Chapter 38

Shirley

It’s not Alana I call that night, but Jean. Back on our usual schedule, I do my check-in right at nine o’clock, but make sure to dance around the subject of Ralph. But this time, I do mention Keith.

“He seemed happy with my work,” I inform her, finding myself smiling. “He even told me as much. Which is a huge deal because he could refer me to other major clients. Could you imagine?”

“That’s awesome, Shirley!” Jean says happily, sounds of her washing dishes filling the background. “I’m not surprised, though. You don’t need his approval to know how amazing you are at your work.”

“I know,” I reply, shrugging as I tug the blanket on my lap higher. “But it’s still nice to hear someone say nice things. Words of validation and all that.”

“I get it,” Jean reassures me. “So does that mean you’ll be coming home soon?”

And there it is - Jean’s roundabout way of attempting to make sure I get the hell out of the Lock Heart pack as soon as possible. I know her worries are warranted, but really - she doesn’t have to fuss over me. Even if she doesn’t know all the details, Ralph isn’t a big deal.

“I don’t know,” I ease out. “We still have a lot to do, especially with all the delays from the protests and everything.”

“Well, I assume Keith will have that cleared up soon. He always figures it out,” Jean comments.

“Yeah,” I say softly, not sure what causes the waver in my voice. However, I quickly clear my throat to clear it up. “But still, it’s hard to pinpoint a timeline. It could be days, weeks…”

Months - though that seems a little unlikely. And I’m not sure how I feel about the possibility anyway. I find myself not exactly overjoyed about the thought of leaving soon, but I can’t say I love being so close to Ralph.

Just then, my thoughts are interrupted as I hear the doorbell ring, catching me off guard. Maybe it’s Warren dropping off the list of books I gave him that afternoon - his urgency would be impressive.

“Well, I miss you,” Jean admits with a sigh as I get up from the couch. “You should hear how much Eliot is talking now!”

“Oh, yeah?” I ask with a laugh as I walk to the door. “Put him on the phone - we could have a conversation.”

Jean gives a giggle. “He’s not that good yet. But maybe by the time you get back, he’ll be able to keep up.”

“That would be cool. I’ll make sure to teach him all the swear words,” I tell her, finally pulling open the door. However, there’s no one there. I’m staring out at the darkened forest around the home, not even seeing Warren’s car in the driveway. I couldn’t have taken that long, could I? It seems unlikely that someone could have left that quickly.

Still scanning the area, I keep a hand on the door frame as I lean out, Jean’s happy voice filling my ear. But there’s no one…it’s just black sky and silence. Confused, I shift backward again, my eyes falling to the porch. And then that’s when I see it.

A gasp flies out my mouth as I see what’s sitting at my feet. Inches from my toes is a dead, headless rabbit laying across the doormat, blood still leaking from its neck as if it’s been freshly killed. My heart slams into the front of my chest, a painful lump forming in my throat as I pant.

“Shirley!” Jean calls in my ear. “What’s wrong?”

I can’t manage words, but even if I could, I know I can’t tell her about this. It would be another cause for concern and she’d be telling me to pack my bags.

Finally, I stutter, trying to think of something as I still stare at the lifeless body.

“N-nothing,” I eventually manage. “It’s just the…books that Warren dropped off. I didn’t expect there to be so many.”

“Oh,” Jean sighs in relief. “You scared the crap out of me!”

Yeah, I think, my breath still shallow. I’m pretty scared myself.

~

For once, I can’t say that I’m overjoyed to be at Keith’s for a meeting. I’m distracted, barely able to take in the others’ words as I just continue to imagine the dead rabbit in my mind.

I was able to calm myself down enough last night to finally go inside and end my call with Jean. And then I made sure to lock all the doors and windows - and triple check them - before I climbed into bed.

I want to believe that maybe it was an animal that killed the rabbit and left it at my doorstep, but I know it’s not possible. Someone rang my doorbell, they were there, and they purposely left it for me.

And I have no idea who.

What makes matters worse is that Ralph is at the meeting again today. But he’s different from yesterday - more cheery and ignoring me completely. It’s a relief, and I want to think it’s also a good sign that he hadn’t been the culprit behind the “gift.” Then again, I can’t exactly rule him out.

Before I know it, Keith declares that the meeting is over, his voice the only thing capable of snapping me out of my thoughts. Like the others, I get myself ready to go, but I’m once again in Keith’s sights as he calls my name.

Leaving my things behind, I approach his desk, taking in his serious expression as I stop. I assume his hard features are going to lead to him berating me over being so distracted during the meeting, but I don’t care. I don’t even care about his scent reaching out to me.

“Would you mind sending out your email from this morning to the rest of the team?” Keith asks, not meeting my expectations.

“Yes,” I reply, nearly with a sigh of relief. “Anything else you need me to send them?”

“No,” he responds. “The email should suffice.”

Right. Good. I give him a nod in understanding. But then I see his lips part as if he intends to say more - only, he’s interrupted.

“Hey, Keith,” Lily says as she appears at my side. I look over to see her give him a sexy smirk before she glances over to me, her features immediately smoothing. “Sierra.”

I want to snort. Of course she’d use the wrong name to take a jab at me.

“It’s Shirley,” but the words don’t come from me. Keith has spoken up, giving her a glare. Lily doesn’t seem to like his response whatsoever as she purses her lips.

“Right,” Lily says, practically rolling her eyes. But then her stare lands at my feet and she smirks. “Nice shoes. You wolves in the west sure have an interesting sense of style.”

Now she was going after my wardrobe? This girl sure is shallow albeit disappointing. She could have at least tried a little hard in her attempts to insult me.

“I need to talk to Keith,” she then states coldly. “Pack business.”

Taking the hint based on the way her eyes narrow on me, I shrug and take one last glance at Keith. He’s still scowling at Lily, but then he looks at me, his features softening as we share a look. The change in his eyes makes my skin prickle, causing me to immediately turn away, taking my leave. I go for my bag, grabbing it before I head out the door.

However, I feel Lily’s venomous gaze follow me, her obvious disapproval of my existence. It makes me wonder if maybe she could have something to do with last night’s “gift.”