I'm home from vacation, exhausted, but its all worth it to see the smiles on my boys' faces. Thanks to everyone!
"What do you mean? Hold on," I stammer, moving to sit at the dinette table in the kitchen by the window, rubbing my fingers over my eyes in panic. "Start at the beginning."
"Sunday morning," Rose answers through the other end of the line. "I was doing my usual shopping for the week, and I saw him in the produce section."
Sunday morning. He never goes grocery shopping on a Sunday morning.
"Did you see him first? Or do you think he saw you first and was waiting to watch your reaction? Maybe he was following you and knew where to find you." Different scenarios, all ending badly, all come to mind, and I shoot them off to Rose at a rapid-fire pace.
"I don't know, Bella. All I know is that he acted like you were home as usual."
"Why?" I ask, anger building within my chest as I slam a hand down onto the table. "Why would he do that?"
Rose scoffs through the phone. "He's probably more concerned about his ego than your safety. You left a puddle of blood in the living room, and he isn't the least bit concerned that someone may have actually taken you or something."
"Did he ask you anything out of the ordinary?"
"Not really, no. Emmett was with me, so we didn't go too far past small talk."
"Oh, God," I swallow down the rock that builds in my throat. "I feel sick."
Rose sighs, giving me a minute to process this new information. When she hears the ending of my deep and paced breathing, she tries to steer me off the subject. "How is it out there?"
"Great, actually, until now." My gaze pulls back over the lake, and I wish I were still floating in my own bubble and not on this phone call.
"Emmett says his cousin hid a gun in the ceiling tile in the bathroom, over the mirror."
"Whaaat?" I screech. "You want me to shoot a gun?"
"Not necessarily shoot a gun," Rose amends. "Just keep it with you. Or near you. I don't know, Bella."
"Where are you right now?"
"Walking at the park. Emmett's here," she answers, and it does make me feel better knowing she's not alone. From the looks of it, I don't think Emmett plans on leaving her side.
I'm happy she has someone like him in her life.
"Good," I say before crumpling. "I'm so sorry, Rose. This is all my fault. Your safety and Emmett's safety, is in danger, and it's all because of me."
"No, it's not. Listen to me," Rose states and repeats herself. "Listen to me."
"Okay." I nod even though she can't see me.
"He's robbed you of too many things," Rose says. "He's not going to rob you of your freedom. I'm fine. Emmett's fine. And you're fine."
"Yeah," I answer, though I'm not sure how fine I really am. My mood changes hourly, and right now, I'm convinced he's found me and is hiding in the bushes in front of the cabin.
"He's out here in the grocery store living his life like you were never a part of it. It's time for you to live, too. Starting with a trip to the gun store for more ammo. Just in case."
So that's what I do the next morning. When I've worked up the courage to find the gun Emmett's cousin left in the ceiling, I hold it in my shaky hands and force myself to be brave enough to use it one day if I absolutely must.
I hope I never do.
After I've Googled directions to the gun store, as Rose calls it, I grab fresh clothes and my keys and head to the beast of a truck in my driveway.
I turn the key once, twice, three times before the hunk of junk sputters to life, but as angry as she is, she doesn't have a fight in her today.
"Fuck!" I shout, the frustrations of the bomb Rose dropped getting the best of me. I need to get to the store before I lose my mind. I bang on the steering wheel in anger, my head eventually landing on the horn in a very long and very dramatic sound that breaks the area's tranquility.
"Bad day?"
His voice stuns me back into the present, and when I look up, I'm staring into the emerald green eyes of my neighbor.
Shit.
Howdy, Neighbor.
Also, I did a thing. I started a positive accountability group on Facebook. I'm beginning my weight loss journey tomorrow and I always do better when I'm surrounded by people with similar goals. Look up Fic and Fit: Turning the Page Towards Positivity
Also, you can join my other Facebook group, Lily Jill Fics, for teasers and such. I'm sure we'll be discussing the neighbor shortly over there!
See you tomorrow!