Infestation by K. Lucas

Author:K. Lucas [Lucas, K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-13T00:00:00+00:00

21

Rafe backed up. “You what?”

“Did I stutter? I. Want. You. To. Leave. Both of you.”

His jaw dropped. “You can’t expect us to go out there. Not with those things—it’s a death sentence!”

“You live a few minutes’ walk away. You’ll be fine. Look.” She pointed out the window. “I can see your yard from here.”

“You’re using binoculars! And you might see the property line, but that’s forest, ma’am, and I’ll still have to make it through there.”

Edith glared at him, trying not to smirk at the look on his face. Asking him to leave was the last thing he’d thought she’d do, but here she was. Surprise, surprise, asshole!

“I don’t understand,” Rafe continued when she remained silent. “Why would you do this? Why send us away? If you don’t want to talk about it anymore, I’ll shut up⁠—”

“I don’t feel comfortable having a stranger in my home after dark.”

There his mouth was again, gaping like a fish. She almost couldn’t help the laugh bubbling up. It was such a relief to have something to amuse her after all the worry and anger today.

“I’m not—I—you know who I am…”

“But do you know me? What’s my name?” She gave him a sweet smile, relishing the color staining his cheeks. Embarrassing this man made her feel powerful in a way almost nothing else did. “It’s okay,” Edith continued, knowing he obviously didn’t know her name, or he’d have said it by now. “You can try to remember while you’re on your way home.”

“How can you sleep, treating a neighbor this way? Treating anyone this way?”

How dare he insinuate that I’m the bad neighbor here. “I’ll have a good night’s sleep tonight, I’m sure. I’ll even bet there won’t be any construction going on until the wee hours of the morning like there normally is. In fact, I bet I can even sleep with my window open if I wanted to.”

“No, you can’t. There are spiders that will eat you alive!”

She frowned. “Okay, so no window.” Heading toward the front door, she added, “Enjoy your walk home!”

“Look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry the noise has kept you up. I had no idea you could hear it all the way over here, but I promise to be more considerate from now on.”

Edith said nothing.

“Okay. If you want me out, I’ll go. Will you let my dog stay here? Just until sunrise?”

“Absolutely not.”

She could hear him grinding his teeth from clear across the room. Finally, he asked, “Do you have a flashlight I can borrow?”

“That, I do.”

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