ZOEY: I’m so hap
I sat looking at her half-finished text. Waiting for the dots to appear at the bottom to show that she was typing.
She wasn’t.
I knew something was wrong. I shoved on my shoes and grabbed my keys while I hit dial. It rang twice and then she answered but didn’t speak.
“Zoey?”
I paused and listened hard. I heard rustling noises.
And then a voice that sent chills through every cell in my body. “You hang up that phone, girl, if you know what’s good for you.”
Zoey’s voice was shaking. “Terrance, get the fuck out of my apartment.”
Then the line disconnected.
I hit 911 as I sprinted down the hallway towards the elevators.
“What is your emergency, sir?”
“I was on the phone with my friend and there was an intruder in her apartment before the line got disconnected. She needs the police.”
“Do you know the address?”
I gave the address as I rode down the elevator. “Her name is Zoey Petrik and the man in her place is Terrance.”
“Do you know his last name?”
“No, but he was stalking her last year. He’s dangerous.”
“The cops are on the way to her address. Do you want to remain on the line with me?”
“No.” I backed my SUV out of my stall and then punched the gas, my tires squealing in the parkade. “I’m heading there now.”
“When you arrive, we advise that you wait until the police get there before entering her place.”
Fuck that.
I hung up and broke every traffic law driving to her place.
I should have never made her be on her own.
This was my fault.
I was such a fucking asshole
If he hurts her, I will kill him.
If something happens to her, I won’t survive.
Please, God. Please keep her safe.
I turned the corner and narrowly missed getting hit by a cop car that was pulling up from the other direction.
I haphazardly parked.
“She’s alone in there,” I yelled, sprinting to the door.
I hit every button on the door panel until someone in the building let me in. Not caring if the cops followed, I took the stairs, three at a time.
I pounded on the door. An out of breath cop came up behind me and yelled into the door. “Police. Open up.”
The door swung open and there she stood, holding a squirming fluff of a kitten.
She was alive.
Fuck. Thank fuck. She was alive.
There was no blood. No broken bones. She looked disheveled but very much alive. Tears streaked her face, but she also had a fierce, angry look to her.
“Zoey Petrik?” The cop asked.
“Yes,” she sniffed.
“We had a report that there was an intruder in your apartment.”
“That was fast. I only called a moment ago.”
“I called them, Zoey,” I spoke.
She looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first time. “Ryan.”
The cop cleared his throat. “Would it be okay if I came in?”
She held open the door wide. I stepped in, unable to take my eyes off her. She was so crushingly beautiful, I thought I would die just looking at her.
“Did the intruder exit the building? Do you remember what he was wearing?”
“He’s in my bedroom.’
The cop blinked. “The intruder is in your bedroom?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you mind if I go see?”
She shrugged. “Go ahead.”
We watched as he unclipped his gun and then pushed open the bedroom door. “Holy shit.”
He glanced back at Zoey as he spoke into his radio. “I have a 10-78. Suspect is down and in need of an ambulance.”
The sound of feet pounded on the stairs.
I stepped closer to Zoey. Her entire body shook, but her eyes were clear. She watched the cop with a steady gaze.
“Are you okay?” I asked in a low voice.
“You called the police?”
“Yeah.”
“And you came?” She stared up at me with those electric blue eyes. God, I missed her so much, my heart ached.
“I came.”
She sighed and put her face against the purring cat. “Thank you.”
Three more cops came into the apartment and disappeared into the bedroom. One cop came out and looked at Zoey.
“We’re just waiting for an ambulance. So, it will be a few more minutes before we can remove him.”
“I understand.”
Ambulance? What the fuck had happened?
He cleared his throat. “Why don’t you have a seat and maybe you can walk me through the series of events.”
She nodded and sat down on the couch. I took two steps towards the bedroom and peered through the open door.
There on the floor, hog-tied with what appeared to be the belt of her housecoat, was Terrance. He was on his stomach, feet and arms tied behind his back. He wrestled against his restraints, but it didn’t look like he was going anywhere. Blood pooled on the floor beneath him.
On the dresser, was a vicious-looking knife that dripped with blood.
Holy shit.
The officer stood in front of Zoey with his notebook. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“Terrance walked into my bedroom with a knife. I think he came through one of my open living room windows.”
The officer glanced up at me. “You were alone?”
“I was texting with Ryan when I heard Terrance come into my place.”
“Does Terrance have a last name?”
“Howells.”
“What is your relationship to Mr. Howells?”
Zoey flinched. “He used to be my foster dad when I was 16. When I was in his care, he came into my room and attempted to assault me. I stabbed him and ran away. I never reported it. He recently came back into my life and started following me.”
“He stalked her,” I added.
The officer gave me a cold look. “And you are?”
Zoey answered for me. “He used to be my friend and roommate.”
“I’m still her friend,” I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She was alive.
Zoey glanced at me from beneath her lashes. I stared at her and watched as she blushed.
“How did he stalk you?”
“He threatened me and took money from me. And he attacked me in the bathroom at the hockey arena.”
“Did you call the police?”
I cut in again. “Security chased him on foot and we have footage of the attack on the security cameras, but they never caught him. A police officer at the stadium created a report.”
Voices sounded outside the apartment and then two ambulance dudes came in with their bags. They disappeared into the bedroom.
The three of us watched in silence.
The cop turned back to Zoey. “How did you subdue Mr. Howells?”
“Krav Maga. I took a course.”
He blinked. “Can you be more specific?”
“I got close enough so I could take the knife away from him. I kicked him in the groin and then when he bent over, I put my knee to his face. Twice. We fell on the floor and we struggled. He got his hand back on the knife and I was sure he would kill me. I got the knife away from him and stuck it in his gut and then I tied him up.”
The cop nodded in complete disbelief. “I see.”
He glanced at me. “And you’re sure you weren’t here?”
“You saw me pull up in my vehicle.”
He stood up. “I will be right back. You two hang tight.”
I couldn’t even reconcile what had taken place. Zoey had taken on Terrance and done some serious damage.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked vacantly at me. “I think so.”
“Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head.
THE NEXT FOUR hours passed in a surreal blur. When the last shred of evidence had been collected, and the last cop left the apartment, it was after 4 AM.
“Do you want to come back to my place?”
Zoey looked around. “No.”
I couldn’t imagine how anyone would want to stay here after being attacked. “Are you sure?”
She looked at me with clear eyes. “Terrance has taken enough from me. He will not take away my home. If I leave tonight, he won.”
I was so proud of her, my heart hurt. “What can I do?”
Her smile was sad. “Will you stay with me while I clean up the bedroom?”
“I will help you clean the bedroom.”
Together, in silence, we knelt on that floor and scrubbed the blood from the hardwood.
She stripped the bed, and I walked around her apartment and wiped off all the fingerprint dust ink.
In silence, I helped her put fresh sheets on her bed.
By the time we were done, the dawn light was coming up, pink and orange.
“Will you sleep?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Probably not.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
She shrugged. “Thanks for your help.”
I was dismissed.
With a heart so heavy, I thought it’d stop beating, I walked to the door. She reached up and gave me a little hug.
I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tight against me.
When I felt her body relax against mine, some of the cold black ice that encased my heart melted. There was a little bit of her that still trusted me. And that meant everything.
Everything.
“Zoey.”
She stepped back. “Thank you for what you did tonight.”
“Zoey, can we…”
“Have a good night.”
And then, just like that, I was standing on the other side of the door.
“HOW’S SHE DOING,” I asked Mica as we ran along the beach.
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
I stopped running, breathing hard. “She doesn’t want me in her life.”
He stopped and circled back. “Did she say that?”
“No. But I can tell.”
“You wanted her to stand on her own two feet, right?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s standing.”
“I know. Fuck, you should have seen her the other night. She was a warrior.”
“So, what are you waiting for?”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?
“I…” I looked at him. “Yeah.”
He gave me a wicked grin. “Zoey’s never been romanced. Don’t you think she deserves that?”
“You mean, I should woo her?”
“Woo her like she’s never been woo’d before.”
