Never Far Away (The Never #2)(49)

“Before I could get the door open, I saw a shadow move across the window, as if a man had run in front of it outside. I panicked and ran to call 9-1-1. When the dispatcher told me to hide, I went into the bathroom off the living room and sat in the tub.”

“Could you identify the suspect in a line up? Or describe him to an officer?”

“Probably not. It was dark outside and I couldn’t really see anything except that it looked like a person, a male.”

“When we were doing our initial sweep of the perimeter of the house, we found a set of foot prints that were outside of one window and then seemed to lead to another. It would seem you did have someone on your property.”

Ella’s breath caught in her lungs. She could feel the fear coursing through her body, but she needed to stay calm for Porter. Her freaking out was not going to help him at all.

“Maybe somebody was just lost,” she suggested.

“Ma’am, lost people don’t loiter outside of private residences and look in windows. Is there anyone you know of who would want to hurt or scare you?”

“Kyle,” the name was out of Porter’s mouth before she even had a chance to put her thoughts together. She looked up at him and couldn’t hide the shock from her face.

“Why would Kyle do this?”

“Why would Kyle shoot you? Because he’s a crazy mother f*cker with a death wish.”

“Wait, who shot you?” Officer Barrow looked confused. Ella let out a breath. She was tired of reliving everything that had happened to her.

“A few months ago, I was in my store in Portland and a man came to the store front and shot me through the window.”

“Was he apprehended?”

“No, they never caught the man.”

“And how does this Kyle fit into this.”

“Hours before the shooting she had an altercation with her ex-boyfriend who assaulted her and attempted to rape her.”

“Was he charged?”

“No. She went in a coma, then had amnesia, so she couldn’t make a statement about it. He skipped town and she just regained her memory about a week ago.” The officer looked at Ella, and pointed a finger in her direction.

“You need to go to the Portland police station, file a report, press charges, and get an order of protection. I don’t have any way of knowing who was outside your house tonight, but in my line of work there are no such things as coincidences.”

“Fucking Kyle,” Porter said.

“Is there anything else you need from me tonight, Officer?” Ella asked, growing more and more weary of the way the whole situation with Kyle seemed to always come up and impact her life.

“No, I will have patrol drive by your house a few times every night for the next few nights, just to keep an eye out. If you hear or see anything suspicious, call 9-1-1 immediately.”

“Thank you, Officer,” Ella said quietly.

“Can I have a word with you?” Porter asked, looking at Officer Barrow.

“Sure,” he answered and the two men stepped away from Ella, leaving her alone in the driveway. She wondered what Porter wanted to talk to the officer about, but felt he wanted space from her at the moment. She wondered what it was he had to say that couldn’t be said in front her. She walked back up the porch stairs and into the house, nodding at the two police officers leaving the living room and heading outside. Once she was sure everyone was clear of the house, she went upstairs to the bedroom. She saw her reflection in the mirror in Porter’s walk-in closet as she searched for something to wear to bed. She stared at her face and realized she looked exhausted. Everything was taking its toll on her and it showed. She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to shake off some of the fear that had clung to her for the last hour. Her apartment in Portland held terrifying memories, and now Porter’s house was tainted as well. The move to Salem was looking better and better.

She didn’t want to think about who was outside of Porter’s house, spying on her, scaring her. She truly didn’t believe it was Kyle. What motivation could he possibly have? What was he gaining from all this? Then again, who else could it be? She didn’t know who shot her, but it wasn’t Kyle, of that she was sure. She exhaled loudly and pulled out her favorite shirt of Porter’s to wear to bed. The gray shirt with Lincoln City on the breast was soft from washing and smelled of wood, soap, and Porter. She stripped down to her panties and pulled the shirt over her head. She crawled in the king size bed and waited for him.

A few minutes later she heard him come into the room and he paused at the doorway. She rolled over in the bed to look at him and he looked just as wrecked as she had.

Without saying a word, he pulled his shirt over his head, took his shoes and pants off, leaving him in his boxers. He pulled the comforter back a bit and climbed into the bed, reaching over to turn the lamp off on his bedside table, leaving them in the dark.

She felt him move closer to her. Once his hands found her, he pulled her gently over to him, cradling her against his chest. She curled up into him, letting him hold her, taking everything from him he was offering.

“What is going on inside that pretty head of yours?” He whispered. She exhaled, wanting to spew a thousand thoughts at him; there seemed to be so many things going on in her head she had no idea where to start.

“Will things ever be normal for us, Porter?” She mumbled into his chest.