Read Online Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) by Melanie D. Snitker - Free Book Online Page B

another quick breath. She hurried to the front door, ignoring the protest from her ankle. After she made sure the door was bolted, she pushed a small bookshelf and then her coffee table in front of it. Satisfied that no one was going to come through, she sat on the couch and stayed motionless. When she didn’t hear anything else from downstairs, she realized that she needed to go check it out before she was going to be able to sleep.
    A shiver traveled down her spine. There was no way she was going to venture down there by herself.
    Out of nowhere, thoughts of Tuck entered her head. No, she couldn’t call him. The poor guy had already been summoned back to work tonight.
    On the other hand, if there really was someone downstairs, the apartment could be next.
    That was all she needed. She reached for her cell phone, moved a frog magnet to retrieve his business card from the fridge, and dialed his number.
     
    ~
     
    Tuck had only been home thirty minutes before his cell phone rang. He tossed a piece of crust from his sandwich to Rogue. The phone number was unfamiliar, but he rarely got calls after ten unless it was dispatch calling him to work. “Hello?”
    “Tuck?” the voice on the other end was immediately familiar.
    “Laurie? What’s wrong?”
    A pause. “I’m so sorry to bother you. But I heard glass breaking downstairs in my studio. I’m in my apartment and I’m ashamed to say I’m scared to go check it out. I’m sure it’s nothing…”
    Adrenaline kicked in and Tuck sat his sandwich on the counter. “Is your door locked?”
    “Yes, and more than one piece of furniture is pushed in front of it.” A nervous laugh came through the phone, punctuating her admission.
    “Stay there. Don’t open the door until I call you back. I’m coming right over.”
    He took another bite of his sandwich and tossed the rest to Rogue. The dog caught it in the air and swallowed it quickly. “Sorry to leave you again, boy. I’ll be back in a bit.” He grabbed his coat and headed out.
    He parked a couple of buildings down from Laurie’s studio. Handgun out and ready, he quietly approached the building. The door was closed and locked securely. Using his flashlight, he illuminated the interior, scanning every corner and area of the floor he could reach with the beam. He didn’t see anything out of place. Then his eye caught what looked like a large picture frame that had fallen onto the floor. Holstering his gun, he called the number Laurie had contacted him from.
    After he described the fallen photo, he said, “I don’t see anyone. I’m thinking it probably just fell off the wall. Come on down. I’ll wait here at the front door for you.”
    He watched as Laurie’s head peeked around the door that led to the stairway to her apartment. When she saw him, she hurried across the studio and let him inside.
    Eyes wide, she was breathing quickly and had her arms crossed tightly across her chest.
    “Hey, it’s okay. Come sit down for a minute.”
    Tuck pulled a chair over and helped ease her into it. He examined the source of the noise more closely. “It looks like the hook on the back of the picture broke. It made a huge mess over here.” He picked the frame up. The image had several long, white lines across it. “I’m afraid the glass scratched up your photograph.” He took the broom and dustpan out of the closet and proceeded to sweep up the glass and deposit it in the trash can. When he was done, Tuck went to stand in front of her. She wiped tears off her cheeks as she turned away from him.
    His heart clenched in his chest. He pulled another chair over and sat in front of her, only a couple of inches between their knees.
    “I feel ridiculous. I’m a grown woman, and I’m acting like a scared child. I’m sorry you wasted your time coming over here for this.”
    “First of all, this was not a waste of time. Secondly, you’re not ridiculous.” He bent his head, making eye contact with her. Without thinking about