Chapter 0362


    Abby


    After I hang up the phone with Karl, I finally slip off to sleep, feeling more rxed now than I have in


    days. I fall into a pleasant slumber, one that’s deep and uninterrupted by the lights and soundsing


    from outside.


    But then it happens.


    The sound of ss shattering suddenly wakes me from my sleep. I jolt upright in bed, my heart


    pounding. That was real; I’m sure of it.


    Quietly, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and reach for my phone with one hand and the


    baseball bat I keep behind the nightstand with the other. With the baseball bat raised just in case, I


    tiptoe out of my bedroom.


    The sound of the news reporter vans idling outside is louder now, with no shield from the window. I


    furrow my brow, my heart pounding as I slowly and silently tiptoe down the hall and round the corner


    where the sound came from.


    And then I see it.


    What I see freezes me in my tracks, my fear momentarily reced by shock. The back window of my


    living room, facing the alleyway behind my apartment, has shattered. And below the window,ying on


    my carpet amidst the mess of shattered ss, is a red brick.


    “Hello?” I call out in a shaky voice. Of course, there’s no answer. But I’m certain I’m alone. My house is


    quiet now, aside from the ss shattering just a few moments ago.


    Carefully, I tiptoe over to the mess and peer out the window. There’s no one there, and I allow myself to


    rx just a little. I bend down and pick up the brick, flipping it over in my hand to see a piece of paper


    taped to it.


    And on the paper is a handwritten message.


    “ABBY IS A LYING WHORE!”


    My hands tremble as I read the awful words. Who would have written something like this? And why


    throw the brick through the window? I knew that people would be angry, but I didn’t think that anyone


    would go this far; and certainly not with a police car sitting right outside.


    Speaking of the police officer…


    Cursing under my breath, I put the brick back on the floor and approach the door. I pull the ts of the


    blinds apart to peer out, and just as I suspected, he’s still sleeping. His head is still lolled back on his


    seat, his mouth open.


    “Dammit,” I hiss. Without a second thought this time, I fling the door open and rush outside in my bare


    feet and pajamas.


    I rush up to the car, my baseball bat still in hand, and take a moment to look down at the sleeping


    officer. The sounds of his snores emanate through the window, and it only makes me even more angry.


    Rage surges inside of me, and I m my palm against the ss. Startled, the officer jerks awake, his


    eyes widening as he meets my furious gaze.


    I grip the baseball bat tightly, ready to confront him for his failure to protect me. “Wake up!” I shout, my


    brows knit together with frustration. “And get out here!”


    The officer, his eyes wide, slowly cracks the window. “Ma’am—” he begins, reaching for the gun on his


    belt, but I interrupt him.


    “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I hiss, my voice quivering with anger. “While you were


    sleeping on the job, someone threw a damn brick through my window!”


    The officer’s eyes widen even further. I step back, allowing him to swing his door open and step out. “A


    brick?” he asks.


    I nod. “See for yourself.”


    Without another word, I lead the officer up to my back door, where I let him in and point at the mess


    beneath my window. “You see this?” I growl. “Right in front of your face, and you were too busy dozing


    off to see it!”


    For a few moments, the officer just stares down at the mess with a red face. He fumbles for his words,


    guilt and embarrassment evident in his eyes. “I… I’m sorry, ma’am,” he stammers. “I didn’t see


    anything.”


    “Yeah, to hell you didn’t,” I berate him. “I’m lucky it was just a fucking brick.”


    His face goes a little more red, and he runs a hand through his disheveled hair. “Okay, um… Let me


    check my dash cam footage. The perpetrator was likely caught on there.”


    “Oh, you’ll do more than just check your dash cam footage,” I snarl, still too angry and frustrated to let it


    go. “I want a new officer sent here to rece you immediately.”


    The officer nods. “I understand, ma’am. I’ll take care of it. I apologize for thispse in security.”


    Turning on his heel, he heads back to his patrol car to radio for backup. As I watch him go, a mixture of


    anger and fear churns inside me.


    The vition of my home, the hateful message left behind—it’s all too much to bear. The baseball bat


    slips from my hand and falls onto the floor, and it’s all I can do to not sob outwardly right here and now.


    Once the officer finishes his call a few minutester, he returns to me. “Backup is on the way,” he says,


    his tone moreposed now. “We’ll investigate this thoroughly, and I promise we’ll do everything we


    can to find the person responsible.”


    I nod, still trembling from the adrenaline coursing through my veins, although I feel a little less angry


    right now. “Thank you,” I reply, my voice slightly softer. “Just... please make sure this doesn’t happen


    again.”


    He gives me a reassuring nod before heading back to his car to await the arrival of his recement.


    Left alone in the dimly lit living room, I sink down onto the couch, the brick ring at me from its spot


    on the floor.


    As I sit there, the events of the night rey in my mind, and I can’t help but think about Karl’s


    proposition once more. Co?tent оf NovelDrama.OrgAll rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    And yet, I can’t help but wonder if it’s simply too unsafe here.


    My phone res at me from the coffee table, and suddenly, it feels all too tempting to call Karl and tell


    him that I’ve changed my mind.