“Well, go inside. Now. I’ll be there in ten minutes, fifteen tops.”
“Okay,” I tell him, even though I have no plans to go inside.
The call ends, and I tuck my phone into the pocket of my robe, looking up at the empty street again.I pace along the sidewalk in front of my townhouse. The idea of being cooped up while someone out there has violated my space makes my skin crawl.
The headlights that passed earlier replay in my mind. What if it wasn’t someone on their way to work? What if they were the vandal checking to see if I’d noticed their destruction?
Another chill races down my spine. I pull my robe tighter around me, but it doesn’t help.
When I finally hear the low rumble of an engine approaching fast, I whip my head around. Dominic’s patrol SUV barrels up the street, red and blue lights blasting through the dark. He parks haphazardly at the curb, barely shutting the engine off before he jumps out.
He said fifteen minutes, tops. He made it in five.
“Ellie!” He’s out of the cruiser and closing the distance between us in seconds
“I’m fine,” I say quickly, though the wobble in my voice betrays me.If I wasn’t so shaken, I’d make sure to keep some space between us. But at this point, resisting the pull to seek comfort from Dominic is pointless.
His eyes sweep over me, searching for any sign that I’m not telling the truth. Only when he seems satisfied does he turn his attention to the car. His jaw tightens as he takes in the shattered windows, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
“Jesus Christ,” he mutters. He crouches to look closer, his flashlight illuminating the shiny glass.
“I should’ve taken the note more seriously,” I say under my breath. “Or at least reported the flower and picture. I knew it was weird, but I didn’t take it seriously.”
Dominic straightens and moves back to me, his expression strained. “What note? What flower? What are you talking about?”
I tell him about the note left on my windshield and then the picture and the flower.
The muscles in Dominic’s jaw twitch with thin restraint, while his nostrils flare like a bull ready to charge. His eyes blaze with an angry intensity I’ve never seen in him before.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.” I look down, ashamed.
Each instance raised alarm bells in my head, but enough time passed between them, I convinced myself they were nothing. That they were harmless.
I was wrong.
I’ve worked my whole life to not bethat girl. And I became her in an instant—the brainless one in slasher films who runs toward the danger instead of away from it.
Tension radiates off Dominic, a vein pulsing at his temple. His voice is low, almost too calm, deceptive. “You didn’t think it was a big deal?” Each word is clipped, like he’s barely holding back the full force of his frustration.
I fold my arms defensively, my gaze darting away. “It was just one flower. A silly note. I didn’t want to overreact.”
He takes a step closer, his broad shoulders practically vibrating. “Ellie! Overreact. Always overreact.” He runs a ragged hand through his hair. “This is someone crossing a line—a line they don’t get to cross. You didn’t think to tell anyone? To tell me?” His voice rises slightly, but it’s not anger at me—it’s fear, frustration, the protector in him.
I flinch at his tone. “I didn’t want to bother anyone. I thought it would stop.”
Even I can hear how idiotic I sound.
He exhales sharply, shaking his head. “Bother me! Call me! Come to me! Ellie, someone is threatening you. They’re testing boundaries. That doesn’t stop—it escalates. You’ve got to take this seriously. What if something happened to you?” His eyes search mine, desperate for meto understand the gravity of the situation.
Before Ican respond, the distant sound of tires humming softly against the pavement has us both turning. A police cruiser finally pulls into view.
Two officers step out, their gait slow and casual, as if they’re arriving to a non-emergent event. Dominic storms toward them, his entire frame morphing into someone I don’t recognize.
“Thirty minutes!,” he barks, his voice sharp and biting. “It took you thirty fucking minutes to respond to a call!What if something had happened in the meantime?”
I never told him when I called the cops.
The first officer, a middle-aged man with a slightly rumpled uniform, raises a placating hand. “We were tied up with another call. A neighbor dispute. Low resources tonight.”
