Among the Echoes(9)

I can't figure out why she is suddenly scared, but I think this would be a good time for me to leave. "I don't know any Dave. I'm sorry. I think you must have me confused for someone else."

"Cool Rider," she whispers as tears start to well in her eyes.

I shake my head as her words make even less sense. "Yeah. I'm going to go. It was nice to meet you..." I realize she never even gave me her name. "Anyway. I'm next door if you ever need anything," I throw in for some strange reason and immediately hope this odd woman never needs anything.





"We need to move!" I screech into the phone as soon as Dave picks up.

"What! I'll call it in now. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but there is a huge guy next door, and he helped me pick up eggs. I thought you sent him. I thought he was one of your guys to babysit me," I rush out incoherently.

"Wait! Do you think he's one of Wilkes's men?"

"I don't know!"

"Did you get a bad feeling?" he asks with concern filling his voice.

"I. Don't. Know!" I repeat on a frustrated shout.

"Riley, calm down."

"I can't. I thought—" I choke out a sob. "I thought he knew you, but then I said the word, and he had no idea what I was talking about," I continue, rushing out broken pieces of sentences.

"Okay. Well, did he try anything on you? Like, did he come in and look around or do anything that made you suspicious?" he asks, and I can tell he is still curious but he has already started to relax.

"No. He just stuck his head in and sniffed."

"Sniffed?"

"Yes, like a dog. He pushed his head inside and sniffed," I explain yet again, and he lets out a laugh.

"Can you blame him? That place stinks."

"So you don't think he's a threat?"

"I'll call and have someone look into it. He just sounds like our new neighbor to me. If you were obviously alone, there is not a chance in hell one of Wilkes’s guys would have left you standing there."

"Maybe they were hoping you would come back." When I get an idea, I screech, "Maybe he was sniffing for you!"

He starts laughing. "Do I stink? Can you smell me?"

"Sometimes," I whine.

He lets out a chuckle before getting serious again. "Stay inside. I'll get him checked out, okay? Did he give you his name?"

"Adam."

"Hang tight. I'll get him looked into."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Riley. We need a new word now. Your choice this time."

"Parakeet Breath," I blurt out.

"Wait, are you calling me that or is that the word?"

"Both."

"Well, okay then. I guess I'll pick the word again," he replies, and I finally let out a small laugh. "I'll look into him," he promises again.

"Thank you," I breathe, and only partly because he's looking into Adam. It’s mainly because, even from eight hundred miles away, he still makes me feel safe.





The knock on the front door startles me. No one knows we live here. It's not like we are expecting any visitors. I have no friends or anyone to randomly stop by. It’s sad, but I have no one in this world but Dave. Although, in my old life, I didn't exactly have anyone either—but at least then I had myself. That's a lot more than I can say now.

I sit on the couch, nervously staring at the door, just waiting for the salesman to give up and leave. But this person is persistent. The knocking continues for a few minutes before I finally hear Adam’s voice from the other side of the door.

"Um, I brought you some eggs," he calls out.

I cautiously walk to the door to look through the peephole.

"I wanted to apologize for scaring you earlier. I was at the store anyway, and I knew you were out," he says loudly.

"You didn’t have to do that," I respond to the door without even considering opening it.

"Well, I guess I’ll just leave these right here for you. Don't leave them out here long. In this cold, they are liable to freeze."

"Oh, yeah. Uh, thanks," I respond awkwardly, knowing good and damn well that I am not going outside to get those eggs.

Who the hell brings someone eggs? Maybe he is just luring me outside so he can kidnap me and take me back to whomever he is working for. But if that's the case, why didn't he just grab me when he had the chance earlier? Whatever, Dave told me to stay inside. That’s more than enough for me.