Ellen sat on the edge of the couch, tapping her fingers against her knee as she stared blankly at the wall. It had been nearly a week since the break-in, and she was was about to go crazy. She couldn’t remember the last time she had stayed at home this long without going out. Not a single trip to the store, no yoga classes and no more popping by Helga’s, nothing. It felt like she was under house arrest, and the feeling was getting unbearable.
The police had been coming and going, asking questions, checking footage, and following leads, but so far, they hadn’t been able to catch whoever had broken into their home. Every time they came back, it was more of the same. "We’re still working on it. We’re following up on some evidence." It was never enough to reassure her—or Mason.
Mason had been more on edge than ever. His protective nature, which Ellen didn’t even know he had, really ramped up after what happened since the incident. He didn’t let her out of his sight if he could help it, and the house was locked up tighter than a vault. But the longer Ellen was stuck inside, the more antsy she got.
She let out a frustrated sigh, sinking deeper into the couch. She was bored—so bored she could scream. She’d already rearranged the living room three times in her head, binge-watched shows she didn’t even care about, and cleaned everything twice, at this point, she was ready to take over everything Vivi did. The same old routine was driving her nuts. She needed to get out. Anything to break the routine.
As she heard Mason’s footsteps approaching, Ellen perked up. Maybe now was the time to try again. She had been trying to convince him to let her leave the house for days now, but Mason wasn’t budging. Today, though, she was determined. She couldn’t take another day stuck inside.
Mason walked into the room, phone in hand, looking as serious as ever. He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "What’s that look for?"
Ellen sat up straighter, brushing her hair behind her ear as she mustered her best pleading expression. "Mason," she began sweetly, drawing out his name. "I’ve been inside for almost a week. I haven’t gone out at all. Don’t you think it’s time I got some fresh air?"
Mason’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he crossed his arms, instantly knowing where this was going. "Ellen, we’ve talked about this. You know why you need to stay inside."
"But the police still haven’t caught whoever this freak is!" Ellen blurted out, frustration bubbling over. "They don’t even know if he’ll come back. He probably won’t! I’m sure he’s long gone by now."
Mason shook his head, his jaw tightening. "What if he does come back? What then, Ellen? You can’t just go wandering around like nothing happened."
Ellen groanedand threw her hands up in frustration. "Mason, come on. The guy broke in once. He’s not going to risk coming back and turning himself in. That would be stupid!"
Mason wasn’t having it. His expression hardened, and he gave her a stern look. "No. I’m not letting you take that chance."
Ellen stood up, walking over to him with a playful smile on her face. She tugged at the hem of his shirt, trying to soften him up. "You assigned a bodyguard to me, right? So what’s the harm? I won’t be alone."
Mason sighed heavily, rubbing his hand across his forehead. "Still no, Ellen. Even with a bodyguard, I don’t like the idea of you being out there when the police haven’t caught this guy yet."
Ellen pouted, looking up at him through her lashes. "I’m so bored," she whined, tugging at his shirt again, trying to get him to relent. "I’ve been inside for too long. Please, just let me go out for a little while. I’ll just hang out at Helga’s. You know she’ll keep an eye on me."
Mason pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly frustrated but trying to stay calm. He hated seeing her like this, but he just couldn’t help being overly protective. Ellen could see the conflict in his eyes, and for a moment, she thought he might say no again.
But then Mason let out a big sigh, and his shoulders dropped like he gave up. "Fine," he mumbled, giving her a tired look. "You can go out."
Ellen’s face lit up with excitement, her eyes widening in surprise. "Really?" she asked, not quite convinced he had actually given in.
Mason raised a hand, stopping her before she could get too excited. "But with me," he added firmly. "You’re not going anywhere without me."
Ellen took a moment to think about his situation, then broke into a smile. "That’s better than nothing!" she chirped, quickly grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the door. "Come on, let’s go before you change your mind!"
But just as she tried to lead him out of the room, Mason stopped her, his grip on her hand tightening. He pulled her back gently, making her turn to face him. His expression was serious, his eyes locking onto hers. "No," he said in a low voice, "you’ll follow me. I want to bring you to this place."
Ellen blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in his tone. For a moment, she just stared at him, taking in the way he stood there, all commanding yet relaxed. There was something about this protective side of Mason that made her heart flutter, even if it frustrated her to no end. She liked knowing he cared enough to worry about her, but she also hated feeling like she was being caged.
"Okay, okay," she said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "But you’d better not bring me to some sketchy place."
"Relax, you’ll totally like it," Mason said, giving her a tiny grin.
Now, with the way Mason said that, Ellen couldn’t help but wonder where her husband was taking her.