Love Me (WITSEC #3)(55)

My thoughts went back to the window. It was unlikely Mr. X was the culprit. But something in my gut would not settle. Maybe the sheriff had planned to sneak in through that window while I was sleeping and hang me from a tree out back? Last night would have been the perfect opportunity. I had been alone and so tired. But why go through the window? And what about my alarm? I still didn’t know how he’d gotten past it the last time and Logan hadn’t told me what the alarm company had said.

There was a good chance I could be freaking about the window for no reason. Logan could have left it open by accident. It hadn’t been open enough to trigger the alarm, so there was a chance he’d thought he had closed it but forgotten to lock it?

It was locked now. The best thing I could do was go through the house and make sure everything was locked. I also needed to set my alarm. I had disarmed it when Isabelle had texted that she was on her way.

“Shi, you okay?” Isabelle asked as she came closer. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine. Why don’t we finish setting up?” I deflected.

Isabelle pointed at the pillows and blanket I’d tossed back on the bed. “Are these what we need?”

I nodded. Isabelle grabbed the pillows while I grabbed the throw, and we headed back to the living room.

“Would you mind finishing here while I make sure all my windows are closed?” I asked her.

“Sure, and I’ll make us a new round of drinks,” she said and took off toward the kitchen.

While she did that, I went to every window and door that opened and made sure they were locked. Lastly, I set my alarm.

Isabelle and I finished our tasks at the same time and got settled on the floor. She handed me my drink and I chugged it.

Isabelle chuckled as she watched me. “Want me to bring the bottle?”

I set the glass down after I swallowed every drop. “I’m nervous,” I admitted.

“About the movie?”

“I don’t know how I’m going to react to it. I haven’t watched a scary movie in a long time, and I live alone…” I trailed off, trying to figure out how to be honest without telling her everything.

“And you have nightmares, right? That’s why you take medication?” she said.

“Yeah.”

“We don’t have to watch this, Shi. I’d be fine watching anything. I know IT was the reason we’re having this girls’ night, but I’m just happy to hang out.”

My shoulders slumped as the pressure to do this eased and I was left feeling lighter. “We can still watch it.”

“Don’t push yourself. If you have to push yourself, you aren’t ready,” she said. “Let’s watch something else and save the scary movies for when we have the guys around. That way they can hold us during the scary parts, or we can send them to check behind the shower curtains for us if we have to pee.”

I laughed and she giggled along with me. “All right.” She was right. With the window thing, I was already on edge. This isn’t a failure, I tried to convince myself.

We debated over movies for a minute and decided on a romantic comedy. My phone beeped and I saw that Colt had texted.

Colt: Doing okay?

Me: Having a blast. Decided to watch a romantic comedy instead.

Colt: That’s perfectly okay. Just because you didn’t watch it tonight doesn’t mean you can’t try again later. There’s no rush.





I would definitely try again. But during a bright sunny day and after all shower curtains had been pushed back.





16





Today was Halloween and tonight was the party. After last night’s failure to watch IT, I took a moment to reevaluate. I felt good. It was a party with my friends. Yes, there would be costumes, but the guys had assured me the music wouldn’t be ominous and the decorations would be tame.

I got this!

I was packing everything I would need to stay the night at the cabin, which was a good hour away. I packed clothes, my costume, shoes, everything to do my hair and makeup. The last things I needed to grab were toiletries. Going into my bathroom from my bedroom, I grabbed my toothbrush from the holder next to the faucet and began going through the drawers and opening the medicine cabinet, grabbing everything else that I would need. As I went to shut the cabinet, I heard the floorboards creak in the hallway right outside my room.

“I’m almost ready,” I yelled out, assuming it was Keelan. He, Knox, and I were driving up together. Colt and Creed were already at the cabin getting things ready for the party. I was trying my best not to think about how awkward the car ride might be with Knox. After learning the truth about what was bothering him, things weren’t really resolved, and we were at a standstill.

There wasn’t a response from Keelan.

“Did you hear me?” I asked as I went back in my bedroom, expecting him to be sitting or lounging on my bed waiting for me. The bed was empty. I glanced down the hall. It was also empty. Standing in the doorway, I said loudly, “Keelan?”

The house was quiet.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

Had I been hearing things?

Was I being paranoid?

My alarm wasn’t set, but I knew all the doors and windows were locked because I had checked last night. The only door I had unlocked was the front door and that was when Isabelle had left, but I knew I’d locked it as soon as I’d closed it.