Page 16 of Will Bark for Pizza
Morning twilight bathed the mostly empty space, but it wasn’t enough to track down the eight-legged asshole.
To be fair, she probably thoughtIwas the asshole for intruding on her cozy, quiet space.
Either way, I wasn’t waiting for the sun to fully rise. I needed to be out of here before the bookstore opened.
I had a sinking suspicion that my archnemesis was either lurking inside my sleeping bag or hiding under my second pillow. It would be a lot easier to prove or debunk my theory if I could risk turning on the overhead light. But the moment I did, one of the early-morning coffee drinkers would no doubt notice and call Margene. Or worse, Dad. Spider or no spider, I wanted to stay incognito every minute I could get away with.
Husker looked at me, then at the sleeping bag, then back to me.
“Leave it, Bubbies,” I said, quietly but firmly. The last thing I needed was the heart attack I’d surely have if my dog tried to wrestle a wolf spider the size of a damn bowling ball.
I scanned the studio apartment for inspiration, and discovered a yardstick propped against the wall. With it and the flashlight of my phone, I sucked in a deep breath. I scrunched up my face as my pulse raced off the charts, but pretended I was brave—because New Kira could do “hard things”—and poked the yardstick toward the opening of my sleeping bag.
Just as the shaky stick lifted the fabric, thunderous pounding echoed in the empty room.
I screamed again.
Husker paced in circles, whining.
“Police, open up.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I grumbled, recognizing Luke’sofficialtone. I started to call out to him, but then I remembered the door was deadbolted. I didn’t need him busting it open and breaking the damn door.
I slipped on my flip-flops, flipped open the deadbolt, and stepped out of the way. I knew my brother would charge into the room like he owned the damn place. He’d been banging on the door like he was prepared to raid a known drug den.
“Calm down, Rambo. It’s just me.”
“Kira?”
I flipped the light switch on as Husker weaved through the stacks of boxes and rushed my brother,pressing his body against Luke’s legs. I had to admit, I wasn’t upset that those black uniform pants would be covered in blond fur. To his credit, my brother bent over to give Husker pets. He might be a grumpy pain in my ass most days, but my brother did have his redeeming qualities.
“Why are you here?” Luke asked, his tone an understandable mixture of annoyance and confusion. He scanned the stacks of dusty boxes littered throughout the room, his gaze finally landing on my makeshift sleeping area. I spread a blanket over the floor—only now able to see exactly how dirty it was—and put my sleeping bag on top, leaving room for Husker to curl up beside me.
The spider—Charlie, I decided—chose that moment to scurry out of my sleeping bag and make a beeline for the dark bathroom doorway. Dammit, I really had to pee.
“Why is the bookstore for sale?” I shot out.
“How did you get in?” We were both good at sidestepping the questions we didn’t want to answer. It was a dance we did well.
“My key?”
“Dad changed the locks a month ago. Your new key is sitting on his desk.” His tone was harsh, and his scowl an accusation.
“You think I broke in.” Not a question, because he wasn’t asking it.
“I know the place was locked,” Luke said, folding both arms over his chest. Most might find the pose intimidating, considering his height and muscular build. But I’d never been rattled by him. Call it emotional calluses from years of handling both my brothers. “I checked it myself.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I used the key. Maybe you didn’t do a very good job of checking it.”
“I check it every night,” he said, his words a defensive growl.
“How did you even know I was here?”
I was careful to park a couple of blocks away, in an overflow lot that was filled with local and tourists’ cars alike. No one in the family knew about my red Jeep. It was a recent purchase, and I didn’t think to text anyone the news. I didn’t think anyone would be all that happy for me.
“Silent alarm was tripped.”
“Wow, you need to work on your response time.”
