Chapter 8 #2
“Hey, you,” I crooned, and he bumped against my hand. My brows knitted together, touching the red item. “What is this?” I asked, scooping the little kitten up and pulling him closer.
His little paws splayed out, seeking traction on my shirt. He latched on, and that’s when I recognized the fabric.
“Wait a second… is this a… thong?”
How the hell did he get tangled up in this? Was he hiding in my closet? When I inspected the thong more closely, however, I froze—the knot was much too intricate to have happened by accident. It appeared as though someone had attempted to tie a bow with the scant strings.
“Fuck,” I blurted in a hushed whisper, immediately taking in my surroundings.
Fear gripped me, and I shot to my feet. Thinking fast, I reached for my Birkin and yanked it across the counter toward me, rummaging to produce my taser. I clicked it on, and it whirred to life.
“Who’s there!?” I yelled into the void hallways of my townhome. “Who the hell did this?” Nothing answered, but I didn’t give up. “Where are you?” I asked, rounding the corner out of the kitchen, looking down the hall and into the back bedroom. “Don’t be shy now.”
My immediate dread was that it was the guy who’d been tailing me. He saw me trying to catch the kitten the other day. Maybe he thought this was the perfect way to unnerve me.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I whispered to myself, making a B-Line for the digital remote on the hallway wall that controlled the lights in the house.
I turned every light on full strength, listening to see if my actions dislodged any movement; there wasn’t a sound.
On soft feet, I moved from room to room.
The basement, back doors, everything was secure.
Upstairs, I moved swiftly around each floor as I had every night since the first. Nothing.
My breathing was steady yet strong, heart pounding in my ears.
Reaching the top floor suite, I kicked the door open to my room. Right away, I spotted something on my pillow. A lump lodged in my throat, eyes darting all around as I inched forward. As the item on my pillow came into focus, I immediately dropped the taser to my side, air whooshing out of me.
“Grayson!” I gasped out, feral with relief.
I threw myself forward onto the pillow, snatching up the card, complete with an awful rat stamp. Fumbling it in my shaky hands, I flipped it over to read the back. He was here. He’d gotten my message.
I read it repeatedly.
“Oh, thank God,” I said it like a curse, scrambling off the bed and turning in a slow circle. “Grayson?” I asked the silent room, scanning every corner.
I felt giddy and crazed at the same time. Would he come out of a dark corner? Materialize suddenly? A girl could only hope…
But nothing happened, and no one appeared.
I reached into my back pocket for my phone, dropping the taser onto the sheets. I pulled up the Ghost app.
WhatsUpButtercup: Where are you? I need to talk to you.
I paused, biting my lower lip. This was no time to mince words, fuck our cat-and-mouse game.
WhatsUpButtercup: I’m scared. Please help me.
Tears welled in my eyes, unbidden. I slumped down onto the bed and leaned back on the pillows. Minutes passed, but no answer came. Where was he now?
Mr. Beans levitated onto the bed with a trill of sound. On cue, a little black fluffball levitated behind him, following in his footsteps. They both navigated the mounds of down and approached my face. Mr. Beans bumped his forehead against mine, purring. The black kitten followed suit, copying him.
Mr. Beans circled and yowled, seeming to present the kitten to me more formally this time, everything much calmer now.
I reached for the little black fluff, its bulbous little kitten belly easy to fit in my grasp.
I tugged the ridiculous tied bow from around his neck, grinning through teary eyes.
Seeing it now, this proffered gift wrapped in a red thong had Gray written all over it.
This was totally something he would do.
It was astonishing how much relief I felt to have Gray back.
I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge how terrified I was that he was gone.
I’d never been the type to grow strong feelings for anyone.
Sometimes I tried, but outside of my family, connecting with others was hard.
Conversations were often fluff and meaningless.
The only person I’d really felt myself with other than Gray was my sister-in-law, Sybil.
Both of them had an uncanny ability to see right through my bullshit.
My usually thick armor hadn’t scared either of them off.
If anything, it made Gray work even harder, a challenge he seemed to relish.
Having had a front-row seat to the slow devastation of losing my mother to cancer, it wasn’t easy to open up again. I wouldn’t survive losing someone else I cared about so soon. Gray led a dangerous life, and here I was, walking blindly into another possible heartbreak.
I nuzzled the kitten’s perfect little powder-black face. He let out a little mew of protest.
“What are we going to name you?” The perfect name came to mind immediately. “How about Villainy?” I asked. “You are my little villain, after all. I mean, look at you! You’re dressed for wicked and terrible things already!”
He meowed again, and I took it as an agreement.
The shackles of fear I’d been strapped with slid away, the kitten’s rumbling little body a calming salve.
Though Gray wasn’t responding to my message, I had faith he was somewhere nearby.
That alone made everything feel hopeful again.
I wouldn’t have to navigate this pit alone because I’d found a bridge across it.
Gray had finally come for me.