Collateral Damage by J.L. Saint

pay. She prayed for them and for herself as hard now as she had when she went into labor and the doctor had told her the boys were likely too premature to survive.
    Though it seemed forever, it couldn’t have been more than eight minutes before the squad car arrived, blue lights flashing. Lauren opened the window and yelled down at them.
    They instructed her to wait until they checked everything out. The report when they gave her the okay to exit the bedroom wasn’t good. Lauren kept hold of Matt and Mitch’s hands as they went downstairs and entered the kitchen. They asked her questions about what happened, and she explained.
    The broken panels on the open French doors leading to the terrace made her feel sick. The safety of her home had been violated and lay as shattered as the glass on the ceramic tile floor.
    “Ma’am, whoever broke in tonight was professional enough to disable your security system,” said Officer Jenkins. Lauren gauged the cop to be about her age, thirty-two. Judging by his calm air of command, he had years of experience on the force. He was accompanied by a younger officer by the name of McCade, who was examining the lock on the French doors with a flashlight.
    Officer Jenkins continued speaking when Lauren just stared at him in disbelief. She hadn’t known that someone could so easily disable the one thing she relied the most on to keep her and her sons safe. “You notice anything out of the ordinary happen lately?” he asked. “Seen any strangers in the area or heard of any break-ins from your neighbors?”
    Sasha and Sam’s barking grew closer, and Lauren cleared the fear clogging her throat. “No, Officer. There hasn’t been anything.”
    What about Bill’s death ? Her mind shouted at her. She glanced at Matt and Mitch and clamped her mouth closed. She didn’t have any reason to connect his death with the break-in, and she couldn’t let her sons learn of their father’s death so abruptly either. God, she didn’t know how she’d tell them, but would wait for more facts from the consulate in Brazil before she tried.
    Officer McCade rose from examining the door latch. “Well, we can peg the guy as being impatient to get in. Looks as if he tried picking the lock, but then gave up finesse for brute force. A good thing too. You might not have heard him otherwise.”
    The chill in Lauren’s spine deepened.
    Sasha and Sam ran through the open door and began growling at the policemen.
    “Friends, Sasha. Friends, Sam. Come. Sit,” Lauren commanded. To her surprise, the dogs immediately obeyed, though they kept a low growl going and watched the policemen intently. They didn’t make friends easily, and Lauren usually had to repeat herself several times. The officers looked impressed and she rolled her eyes—if they only knew the truth of things.
    “Mom,” Matt tugged on her arm. “Tell the policeman about the pony man. He might be mad that Sasha and Sam chased Clementine.”
    Officer Jenkins arched a brow. Lauren then explained the earlier incident and completely assured the policemen there really couldn’t be a connection. But as she thought more about it, there could very well be more to Hank’s Mr. Irresistible complex than met the eye. He’d been to her home. He knew it was just her and the boys living here. He would have had time to glance at the alarm system while taking a break during the party. Or even before the party started. He had arrived earlier than she’d expected and had wandered around the yard.
    She drew a deep breath and gave Officer Jenkins a desperate look. “Would you two mind staying here for a few minutes longer while I gather a couple of things? I don’t feel safe staying the rest of the night even if I could board up the broken panels of glass.”
    The officers agreed, and she brought the boys and the dogs upstairs with her as she grabbed a few necessities then loaded the car up for a trip to Angie’s house.
    “We’ll fingerprint the door and outside