AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m here for a few days, but I often travel to the area, so I’ll be back.”
I give him the total for the books, take his payment, and put the books in a branded bag with my bookstore logo on it.
“I’m James Babcock.” He extends his hand.
I shake his hand. “Kate Walsh.” Same first name, third last name.
“Lovely to meet you. Can I get your number?”
I vacillate on whether I should. He’s a stranger. What could possibly come of this considering I’m pregnant? But my ego wins out. It’s time for me to move forward. To live. To enjoy life. Nothing will likely come of this, but that’s not the point. The point is for me to live again, so I give him my number and he shares his.
“Thank you for the books.” He gives me a last smile and leaves the shop.
I’m proud of myself for taking another step forward in reclaiming my life. It puts a positive tone on my day. By the time I’m closing shop, I’ve called all my customers about their orders, had a good day of sales, and was asked out by a man. All in all, a good day.
I drive home feeling good about my life even if it’s still drizzling rain outside. I reach my quiet street with older homes like mine that give the neighborhood a Rockwellian feel.
As I pull into my drive, I hear an alarm. I park my car and turn off the engine. Stepping out of the car, I realize the alarm is coming from my home.
Fear paralyzes me. I take tentative steps up to my door. It’s closed, but when I open it, it’s unlocked. Someone has been here. For all I know, they’re still here. Waiting for me. Planning to kidnap me.
I back away, stumbling down the steps of my porch.
“Are you okay?”
I whip around to find one of the men who live across the street trotting up to me. “How did this happen?”
He arches a brow. “What do you mean? Did someone break in?”
“Aren’t you watching me?”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Ah… I… Maybe you should call the police.”
It takes a moment for my brain to engage. I nod. “Yes, of course.” My hands shake as I pull out my phone and call 9-1-1.
“Would you like to wait with us?” He nods to his home across the street.
“Is that what Lucy would want?”
Again, he stares at me like I’ve got a screw loose. “Lucy?”
It dawns on me that perhaps I’m wrong about him. Maybe it really is a coincidence that they moved in around the time I did, that they look like the type of men who work for Lucy and Donovan.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I thought…” I stop myself. If he thinks I’m nuts now, imagine what he’ll think if I tell him I thought he was hired by the Mafia to watch over me.
“Could you just wait with me?” I ask him because I’m afraid, and yet, what if danger is lurking? Have I just put him in danger?
“Of course.”
It’s probably ten minutes, but it feels like forever when the police arrive. One goes inside to look around while the other stays with me and asks my neighbor questions.
“I came home and my alarm was going off and the door was unlocked.”
The cop turns to my neighbor. “Did you see anything?”
“When I arrived home, the alarm was already going off. I saw her out here and came to help.”
“We’ll ask if the neighbors saw anything. Could be you forgot to lock the door and the wind or rain somehow triggered the alarm.”
