Chapter 26
The morning warmth seeps through the closed curtains. I’m lying on my back, and when I look over to the right, I can see the pretty pine trees swaying out there through the big bay windows.
I love waking up to mornings like this.
Wait… wasn't I just on the couch?
Danny must have carried me here to the master bed while I was completely out.
“Danny?” His name croaks on my lips, my throat still dry and raw from screaming yesterday.
Oh no!
My gerbils. I haven't fed them!
They're going to light my ass on fire.
Getting up quickly, I head straight to the bathroom.
Going through the big master bathroom, I wash up my face and brush my teeth.
Honestly, I really wanna take a shower, but I gotta make sure my little friends are fed first. Still, I could've sworn that sometime during the early morning, Danny got up and just didn't come back.
Maybe he went to go exercise or something, I'm not really sure.
You know what? I'm already in the bathroom, and the walk-in closet is right here anyway. I can just take a quick shower first.
I grab my stuff and head into the beautiful glass shower.
The shower is almost fully glass, with the only real partition from the tub area being these gorgeous white brick-shaped tiles, and the windows are frosted over right where the tub sits.
It would be so nice to just sit and soak in there right now, but for some reason, I feel this sudden urge that I have to hurry.
The hot water feels amazing as I let it run over my hair, which immediately starts to curl up under the spray.
I make sure to shampoo with my own DIY cream, because honestly, can't trust store-bought products these days.
They're always switching up the ingredients on you and ruining your hair, which totally sets my growth back.
Once I'm done, I get out of the shower, look at my face in the mirror, and wipe on the moisturizer that I also made myself. Anything that's going on my skin, I want to make sure I know exactly what's going in there.
After that, I head out to go look for Danny. I'm still wrapped in my towel, dripping a little, and as I walk out of the primary bedroom and step into the hallway, I look left towards the front door.
“Danny?” I call out.
Turning right, I look toward the dining room and family room. The fireplace is already going, crackling softly. There's absolutely no chill in the house; as big as this place is, it’s always kept perfectly warm.
I start stepping into the dining room, then take a left through the family room to head straight toward the kitchen.
“Babe?”
When I step into the kitchen, I look to the right. Nobody's in the family room either. Weird.
I grab some water from the fridge, taking a quick sip, and then head toward the roundabout area. I pass by the basement door, pass the stairs leading up to the second floor, and finally head into the foyer so I can go to the front door and look out the side windows.
I stop dead in my tracks and scream, my heart leaping violently into my chest. I almost drop the cream-colored towel right off my body as my eyes stretch wide in absolute terror.
Backing up slamming against the wall, I shriek and turn, running as fast as my bare feet can carry me back toward the other side of the house.
I fly through the family room and sprint toward the living room, heading right for the brick fireplace where the two pairs of back doors with the small glass panes sit on either side.
My hands are shaking uncontrollably as I grab the heavy iron fire poker, holding it up in one hand like a weapon.
“Who are you?!” I call out, my voice cracking with panic.
There's no answer.
I could have sworn there was a big, tall man standing right by the door. I didn't even know what he was wearing.
What the fuck? What the actual fuck?!
Where is Daniel?
That clearly was not Daniel. It was some white man with blonde hair… at least from the split second of what I could see.
“I'm gonna ask you one more time,” I call out, my chest heaving as I try to stop freaking out. “Who the fuck are you?! Daniel?!” I yell his name, praying to God my husband is close by and can explain what the hell is happening.
“Hello?”
I call out. It doesn't sound like there's anybody coming. It doesn't sound like there's anybody leaving. Fuck this shit.
This is seriously some bullshit. Now outside here in the daytime, everything looks dark through the glass panes of the house.
I have to walk around the property just to get to the front door.
What is this person actually fucking doing here?
This is crazy. I'm in my towel. I'm terrified. I don't even have my phone.
Walking around to the front yard around our driveway, I look at the entrance of the house. The house has a flat porch roof and then, of course, the loft staring straight ahead. And right under that porch are the double doors with the wreaths on them that no one has moved.
With the fire poker clamped in my hand, I step closer up to the entrance and look toward the front door. Peering through the glass, I notice the silhouette of the man's back is still right there.
He's very tall. Like, really tall. And he's not moving at all.
What the hell is he doing? This person is just standing inside of my house, not doing a damn thing.
Okay?
Really fucking weird.
What can I do? This smart home is not smart enough that the microphone works outside, for obvious reasons. I have to get back inside the house somehow. Maybe this is a misunderstanding. Maybe it's one of my husband's men.
I go right up to the entrance and knock on the glass, maintaining my stance with the fire poker raised. The man doesn't turn around. He doesn't flinch. He doesn't react.
“Hello? Why are you in my house?” I ask, knocking on the pane again.
“What the fuck?” I whisper.
Looking through the front door, I don't know if this is a ruse or something. What if it's one of the guys that attacked me yesterday? Where is Daniel?
I knock again. Then I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head from side to side slowly, knowing this is damn well a stupid-ass idea, but I do it anyway.
The door instantly unlocks for me, recognizing me as the homeowner.
I open the door quickly, at least the left side of the door, and step back as fast as possible.
The man is still just standing there. He doesn't turn to look at me. What if it's a trick and he's trying to get me to come close?
“Hello? Hello?” I say, not wanting to touch the guy. Maybe he can't hear or something. Is he deaf? Why is he just standing there like that?\
My body is shaking with complete uncertainty, and the sheer panic of it all is paralyzing.
The people who attacked me yesterday, one of them called me a rich bitch.
What if this guy is just waiting until I get close enough to nab me?
One move, and I swear to God I'm gonna drive this fire poker straight up his ass.
Not like that would even help if this guy is actually trained, but still.
I decide to go back around the house. I can hear the pitter-patter of my bare feet on the driveway, feeling like an absolute fool as I run back to the backyard doors. Creeping inside, I peek my head out, looking back toward the front door.
“Hello?”
I had closed the door behind me but didn't lock it. The house usually does it on its own unless specified to keep unlocked or if someone directly unlocks it.
“I swear to God, if you don't say something right now, my husband's gonna come here and shoot your brains out.”
No reaction.
Stepping a little bit closer, I feel the absolute fear and trepidation of the unknown. This man probably wants me to get closer. If Danny had a man here, which he never does unless he specifically tells me, then why is he so quiet?
Backing up slower, I find the stairs to my left now, and I poke over around the staircase, just staring at him.
With all the light beaming through the glass panes in the front door and the windows, combined with my state of pure fright, I couldn't really make out his features before.
But now, a good look at him finally comes into view.
He's staring straight ahead, standing completely rigid with his arms flat at his sides. He has this very creepy look on his face, like he's angry or waiting for me to get closer.
No, not angry. It's more of a serious, just strange look. It's really hard for me to explain, but it's almost as if the guy is angry at maybe Danny.
Maybe he's waiting to talk to him or something.
Maybe Danny did something to this guy and he wants Danny to pay. Danny did mention yesterday that he had a lot of enemies.
What if this guy is one of them?
What if he came to our house to get back at him?
What could Danny have even done to people to make them want to kill him, or at least show up to his house like this?
But so far, the guy isn't paying any attention to me. He's mostly just standing there like a creep, probably waiting for my husband. Oh my god. I have to warn Danny.
What if he already killed Danny?
Oh my god.
And I'm here alone with him.
What if Danny's bleeding out somewhere in the house? It's not like I checked the basement.
This shit is bonkers.
Wait.
That's it.
Maybe I can call someone.
My cell phone.
Heading back to my bedroom, I look everywhere for my cell phone, but I can't find it anywhere.
I'm gonna have to use the house system. But what if the guy hears me activating the house and gets scared or something?
I think there's a discreet mode, but I don't even know how to use it. Shit. This is bad.
“I'm gonna call 911 if you don't explain to me right now what you're doing here," I call out, my voice trembling. "Are you with my husband? Do you work for him? You gotta say something, dude, or you're gonna go to fucking jail.”
The dude is not answering. He hasn't moved. As a matter of fact, he hasn't even blinked.
“Yeah. Whatever. Fuck this.”
“You alright?”
Screaming, I launch myself violently into the wall to my right. Wincing from the pain on my grazed shoulder, I hold the fire poker straight out toward the man in front of me, who completely blindsided me, standing right there on the staircase as if he had just been teleported.
What the actual motherfucker?
“Babe, it's me. Calm down,” Danny says.
I start to shriek, and then I frantically point towards the front door.
“There's someone here for you! He's in the house! He's in the house! Get the fuck upstairs! Get the fuck upstairs!” I panic, rushing over and pushing into Danny to get him to move. As I get up on my feet, my towel slips and falls completely to the floor, exposing my nakedness.
Daniel looks at me momentarily, and then, he just starts laughing.
“Babe, I'm so sorry. I was gonna tell you.”
“What? Is he with you? Why won't he fucking say anything? He didn't say anything! What the fuck, Daniel?!” I scream, shoving him several times with the palms of my hands.
“I apologize,” Danny says, catching my wrists gently. “I thought you were still sleeping. I didn't expect you to be up by now. But come here.”
“I'm not going over there. I'm naked.”
“Then put some clothes on and come over here.”
“Who is that?”
“I'll introduce you,” Danny says, way calmer than this insane situation deserves.
My curiosity gets the better of me, and even though I'm still absolutely terrified, I go back into the room. I quickly throw on some casual clothes, some capris and a long-sleeve shirt that hangs loosely around my body.
Then, with my arms snugly crossed and still clutching the fire poker, I walk back out.
I see Daniel standing right next to the man.
The guy is huge, standing several inches taller than my husband, blonde hair donning the same tapered fade cut as Danny’s.
The trendy rich guy cut. The suit he’s wearing reflects wealth too.
“Melody?” Danny starts to say. He looks at the guy and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Meet your new assistant.”
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To be continued…