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My heartbeat was skittering around in my chest as I lifted my hand to ring the bell.
Hearing nothing when I hit it, though, I opted to knock as well.
But nothing.
No sound or movement inside.
“Uh oh,” I said, wincing down at Frida who was giving meThis is weird, but I’m choosing to trust youlook. “Looks like this was an even bigger mistake than I realized.”
And with no way to call a cab or ride-share, we just had to… wait.
In the heat.
“Thank God for the front porch,” I said, moving to sit down on the bricks, suddenly bone-deep exhausted.
Frida lowered herself down next to me, and I was glad I still had water for her, even if I was going to go without, unless I got desperate enough to hit up the hose. If he had one.
“I’m sorry I screwed the whole day up, girl,” I said, rubbing her head as she rested it down on her paws.
The great thing about dogs, though, was they really didn’t care what you were doing. They just wanted to be with you.
Eventually, she slept.
I sat awake. Worrying. Second-guessing every move I’d made that day. Kicking myself for my poor decisions. Starting with leaving my cell at home. And going right up to stepping out of that cab in front of Alaric’s house.
I had no way to tell the time, but I was sure at least two hours passed as we sat there. Me, sweating even further through my clothes. Frida… sleeping. Likely exhausted from her forced foray into long-distance running.
I was starting to wonder if I should start walking, try to find a store or something. If absolutely nothing else, I could buy a burner phone, put some minutes on it, and get back to my life.
Just when I was about to wake up Frida, though, I heard it.
A low rumble that got louder by each passing second.
If I thought I’d been anxious when I’d shown up on his doorstep, it was amped up times a thousand from sitting there for hours stewing over my decision to do so.
Then, suddenly, there he was.
Pulling down the street.
Turning into the driveway.
Then freezing when he finally saw us sitting there.
The engine cut, and he was already reaching to unclasp his helmet—but this was different from the one he used on his channel, only covering the top of his head, instead of having the full face mask thing—, as he put down his kickstand and climbed off.
“Siana,” he said, striding toward me. “Everything okay?”
I sucked in a deep breath that caught on a strange hiccuping sound. Like I was about to cry again.
God.
No.
Not again.
I blinked furiously.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” I said as I moved to stand. “Actually, in retrospect, I should have gone to the police. But, I, ah, I wasn’t thinking straight. I came here instead.”
