Her vision blurred, and the truth was she wasn't focused on anything other than her heartbeat.
Officer Soliz said, "At least you're safe, Alice, and we'll keep you that way."
Without another word, she scooted closer to John. Closeness helped rally her spirits, and she could see sharply again.
A security guard came out of the garage and announced, "The window was broken, but it's not large enough for a man to get through."
She shook her head. No, the goosebumps over her body weren't for nothing. There had been danger. Alice called out, "What about a woman?"
Without thinking, she reached out and took John's hand. Heat traveled up her body as he asked, "What?"
Alice turned back to the officer—her suggestion wasn't out of left field. "Women can be assassins or trained killers."
Officer Rafe nodded his head. "We'll search the house to be sure."
Like the royal son, John lifted his head and the security guard reported, "I've called in a team to fix the window. They should be arriving soon."
Her breathing returned to normal, and her body temperature regulated. "The House of Morgan has everyone on speed dial?"
He pressed his palm toward hers, and the skin to skin contract sent her an electric pulse. "Yeah. Alice, I need you to be safe."
Another round of adrenaline hit her, but for an entirely new reason. Her body trembled. "Why?"
Her knees knocked together as he said, "You talk about homes and families like everyone should have one. I like it and hope to hear more about these things."
Talk about the perfect answer. She sighed. If they were alone, she'd throw herself at him.
Officer Soliz interrupted her thoughts as he said to her, "That's a big admission coming from this guy, Alice. Between the Morgans and the Gonzales family, everyone else at school seemed to have normal lives."
A bark of a laugh escaped her lips. Jennifer's home life never crossed Alice's mind. She had never tried to spend time with her or think about her. "We all have difficulties in our families. My mom and I disagree, but despite her parting words, I know she cares about me."
John shook his head. "At least you have a relationship where you can fight with her. She knows you're there, right in front of her."
Rafe turned red, clearly thinking about his own affairs, and then stepped away from the two of them. "I'm investigating a break-in."
He walked toward the garage.
Now they were alone. Her heart raced. Alice reached up and placed her hand on John's chin. He gazed into her eyes. With everyone around, she'd not beg for a kiss though she'd like one. She sighed instead. "I don't know how you're so together despite everything."
He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. Every cell in her woke up and begged for his attention. "I can't let anything happen to you."
"That's all you have to say?"
His eyes narrowed. "What else did you expect?"
Perhaps that he cared about her and might love her. Not that she'd say that. Small pieces of ice went back into her veins. She stepped out of his arms. "Nothing, I guess."
John, stiff, stood next to her as the house swarmed with people.
A few seconds later, Rafe came from the garage as security came out of the house. She stayed next to the cheese plate from earlier that made it somehow seem they were there for a dinner party. Alice's heart rate spiked at the thought she might have just been an idiot. Someone might be in her house. She swallowed, but then security spoke first, "No one is here, sir."
She released a huge breath. But then a car arrived outside and a team of security went out to greet the new arrival. She hugged her waist as she waited.
John nodded at the security officer without speaking. Who would be outside, now?
Rafe returned to join them. "I didn't find anything in the garage or attic. I'm going outside to check the grounds."
John smiled. "Thanks."
The police were supposed to collect fingerprints and clothing molecules to be brought back to a lab. That's what she saw on every cop show as procedure, but Rafe had no evidence bags. She stroked her throat. Then she held her breath as the door opened and two men carrying new panes of glass came in. Afraid, she stepped behind John, who reached behind her and rubbed the base of her spine. "It's okay. They will replace everything."
Over his shoulder, she peered at the two new men. "This is crazy."
His massage helped calm her. He asked, "Why?"
"Nothing on the farm gets fixed this fast when it breaks. Normally we have to patch things up and then when we have the time we head to the store to buy whatever we need to put everything back together as best we can."
His eyes closed while he took in her every word. At least her heart didn't race quite so much. He said, "I've never done that."
Sometimes his life seemed so strange. "What about when your bike chain went off the track?"
John shrugged. "I never thought about how it was fixed."
"John, your world is very weird to me sometimes. Next you'll tell me you've never ordered off the dollar menu."
A smile broke out on his face like he'd dared something exciting. "I was on stakeouts, though I usually had delivery from restaurants I approved of, but I went for fast food once, last year. I'm still not a fan."
Once, last year, were words that spoke volumes about his life. She shook her head.
The glass repairmen were noisy but fast and slammed their car doors before driving away. Alice jumped but tried to stay calm. Not every noise had to scare her. Whoever broke the window was gone now. There was no evidence of a break-in. Could've been a ball from a kid next door, but she didn't believe that. There had to be a rational explanation.
John locked the front door, showed her a number combination to set a new security code and then let his shoulders slump. Alice gazed around the empty house. Everyone was gone and they were alone, again.
Her blood boiled. What if the intruder came back? Her mind swirled as she massaged her chest. She walked closer to John and hoped a conversation would stop the fear building. "What happened today?"
His eyebrows arched. "Someone tried to break in."
The wrong answer. Perhaps she hadn't formed her question right. Her body trembled. There had to be another reason, but John spoke to her fear. She swayed on her feet. "And we're staying here?"
Without asking, he took her hands. "You saw how security worked. I didn't call anyone and we had the cops and Morgan security within minutes. Do you have a better place in mind?"
Unsure, her mind raced. "No."
His presence was like a rock. "Then here is good."
If she stayed next to him, she might feel safe. Maybe. She tilted her head "People don't usually want to murder me, unless you count Jennifer the one time in high school I went out with Rafe."