AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There was no response, only the faint sound of Rebel’s paws clicking against the hardwood floor as she explored the familiar space.
Panic began to well up inside Veronica once more, threatening to extinguish the flickering flame of hope that had brought her here. She clenched her fists, determined not to let despair consume her.
Taking a deep breath, she moved further into the house. The living room was filled with remnants of Connelly’s presence—stacks of unfinished manuscripts, dog-eared books strewn across the coffee table, and scattered sheets of paper filled with his messy handwriting. There was a mug of cold coffee sitting on a coaster beside his laptop.
He’d had another late night of writing.
A creak from the back of the house had her jumping out of her skin, and her anxiety only ratcheted up when Rebel’s hackles raised, and she let out a low growl of warning. She swung toward the noise.
There, standing in the dimly lit hallway, was a man.
Not Connelly.
He was tall, lean, with sharp cheekbones and shadowed eyes, a silhouette carved against the vague light filtering in from the window at the end of the hall. A sense of danger oozed from him as if it were a part of his poorly lit frame.
Suddenly, it felt like she was trapped in one of Connelly’s horror stories, and she was the victim, not the heroine. This was not real; it couldn’t be. She shook her head fiercely, willing herself to wake up from this terrible nightmare.
She wanted to run. She wanted to sic Rebel on him and race back to the safety of her home.
But what if Connelly was in danger?
“Who are you?” Her voice came out steadier than she felt. But it was important not to show fear, not to give him that power over her. She wished she had brought Rebel in with her.
But instead of responding, the man continued to stare at her, his face impassive and mysterious in the dim light of Connelly’s home. The silence stretched on until it felt unbearable. The tick-tock of the wall clock in the living room echoed through the house like a countdown timer.
“Where’s Connelly?”
The stranger didn’t move. There was a cold stillness about him that made her skin prickle. The fear that she had tried so hard to push away seeped back in, chilling her from the inside. She held Alfie tighter and wished she had his uncanny ability to sense people’s intentions.
“Where is he?” she repeated, her voice rising.
Again, silence was her only answer.
Frustration bubbled up inside her, mixing with the fear and transforming it into something more potent - anger. Anger at herself for being scared, anger at Connelly for not being here when she needed him... and anger at this silent stranger who dared to invade the sanctuary that Connelly’s home had become for her.
The man took a step forward, and fear lanced through her, but instead of freezing her, it spurred her into action. “Rebel!”
The dog didn’t need more prompting. With a deep growl, she launched at the man and clamped her teeth onto his outstretched arm. She was a whirlwind of teeth and snarls, fearless and unforgiving. The stranger tried to shake her off but she held firm, teeth bared and hackles raised. Then he punched her.
Veronica saw red, the anger burning away all of her fear. She gently set Alfie down, and with the adrenaline surging through her veins, she launched herself at the man, using all her weight to knock him off balance. They tumbled down to the floor, and for one terrifying moment, she found herself face-to-face with the intruder. His dark eyes bore into hers, full of fury and surprise. She clenched her fists and punched him squarely in the face.
Stunned, he let go of Rebel’s grip and tried to push Veronica off him. But the assault just fueled Rebel’s resolve further; she bit down even harder on his hand. He howled in pain and tried to shake her off by thrashing his arm around.
“Good girl,” Veronica croaked out in between breathless gasps, grim satisfaction coursing through her. She rolled away from him, scrambling back to her feet as the man struggled to disentangle himself from Rebel. The feisty Doberman wasn’t finished, though. She lunged again, this time aiming for his leg, causing him to stumble back against the wall. He hit the wall with a hard thud, knocking frames askew. Blood smeared the wall where he landed, but he somehow managed to shake Rebel off and shoved past Veronica, stumbling toward the front door. Rebel gave chase, snapping at his retreating figure with fervor. Veronica was close behind, anger still hot in her veins.
The man threw open the front door and disappeared into the golden glow of the outside, his silhouette swallowed up by daylight. She burst out of the house after him, gulping in the cool, fresh spring air as if she’d been underwater for too long. The bright sun was momentarily blinding, and she skidded to a stop on the porch steps, watching as the intruder disappeared into the forest.
Rebel stood beside her, chest heaving, a low growl still rumbling from her bloodstained muzzle.
Veronica numbly walked back inside and shut the door. Her heart pounded in her chest like a wild thing trying to escape its cage, and she leaned against the door for a moment to catch her breath. She wanted to curl up and cry, but there was no time for that.
Connelly’s life might be in danger.
She groped in her pocket for her phone and dialed his number. Straight to voicemail.
She cursed, her hands shaking as she ended the call. She tried again, dialing his second number, praying he would pick up this time. The ringing tone seemed to echo in the quiet house, making the silence all the more profound. Again, it went to voicemail.
“No,” Veronica muttered, refusing to accept what was happening. She would not lose Connelly. Not now.
