Chapter 3: Safety

It didn't take long for a knock on the door to alert them to the arrival of the police. Brenna opened the door to find a uniformed Eaton standing there.

"What's up? I heard the dispatch to this address. Are you okay, Brenna?" Eaton looked her over quickly for any sign of blood or distress as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm fine. Come in." Brenna moved back for him to enter.

Eaton walked in and stopped short when his eyes fell on Slaton rising from the couch. Glaring at him, he turned to Brenna for an explanation.

"Slaton brought me home from watching the comet with his family. When we got here, the door swung open without me turning the knob. Just a little of my weight leaning on it did it. We searched the whole place and found where someone had pulled a nightgown out of my drawer and left it folded it on top of my pillow. I know I didn't do it because I didn't wear that one last night."

"There was no one here and no other sign of an intruder." Slaton confirmed.

Eaton nodded toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. "May I?"

"Sure." Brenna led the way and showed Eaton the new nightgown and the one tucked under her pillow.

"Anything else?"

"I didn't see anything missing or out of place. I've looked everywhere. This is just really creepy."

"I'll report this, and we'll see what we can do. Have you seen anyone hanging about or anything out of the ordinary?" He glanced over at Slaton with a slight glare.

Brenna shook her head. "Nothing. This is the first I've noticed."

"Any strange phone calls that you didn't think much about at the time?"

She sighed as she shook her head again. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"I wouldn't advise you staying here alone tonight. We don't know how he got in."

Slaton spoke up, "She can come out by our place. Mom will be glad to have her out there."

Eaton frowned at the intrusion of the deep voice, but knew there was no better solution at the moment. Having Brenna near Slaton seemed dangerous to him, but her safety was more important to him. Plus, he had to work that night. He would deal with the Slaton issue later.

Reluctantly, Eaton nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. Brenna, lock up when you leave and let me know if anything else strange happens, though I doubt it will way out there. You have my number. Use it. Same goes for you, Slaton."

She nodded as she pulled out an overnight bag and began packing, choosing an entirely new set of nightclothes for that night. Opening the drawer with her night clothes and underwear gave her pause. The black piece that now lay on her pillow was in that very drawer that morning. Strange hands had touched her intimate pieces. Brenna shook herself out of the grasp of fear that was getting tighter. Getting out of there sounded good at the moment. Both men hovered nearby watching her. Neither one seemed willing to leave the other one alone with her in her bedroom. Both walked her outside to Slaton's truck.

Eaton knew she was better off at the Lightfoot house, but something about the way Slaton was looking at her irritated him. He had seen them interact before but there was something different tonight, something he did not like, something he might have to address. Maybe it was time he upped his own game plan.

Unknown to all of them, another set of eyes was watching from across the street in a small patch of trees. A hand brought out a scarf that had been folded neatly in Brenna's drawer and smelled the honeysuckle perfume she wore. A sigh escaped the hidden face as Eaton waved Brenna off and returned to his car to report the incident.

The ride out to the Lightfoot home on the reservation was long and quiet. Each was in their own world thinking about the events of the night. Brenna was unnerved that someone had been inside her home and touching her intimate things. Slaton wanted to protect her from the fear he saw in her posture.

"You'll be safe out at our place," he said, hoping to ease the tension in her.

"I know." She nodded. "It just feels weird to have my personal space invaded. I feel dirty and I wasn't even touched."

He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. She felt his warmth through her sweater and smiled in appreciation. She didn't mention how weird it was to have Eaton and Slaton sizing each other up in her apartment. That would just open up a can of worms she wasn't prepared to deal with at the moment.

"Who could it be?" she wondered out loud.

"Maybe a kid from school pulling a prank?"

She turned to look at him. "That could very well be it. I teach high schoolers and they love pranks. That has to be it." Thinking they had solved the mystery, she relaxed.

Slaton smiled in return, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He hoped it was a teenage prank, but he wasn't putting money on it. That could only lead her into danger. All his senses had burst into life back in her apartment. He knew what had been there was not good, and that it hadn't been just a prank. Something sinister was in the air.

The night was uneventful. Tahnee kicked Slaton out of his room and placed Brenna in it. She tried to convince them to let her sleep on the couch. She quickly found the battle lost before it got started, as not one person took her side.

As Brenna got into the bed, she looked around Slaton's room. It felt weird being there. She could tell that he hadn't changed much about it since he came back from law school. Posters of hot rods decorated the walls, and model airplanes hung from the ceiling. What interested her the most was the shelf full of books. Walking over to it, she read the titles with fascination. She found Wuthering Heights, David Copperfield, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Uncle Tom's Cabin. The more titles she read, the more impressed she became. She knew Slaton was intelligent but did not realize how extensive his literary tastes ran. As she settled in the bed, she thought of all that had happened today and sighed in exhaustion. Too much to think about, too much to deal with. Maybe Scarlett was right and tomorrow was another day to deal with it all.

She drifted off to sleep much easier than she had anticipated, while the man on the couch was wide awake. Slaton stared at the ceiling with his thoughts drifting back and forth from the woman in his bed down the hall to the intruder no one saw. The uneasy feeling he had while standing in her bedroom hadn't left him. It actually intensified when they left the apartment building. He firmly believed it was not a prank. When he expressed his feelings after they got home, Grey and Tahnee agreed with him. He was glad she was under their roof tonight so he could watch over her. A part of him wished he could lock her up and keep her here safe and sound, but he knew that would get him nowhere.

He was frustrated because he had been just about to kiss her when she fell through the doorway. The intruder did a lot to mess up his evening and that did not help his temper. He turned over and lightly punched the pillow.

"Did that help any?" Tahnee's voice came out of the dark.

Slaton looked through the darkened room to the doorway her voice traveled from.

"A little." he admitted gruffly.

"What's bothering you the most? Her being so close or knowing someone could be out to hurt her?" Tahnee moved to sit next to him on the sofa.

"Both. She firmly believes it was a prank. She won't listen to reason that she still needs to take precautions. She'll want things to return to normal again."

"Good for her then."

"What?"

"Slaton, she is a strong woman and limiting that strength will not help your cause. She has to see that she needs you and that you are there during those times. The need has to be there. Right now, she doesn't see the need. Until then, you have to let her stand on her own."

"Will she see the need? Am I the need? It's not like I'm the only guy in her life."

"She'll see it."

"Is that you reassuring a son or you knowing this?" Slaton knew his mother had the supernatural ability to sense the future. She seemed to know how things would end up, just not how they would end up there.

"I know. But my knowing is not what is important. You both have to know. Once you realize, son, that she is the one for you, it is then a matter of you helping her realize it on her own. The love has to grow and take root. It cannot be forced."

"I almost kissed her tonight. If the door had not been opened, I would have. I would have known for sure."

"Love doesn't come in one chance opportunities. The real thing is persistent. You'll get a chance again. All you can do is be there when the door opens." Tahnee patted his arm and went back to bed.

Slaton closed his eyes and dreamed of silver hair and blue eyes.