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Chapter Ten
Allie didn’t have timeto fret over Brett’s intentions. She enjoyed spending the afternoon and night with him more than she had planned for, but wasn’t that the case every time they had gotten together? What started out as flirtatious fun and a bad case of lust had landed her smack dab in the middle of dealing with a tangle of mushy feelings she never expected or wanted.Oh well,she mused, parking in front of her apartment. She would deal with what came next between them, even if it fell short of the commitment she now desired.
Spending the day with her family always put Allie in a good mood, and she loved being the favorite aunt of her niece and nephew. So much so, she caved to their pleas to take them to the movies that evening, leaving her to return home and deal with laundry as the gray light of dusk slipped into night.
“My own fault,” she grumbled, tossing her clothes in a basket then carrying it to the laundry facility without encountering anyone on the way. Flicking on the lights, she ignored a ripple of unease the quiet, empty facility and surrounding darkness caused and hurried to load the washer. Luckily, everything would go in one machine.
Walking back to her apartment, Allie noticed Ricky’s light was on and thought about asking for his company when she returned to the laundry then realized that wasn’t a good idea. They were finally on friendly terms again, and she didn’t want to risk giving him the wrong idea. After paying a few bills online and selecting her clothes for work in the morning, she returned to the laundry with only the constant click from cicadas to keep her company. Next to the laundry, an arcade and gathering space was located in the center of the four, two-story apartment buildings, along with the pool shimmering like a sheet of black glass. With both the pool and arcade closed for the night, the silence in the courtyard gave her goose bumps, her skittish imagination picturing her neighbors peeking at her from behind curtains.
Shaking off the ridiculous insecurities wrought from the recent, unexplainable attacks on her, she dashed inside in time to hear the washing machine ping done. Leaning over the well to pull the wet clothes out, she didn’t hear or see anyone at the door until the lights went out and the door slammed shut. Jerking upright, a frisson of fearful alarm crawled down her spine, her heart pounding against her chest as she struggled to breathe. The silence was as unnerving as the dark, the meager light from the moon coming in through the one window not enough to see by. “It’s those damn kids again,” she said aloud, groping her way toward the door. She found the light switch by touch, but nothing happened when she pushed. Her fingers trembled, searching for the doorknob, her terror escalating when the door wouldn’t budge even though there was no lock on it. Allie refused to give in to the panic clawing at her with sharp tentacles and pushed again, putting her shoulder against the door until she heard something sliding on the other side.
Sucking in a deep breath, she prepared to give it another hard shove but paused at the sound of footsteps. She’d never been so glad to hear Ricky’s worried voice as she was at that moment.
“Allie? Are you in there?”
“Yes!” she called out, sagging against the door. “I can’t open the door.”
“Damn it. Hold on.”
Scraping and cursing filtered through the door before Ricky jerked it open, and she collapsed against him without thinking. Allie never thought she would be so happy to get this close to him again, but even through her terror, she couldn’t help wishing Brett were the one holding her and who had come to her rescue.
“What happened?” she asked, pulling out of his arms. The light by the door revealed Ricky’s fierce frown.
“Someone slid the dumpster in front of the door. Another few minutes, and you would have likely scooted it enough to squeeze out, but I’m glad I came looking for you. I didn’t see you walk back by my window with your laundry after catching sight of you earlier carrying your basket.”
While that all made sense, it didn’t explain who would do such a thing, or why. With her nerves settling, anger and suspicion prompted her to put more space between them. Given the harassing events of the past few weeks, she didn’t trust anyone. “I appreciate your help, Ricky. Do you mind hanging around a minute while I finish my laundry?” She might not fully trust him, but she was still spooked enough to want company out here.
“Of course, and tomorrow, I’ll go with you to the manager’s office to file a complaint,” he said, following her inside. She frowned when he turned on the lights with no problem, wondering if she’d missed hitting the switch. “I’m betting it was those twins again.”
Maybe, Allie thought, putting her clothes in the dryer, but they were given to instigating harmless pranks, not acts aimed at terrorizing someone. These incidents were wearing thin, putting her on edge and pissing her off, not to mention ruining her fun with Brett. She turned on the dryer then looked at Ricky, the history of their bitter breakup and the way he’d constantly pestered her to give him a second chance making her reluctant to lean on him too much.
She let him lead the conversation while they waited for the dryer, and they spoke of work then their complaints about the apartment complex. She found it odd he didn’t ask about her weekend. Whenever she would see him at the beginning of the week, that would be his first inquiry. She tested him by opening the door.
“How was your weekend? Did you catch any fireworks?”
He hesitated, leaning against a washing machine before answering her with a guarded expression. “I took someone I’ve been seeing to the Ford Wyoming Center festivities, and we hung around for the fireworks.”
