehow hearing the ringing. I watched as he scanned the porch with a glare and then turned to walk away.
I realized Joey had answered my call saying "hello?" at least four times before I spoke up.
"J-Joey?" I stared at the dark haired man sprinting down the driveway to a black vehicle. The same black vehicle that had slowly passed Joey and I when we were leaving my apartment complex.
"What's wrong? What's going on?" he sounded worried.
I watched the Cadillac speed off down the street.
"Joey," I cleared my throat, unable to look away from the direction they drove in. "That... that black Cadillac that passed us yesterday... They were just here."
I heard what sounded like sirens turn on in the background. "I'm coming home right now."
He wasn't kidding. Within about ten minutes, his squad car appeared in front of the house and I watched as he jogged across the lawn in huge strides to the front door, unlocking it in less than ten seconds. He rushed to my side, grabbing me by my shoulders, his eyes darting all over me, making sure I wasn't hurt.
Even as freaked out as I was, I couldn't push away the thought that Joey sure looked attractive in his uniform, busting through the door. I shook my head, trying to ignore the oncoming butterflies at the feeling of his hands on me and his concern for my safety.
"Are you okay?" He stared intensely at me. "What the fuck happened?"
His sharp tone brushed off any attraction I was feeling and I forced myself not to let it get to me. Joey wasn't him.
"There was a man in black clothes with a buzz cut banging on the door and he left in the same black Cadillac we saw at my complex yesterday," I explained so fast, my words ran over each other.
Joey didn't look a bit surprised, though obviously furious. "Alright. Get your stuff. I'll pack a bag and we'll hit the road."
Everything happened so fast, I almost couldn't process what he said or get myself to move. He hurried upstairs and I followed behind shortly after.