Page 34 of Wrecked By You

Needing a distraction, I moved back to the kitchen and quickly loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Then I gathered all my painting supplies and cleaned up.

It was almost too quiet, so I decided to turn on my traditional eighties rock radio station. At the sound of the song “Africa,” I sang the words out to try to drown out all my fears.

The sound of something falling in my room rang through the air. I froze as my heart rate picked up a notch. Who was that?

I grabbed my phone and turned the music down, but not completely off—if someone was there, I needed to keep the music going so they wouldn’t think I knew they were there. Then I listened carefully.

Had Kyle found me?

I crept down the hallway, wishing I had a gun. I should talk to Damon about that. Would he want me to have one? I wasn’t sure.

There was another sound, like a window banging shut. I rushed toward the room, threw the door open, and turned on the light.

The dresser next to the window was turned, like someone had had to turn it to get inside. I went to the window, threw open the blinds, and realized there was no screen. Had there been a screen there before? I looked out the window and saw the screen had been tossed to the side. I was pretty sure someone had been here.

I heard the sound of an engine and tires on gravel. I rushed back toward the front of the house to take a better look, but allI could see was a man in a black car pulling onto the main road and taking off. Had that been Kyle?

I hated doing this, but I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. I was connected to the night dispatcher. His name was Henry. We had met this week.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I need an officer out to this address.” I rattled it off to him.

“Is this Isla?”

“Yes.”

Henry asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. I’ll wait for someone to get here.”

“Do you think someone is there?”

I listed off the details of everything I had seen. “I’m going to let you go,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Henry asked. “I can stay on the line.”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay, but call back if you need someone on the line with you.”

“Thank you.”

I got off the phone and thought of Kyle. Kyle had done stuff to me over the year and a half since our divorce. I wanted it all to be over. Was he tormenting me? Or was it someone I didn’t even know?

I sat on the floor, worried that I would have to lie down because I might pass out. I was pretty sure I was having a panic attack, and I hated the thought of it.

I didn’t know how long I had been there when someone was finally knocking at the door. “Isla, open up. It’s McCrae.”

I got up and threw open the door. “Hey.”

He started looking around, shining a huge flashlight in every direction. “Can I come in? I got the call. Tell me everything.”

I stood to the side so he could come in, and I took him through everything that had happened.

McCrae moved throughout the house, inspecting things, and then I followed him out the back. He went around to the window and put the screen back on. “How about you come stay at my parents’ tonight?”

I shook my head, feeling out of sorts but not wanting to do that. “No. It’s okay.”