In His Service

robbed

Jake drove me home and walked me to the door, just as perfect a gentleman as Derek had been that first night. 

And, just like that night, Sadie met me at the door, her eyes wild and her expression panicked. 

"Ginny! Thank god you're home. We've been robbed!" She shrieked, her eyes brimming with tears. 

I rushed forward at her words, grabbing the door frame with trembling fingers as I stared into the living room of our shared apartment. Jake was right on my heels. 

"Sadie..." I began, staring around at the apartment, studying every inch. "What exactly did they rob us of?" 

Turning to face my long-time friend and roommate, I watched as she shrank under my gaze. She had always been dramatic, but this was a little overboard, considering from where I stood, the apartment and all its contents seemed to be just as we left them. 

"Well, actually, Ginny...." Sadie began, flexing her fingers back and forth in her nervous tick. 

"Spit it out, Sade." 

"Actually, umm... only you... have been robbed." 

At my dumbfounded look, Sadie brushed past me into the apartment and led the way to my bedroom door. One look inside confirmed what she said. The room was completely empty. Even the calendar on the wall was gone. A quiet chuckle from the doorway reminded me that Jake was still here. 

And of course, Sadie was standing behind him gesturing wildly, clearly no longer concerned about all of my worldly possessions being stolen because they were, presumably, being replaced by an Adonis of a man. 

I ignored her for the moment and pinned Jake with my stare. His eyes were jubilant. 

"Spill." I commanded. Jake chuckled again and nodded, raising his palms toward me in surrender. 

"You know housing is included in the contract, Ginny." Jake said simply, offering no further explanation. 

My eyes bulged at his words. 

"You mean Galloway, Inc. is responsible for my apartment being broken into and all my things being whisked away to god knows where?!?" My voice rose higher and higher as I spoke. 

Jake shrugged. 

"Holy shit, Jake, are you joking right now? This is too much. Too far. I mean... did they... like, pack my stuff? I had stuff in those drawers!" I pressed my index fingers to either side of my nose and breathed deeply. "What about the bathroom? The kitchen? The books I keep in the living room? What the actual fuck, Jake?" 

I knew Jake wasn't solely responsible, but he was the only one here to get my wrath at the moment, and he was taking it in stride, watching me have a meltdown as he stood comfortably in the doorway. 

Sadie was still standing behind him, now slack-jawed at the knowledge that my new boss and his accomplices had initiated a burglary just to move me into my new housing accommodations. I felt hot tears prick at the corners of my eyes and let out a frustrated "UUGHH!" before dropping to the floor, cross-legged in the middle of my empty room. 

Jake was there next to me in less than a second, rubbing circles on my upper back and brushing my hair out of my face. He tilted my chin up and ducked his head so that I had no choice but to make eye contact with him. I refused to let a tear slip, but I couldn't control the little wobble my bottom lip did. 

Jake's eyes softened and he made an exasperated sound as he pulled me to him, cradling me against his chest. 

"Ginny, I promise you, Derek's team is extremely respectable and professional. They were instructed to only pack and move the things in this room, none other. We assumed you would have other personal items in the apartment, but thought you would rather go through those yourself when your roommate decides to move out as well. Derek was just... insistent... that we go on and encourage you to get settled in your new place."