“No problem. That’s my job, protect and serve.” He stood up, ready to get out of there before he said anything else that sounded corny.

She stood, too. “Thank you, Antonio. Your help with all this—it means a lot. You have no idea.”

*   *   *

Brandon rolled his windows down, letting in a cold blast of air as he drove over the bridge. Dusk was settling over the city, and the neon lights of South Congress glowed in the distance. It looked busy for a Tuesday, with the sidewalk cafés already full and people zipping through intersections on rented scooters. Typically, Brandon didn’t mind living in a high-traffic neighborhood. He liked the ebb and flow of people, not to mention the convenience of all the food trucks and takeout options. But some nights—like tonight—he was in no mood for crowds, and all the partygoers and scooters got on his nerves.

Brandon’s phone buzzed as he turned onto his street. His pulse quickened as he saw Leigh’s number on the screen.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi. Are you home from work?”

He caught the edge in her voice.

“On my way. Why?”

“This may sound weird . . . but I was wondering if you came by today.”

“By where? Your house?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Around noon.”

“No. Why?”

“Just a sec.”

He heard muffled voices and what sounded like a truck driving by. Then it got quiet.

“Sorry,” she said. “I was outside with my neighbor.”

“What’s wrong, Leigh?”

“I came home from my run, and she was standing in her driveway, and she mentioned that she saw a man lurking around my house earlier.”

“Lurking?”

“He was near the gate to the patio. She didn’t get a good look at him, but she said he was tall, so I thought maybe it was you.”

“Are you inside?”

“Yeah.”

Brandon pulled a U-turn. “Okay, lock your doors. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I’ll be there in a minute. Set your alarm.”

Brandon wove through traffic, somehow managing to catch every red light. Pulling onto Leigh’s street, he scanned the block and the driveways for unfamiliar cars. Everything looked normal, and the cars parked along the street were ones he’d noticed before.

Brandon parked in front of her tiny front lawn and got out. He glanced around as he made his way up the sidewalk. Both of the neighbors’ driveways were empty.

The front door opened as Brandon reached the step.

“Hi.” Leigh attempted a smile. “You didn’t have to come all the way here.”

That irked him for some reason.

“Tell me what happened,” he said.

She stepped back to let him in. She was dressed for a run in stretchy black pants and a sweatshirt, and the sheen of perspiration on her face told him she hadn’t been home long.

She closed the door behind him and flipped the lock.