Animal rescue attracts deeply wonderful people. It also attracts absolute lunatics. Still, none of that explains my hoodie. And the longer I stand here thinking about it, the harder it becomes to ignore the uncomfortable feeling twisting low in my stomach.
Jules notices my expression.
“Hey.” His voice drops. “We’ll figure it out.”
I nod. Or at least I try to. But tension still clings to me while we spend the next hour cleaning up the damage left behind. We refile paperwork, sweep broken glass, and calm nervous volunteers. By late morning, the shelter slowly starts feeling more like itself again, though worry still sticks to everything.
Even the dogs and cats seem restless. Elvis barks furiously at every passing car. Bella refuses to leave my side. And Kevin, the orange menace cat, hisses at everyone who gets too close before finally allowing himself to be distracted by the treat I give him.
By the time I step outside for air, exhaustion presses behind my eyes. I lean against the side of the building and pull out my phone. My thumb hovers briefly over Alexei’s name. Then I press call. The phone rings twice before Alexei answers.
“Maggie.”
Just hearing his voice does something strange to my chest after the morning I’ve had. I press my palm against the warm brick wall behind me and glance back toward the shelter entrance, where volunteers move in and out carrying trash bags full of broken supplies.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
The silence on his end changes instantly as if he hears something in my voice I didn’t mean to reveal.
“What happened?”
I suck in a small breath. “How do you know something happened?”
“Maggie.”
That’s not an answer. And somehow that feels worse.
I close my eyes briefly and lean my head back against the wall. “The shelter got broken into.”
A quiet pause stretches across the line, but it isn’t surprise or confusion I hear on the other end. It feels colder than that.
“The animals are okay,” I add quickly. “Everybody’s alright, but somebody forced open the back door and trashed the offices. They stole medication too.”
His voice lowers immediately. “Police?”
“They’re here now.”
There’s more silence on the line before he asks, “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I push my hair behind my ear. “I’m callin’ to tell you not to let Ivy come by today.”
My mind circles back to the shattered back lock inside the hallway. “I just think maybe she should skip today.
“Yes.”
One word. That’s all. Just immediate agreement, and somehow that makes my stomach ache.
“I’m coming there,” he says.
“You don’t have to?—”
“I’m already leaving.”
The line disconnects before I can argue, and I stay there staring at my phone.
“Well,” Jules says behind me. “That sounded terrifyingly efficient.”
I glance over my shoulder. He stands in the doorway holding a clipboard against his chest while Kevin sits perched on one shoulder like a tiny criminal accomplice.
