She was in danger. Anyone after her was going to wait for the police interest to die down some and for her to relax before striking again. He planned to be there to catch them and track down the people responsible for giving the order to target her.
Forte closed the back and moved around to the side to pull out a set of wipes for a quick refresh and a clean set of clothing. Just as he was pulling a long-sleeved shirt over his head, an older woman left her ground-level apartment and started picking her way over the pavement toward Sophie’s home.
Forte quickly finished up, stowed his crap, and grabbed Haydn’s leash.
“Are you headed upstairs, ma’am?” Forte caught up with the lady, doing his best to make some noise so he didn’t scare the bejeezus out of her. He’d seen her around the complex but hadn’t ever met her directly. She was a friend of Sophie’s family, and he tried to stay out of Sophie’s family’s way.
The woman looked to be in her late seventies, active but not as spry as she might have been once upon a time. Clutched in her hands, the knuckles swollen with arthritis, was a large casserole dish covered in foil.
“Oh! Do I know you?” Dark eyes were still bright with intelligence, her sharp gaze taking in all the details about him and lingering on Haydn’s front leg. “You must be Sophie’s dog friend.”
Forte wasn’t sure if the woman meant he was a dog or if she was addressing Haydn. “Yes, ma’am, we’re friends of Sophie’s. Could we give you an escort up to her apartment?”
The woman considered him for what seemed like a long while in the cold. A slight tremor had started in her hands, and he was afraid she might drop her dish. Suddenly, the woman smiled, laugh lines creasing the corners of her eyes. “This should be fun. Why not?”
Yeah, sure. Why not? It wasn’t like he’d been waiting for just this opportunity to check in on Sophie in person or anything. The lady might see right through him, and he suspected she did, but he was still going to grab the opportunity with both hands.
She allowed him to carry the casserole dish—actually, a deep covered dish of heavy pottery—and took hold of his arm just inside the elbow. Haydn’s presence didn’t faze her at all. They took the stairs one at a time, at her pace.
Once they reached the landing of the second floor, the lady took her casserole back and pressed the doorbell, waited a few seconds, then pressed it again.
“Coming!” Sophie’s voice came from inside.
Forte was glad to hear it. As much as he wanted to be right there for her last night, he’d also wanted her to gain back some control in what was going on around her. But he wasn’t a saint—exactly the opposite—so if she’d asked him to stay he’d have given in to just how badly he wanted to kiss her again.
It wasn’t the right thing to do. And damn it, he’d have done it anyway.
The door finally opened and Sophie peered out, taking note of her visitor and him. She was still pale, but the circles under her eyes had cleared and there was a hint of color to her cheeks. She’d rested. “Mrs. Seong, how nice to see you. I wasn’t expecting you to bring more company.”
Sophie glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes.
Hah. She knew exactly why he was there.
Mrs. Seong pressed her casserole dish into Sophie’s hands. “Oh, I picked up a few strays on the stairs. Since you’ve just adopted a new cat, I thought you might like these boys, too.”
Sophie looked at Forte, then Haydn. Haydn waved his tail side to side once. Forte just tried to look like there was nothing unusual about his showing up.
Sophie pressed her lips together.
Apparently, he’d failed.
“Well?” Mrs. Seong asked, a hint of a sharp expectation to the word.
“Oh, do you mind cats? I wouldn’t want to trouble any allergies you might have. Thank you so much for the food.” Sophie seemed to struggle with keeping her thoughts organized as she spoke to the senior woman.
“I love cats.” Mrs. Seong bustled into the apartment without further invitation. “If the boys can’t behave well around your new cat, they can leave.”
Forte started forward. He’d take the opening provided and make a mental note. He owed Mrs. Seong a favor.
Sophie sputtered some, but she opened the door farther to let all of them into her home.
The cat was nowhere to be seen. Figured. It’d only been around overnight and it was probably still nervous from the move. Once it became obvious Sophie was really going to adopt the cat, Forte had invested in a cat carrier plus a starter kit of supplies. She’d apparently set up everything after he left.
And now he was back.
“Why don’t I heat up some of this for the two of you to enjoy right away?” He took the casserole from Sophie’s hands and headed for the kitchen, Haydn still on a leash at his side. He was going to keep Haydn with him until the cat made an appearance.