CHAPTER - 11
close tabs on them. From his watch, he could select
and deselect rooms to watch. Except for the room he was currently in because then it was automatically
selected. with this room selected, he would have close
eyes on it and would be notified of nearly impossible break-ins. However, it would not notify him every
time Prerna flinched. Joseph shut the windows, then locked them and returned to the living room.
As he approached Prerna, he heard her breathing softly and the occasional wispy snore escape from
her mouth. He smiled at the small amount of drool
dribbling down her chin, then bent over in front of her, removing his handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped her mouth. A smile graced her face in her
sweet slumber.
Joseph didn't want to wake her in this state, so he
decided to take her to her room himself. It couldn't
be that difficult, she was a small woman after all.
Joseph slid his arms underneath Prerna's back and legs gendy, then lifted her. Immediately, Prerna thrashed her arms and legs about while letting out a God-awful, blood-curdling scream. He dropped her into the chair
as he stumbled backward.
What the hell, Prerna? Are you okay?" Joseph asked, regaining his footing.
"Em, oh God. I am so sorry." Deep red blossomed in her cheeks and spread across her face in seconds. "I.
I was dreaming. I didn't know it was you. I thought..
I'm sorry ... are you okay?"
"Tm fine. Does that happen often?" He offered his hand to assist her. She gripped it and stood wobbly.
"No.. I don't think so ... but people don't usually try to pick me up while I'm sleeping." She drowsily smirked
at him.
"I'm sorry. I should've known better. I wasn't thinking.
You know the way to the bedroom." Em gestured to the hallway and she walked in front of him, one slow step after another. "I turned down the bed for you."
You didn't have to do that. I'm tired, not lazy," Prerna stopped at the door she'd occasionally been through before. While Joseph hadn't been able to convince her to live with him, he had been her hideaway a few times when she needed a break from her working life. The door remained open and she pushed through it.
I wasn't saying you're lazy, but you are my guest."
Joseph leaned forward and laid a kiss on her cheek.
"Now, get some sleep. I'll talk to you later in the
morning."
Prerna grabbed his arm as he turned away. He looked back, and she asked, "Wait, Em, can you do me a big
favor?"
of course," he said, eyeing her. Prerna rarely asked him
for favors. "I want to call Jenn. He's supposed to come to my birthday dinner tonight with you and Mo. I have to tell him that we're going to be having dinner here tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Letting out a small sigh, Joseph said, "That former co-worker of yours? You still talk to him?"
He already knew the answer, though he hated it.
Prerna crossed her arms. "You know I do, Em. A few
times a month, and especially for birthdays. Please don't turn this into a fight."
Joseph held his hands up and said, "0kay. Go ahead.
Just warn him about the metal detector in my exterior doors, though. Now more than ever we need to take certain precautions."
Okay. I11 let him know." Prerna pulled Joseph in close and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "And please be nice."
Tl do my best:" Joseph yawned and Prerna let go. "Good night, Prerna."
"Good night. Sleep well," she said as she went into the
room and shut the door behind her.
Ricah followed Joseph as he backtracked to his bedroom, then stood beside him in the hallway, his eyes wide with curiosity as Joseph opened his bedroom door. Joseph glanced at the cat, thern shrugged and
waved him inside. Polite for an animal. The cat
waltzed into the bedroom, immediately sniffing everything in sight.
Joseph walked in behind Ricah but kept the lights off.
He shut the door, locking it behind him. Joseph knew
his room better than he knew the back of his hand.
He traced his usual path to his bed, then stood in the space to the right of it. There were exactly three feet between his bed and the dresser. Joseph laid his hand on the wall before him and pressed it in a precise spot. A hidden panel rolled to the side, revealing a mirror. Joseph pressed his watch against the cold glass.
It took only a second for the microchip in the mirror to identify him. The words Please Enter the Secret
Passcode' appeared on the screen in green font.
With his right pointer finger, he wrote out the words 1 Kissed a Girl' across the glass in neon green. The phrase disappeared and the mirror read 'Confirmation Complete."
The glass lifted upward and left behind a cement door which parted down the middle. It opened into a small building at the end of which was a well-lit set of stairs. Joseph walked forward, and the fluorescent lights blinded him briefly, but as his eyes adjusted, he saw Ricah pass by him and head down the stairs. Joseph followed behind the cat hurriedly, shaking his head. "The room was okay, this is not," he said, catching up to him. The cat wiggled about his feet, weaving between his legs and rubbing on them. Joseph grabbed
Ricah and lifted him in the air. "You have to go back."
Ricah's wondrous eyes stared into Joseph's, and for the briefest of seconds, Joseph felt something strange inside of him. He actually liked this cat. He'd never had an affinity for cats, or dogs, due to his allergies, but Ricah
was sweet. And curious. Like him.
"Fine, but you behave," Joseph said, a stern look in his eyes as he wagged his finger in the cat's face.
The cat rubbed against Joseph's cheek and Joseph pulled back, grunting. "Just be good," he pleaded as he
released him to the floor.