Page 46 of Dark Obsession

Chapter Twenty-Two

Keira pushed herselfup the next morning and walked slightly hunched over, making her feel like she was decades older than she was, and slowly made her way into her bedroom.Tired and drained like she’d never been before, she could only focus on getting clothes and going to the hall bathroom for a quick shower.She kept her gaze away from the destruction around the room and concentrated on just moving forward.

If anyone saw her at that moment, they would think she really was crazy, but she was not going to relinquish the knives, her purse, and the pepper spray.They were the only thing that was giving her some semblance of control.She even took the spray with her into the shower and was in and out within a few minutes.She used to enjoy long, hot showers, but now, being naked made her feel more defenseless than she already was.

She got dressed in a long skirt without panties because they were all torn apart on her bedroom floor, and she couldn’t bring herself to wear dirty panties, but she used the bra she’d worn the day before.

She would buy some in the shop when she got to work.She’d choose some moisturizer and a few other things they carried in the shop, too, and get the rest of what she needed later.

The limited makeup she had in her purse came in handy to hide some of the circles under her eye and blotchiness from crying.Keira looked at her pale reflection and decided it was the best she could do under the circumstances.Besides, she didn’t have any more energy to do otherwise.

She ran through a fast-food place for a breakfast sandwich and a large coffee.She didn’t feel like eating at all, it actually made her a little nauseous to think about eating, but knew she needed it for strength.She couldn’t let herself become too weak to be able to fight if the need arose.

“Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Keira stifled a scream and turned suddenly as she was trying to put the cashbox in the register to start the day.Her hand pressed against her chest to settle her heart before she took a deep breath and gathered up the bills that had fallen at her sudden action.

Keira didn’t know what to do.The concern on Vicki’s face helped her decide to confide in her.How much should she tell her?How did someone talk about something this crazy and expect someone to believe them?

She sat down on the stool and rubbed circles on her temples.“I have a stalker,” she said simply.

“What?”Vicki screeched, and her hand went to her racing heartbeat in her chest.“And I’m just now finding this out?”

“I didn’t want to burden you with it, and I was afraid you’d call my sister.Please don’t do that.I would never forgive myself.”

Vicki faced her over the counter and crossed her arms over her chest.“Tell me everything and start at the beginning.”

A smile tugged at Keira’s lips.“Layla said you were a good mother, now I see what she means.”The smile spread when Vicki narrowed her eyes at her.Keira told her a little and waited.

“For God’s sake, this has been going on for a month?What are the police doing about it?”

“Long story short, there’s very little the cops can do for me with no evidence.”She almost laughed, but knew it would sound crazy.Would the sight of her bedroom convince them someone was terrorizing her?

“That’s total bullshit...”

Keira laughed—a real laugh for the first time in a long while, and it almost sounded foreign.She’d never heard Vicki mad or cuss.

“Tell me what things are going on?”

“He’s getting into my house and taking one thing or moving it to show me he was there.”

A visible shiver raced down Vicki’s back.“That’s creepy.”

“At first, I thought it was me.Maybe I was exceedingly stressed from the move or just overly tired.But it happened so many times, I knew it wasn’t me.I changed the locks on the doors and even added some, and he still got in.But he started getting bolder at such a fast pace.Once, I found a pair of my panties in the washing machine in the spin cycle when I got home from work.”

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