Chapter 41

Shirley

“I’m on my way..”

That’s all Keith had said in reply before he’d hung up the phone - no questions, no reluctancy. All I’d heard were those four words and swift steps before the phone had gone silent. Standing here now, I almost wish that I would have asked him to stay on the phone with me until he arrived. The knocking and ringing have stopped, but that hasn’t done anything to calm me.

I feel like I’m going to crumble - my bones are so tight and my muscles so strained that I fear they might actually shatter. Either that, or I may have a heart attack based on the way my heart pounds within my chest. It’s practically painful as I run a hand along my sternum, taking small gasps of air as I try to shake the panic. But I know it’s not going anywhere.

As awful as the pounding and doorbell ringing were, the silenced aftermath seems to almost be worse. It feels like a calm before a storm - like any second a window may shatter behind me and the person will be ready to grab me. The repeated image does nothing to calm my nerves.

But all I can do is wait as I hope Keith was at home and it won’t take him long to get here. I can’t move an inch as I stay aware of every noise, trying to hear past the wind rustling the nearby trees.

And then I do hear a noise. Footsteps are growing closer, coming up the front steps again and making me want to cower with fear. Now, I’m sure I’ll be sick as I hear their feet shuffle along the boards and I can tell they’ve stopped in front of the door. I do everything I can to swallow down the acid in my throat as I wait again.

There’s a knock on the door - softer this time but it still causes me to jump as I anticipate more. I feel like I’m the main character of a murder mystery film and I only pray that the ending is in my favor. I can’t make the mistake of opening the door again - not unless I’m certain of who is standing on the other side.

Again, there’s another gentle knock, almost like tapping and I let out a silent breath as I inch a step forward. I’m only a few feet away as I wanted to keep an eye on the door, which may have been stupid - it probably would have been better to hide somewhere in case things went sideways.

Growing closer, I stop a foot from the door, swallowing now that there’s no further knocks. My arms are firmly wrapped around myself, attempting to hold myself together as I wait for further signs. And then I hear a voice, muffled from the wood placed between us.

“Shirley?”

Instantly, my hand reaches for the knob, a sigh passing through my lips as I unlock the door. When I open it, I feel my knees tremble - maybe even my lips do the same - as my gaze lands on Keith.

Oh thank Goddess.

He’s staring at me, taking in my frazzled state and I watch as his hard gaze only becomes more deathly, his shoulders stiffening - but I know it’s not directed at me. Instead, it’s at the expense of whoever left me nearly trembling.

Keith continues to hold my frightened gaze for a moment, one of his arms seeming to twitch before he tears his eyes away. I watch as he looks down, my stare eventually doing the same until we’re both left looking at the rabbit between our feet. I shudder as I take in the body and blood again, not wanting to see it anymore. I tear my eyes away, biting my lip as I can hear the knocking in my head again.

“Let’s go inside,” Keith says then, his deep voice wrapping around me and giving me enough reassurance to shift back into the house. He follows after me, closing the door and locking it again once we’re inside.

Left facing each other, I can still feel Keith’s gaze on me, but I don’t quite meet it. I look to the floor, my breath more manageable now, but it’s shallow and still not right.

“What happened?” Keith asks softly then, making me slowly exhale.

“Someone was here,” I tell him weakly. “They were knocking on the door over and over, ringing the doorbell. I think they were trying to get in because they kept trying the handle.”

Since I’m staring toward Keith’s hands, I don’t miss when they tighten and ball up into fists, causing me to swallow before I continue.

“They were also here the other night, but they only rang the doorbell once,” I admit. “They left a dead rabbit on my doorstep then too.”

I hear Keith brush out a swift and violent breath, causing me to finally look up at him until I can see his tensed expression. Just like the other times I’d seen him frustrated, his jaw is so tight that I swear it could break.

“My stuff has also been going missing too,” I confess to him then. “My laptop charger…my file. I know it’s probably nothing, but -”

“No,” Keith interrupts with a sharp tone. “It could be relevant somehow.”

I nod back, still hugging myself as I watch him think over everything I’ve told him, his hand brushing through his hair. Just like the other day, I almost feel the urge to fix the strands, feeling guilty that I’m the reason behind his irritation.

However, I keep my hands to myself and whisper, “Who do you think could be doing this?”

Keith shakes his head, looking away as he sighs again. “I have no fucking clue. There’s a lot of different possibilities.”

“The protestors?” I offer. “They could know I’m part of the launch and be messing with me to slow things down.”

Again, Keith shakes his head. “No. They may be annoying, but they’re harmless. They wouldn’t do something like this.”

I nod in reply, taking his word for it. After all, he knows more about the situation than I do. Still, I hug myself tighter as I consider another option.

“What about the people behind the missing she-wolves? If they have eyes in town then they could know I’m out here alone and be targeting me,” I state blankly, my gaze dropping as I fear the possibility. However, my eyes don’t stay on the floor for long as warmth suddenly meets my chin.

Slowly, Keith’s fingers tilt my head back up, making my gaze lift until I have to stare at him. However, his caring gaze doesn’t make me want to look anywhere else.

“I don’t know if it’s them,” he admits to me finally as we search each other's eyes. “But I promise that nothing will happen to you.”

As Keith continues to make me meet his gaze and his words sink in, I have no choice but to believe him. His gentle tone and heated touch on my skin makes me certain that he’s right. But it also makes me aware of another nagging possibility floating around my mind.

Tonight’s occurrence could also be drawn back to two other people - Lily and Ralph. Between Lily’s obvious hate for me and Ralph’s little threats, I know that it’s not out of the question. And I want to tell Keith about both of them, but I don’t.

Maybe it’s because I believe that Lily isn’t capable of doing something like this - I can’t see her daring to pick up a dead animal. Or maybe because I think that Ralph doesn’t have a reason to pull a stunt like this. But either way, I keep my worries locked inside.

A silence stretches between us, and once more I find that - despite what has happened tonight - I’m soothed by Keith. I could even fall into his arms and hug him if I found it necessary, hoping that he’d stroke Cicy’s fur to finally make her wake up. But I don’t find it necessary, deciding to just focus on her eyes and subtle touch.

Especially as his thumb strokes my chin, but only a few times before he pulls it away.

“You should get some sleep,” he tells me. “Lock the door behind me. I’ll have someone posted outside for the night - just in case.”

Right. Now that everything was safe and secure, Keith had no reason to stay. But as I see him step away, opening the door again - I can’t help but wish he would.

But soon the door closes behind him, and I lock it just like he said to. As it clicks, breath empties out of my lungs as I feel the heat from his touch, as his scent still fills the air around me.

And then I think about why he was the one I’d decided to call tonight - without hesitation.

No matter the answer…it felt like the right decision.