Page 12 of Broken Instrument

A bright flash casts my shadow against the garage but disappears in the blink of an eye.

I twist around again, scanning the shrubbery lining the sidewalk in front of the house in search of the perpetrator but find it empty. Nothing but grass, trees, a dark road, and some shrubbery.

I could’ve sworn…

I shake my head and release a slow sigh when Pixie jumps out of the backseat and onto the driveway with a low growl in her throat as she places her massive body a foot or so in front of me, her dark brown eyes staring at the same shadowed street.

Another flash blinds me, and I rub at my eyes.

What. The. Hell?

After a few more seconds of silence, Pixie lifts her nose into the air, sniffs, plops down on her haunches, and looks up at me, deeming the situation safe.

At least there’s one benefit to having the big beast around.

“You think someone’s out here?” I ask her, well aware of how crazy I sound. But I can’t help it. It’s too quiet. And I’m afraid the silence will only confirm I’m losing my damn mind.

Pixie looks up at me when no more flashes blind us, sneezes, and pees on the front lawn. Like she isn’t worried anymore. Like I’m losing my shit for no reason.

“You’re right. Everything’s fine. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

I’m drained. Both emotionally and physically. And after everything that happened today? I could use some sleep.

With Pix by my side, we traipse up the steps and open the front door. The lights are off inside the two-story house, but low voices echo from the second floor, and Milo peers down from the balcony.

“Hey, man,” Milo greets me. His brows furrow. “Wait. Is that a dog?”

“Yeah,” is all I reply as I head up the stairs, too exhausted to give him an explanation. I can give him the details tomorrow.

When I reach the second floor, Maddie’s voice echoes through Jake’s open bedroom door. “So…yeah. That’s how he’s doing. Promising, right?”

“Do you know if he’s spoken to Sonny?” someone else asks her, and considering the voice is coming from Jake’s room, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it belongs to.

But Jake’s question pisses me off. It’s like I’m some damaged little problem needing to be handled with kid gloves, and they don’t even have the decency to confront me head-on. Instead, they’re busy talking behind my back in hushed voices. I know they care, and they don’t know how to show it. But if my friends think this is the solution, to talk behind my back, they have another thing coming to them.

“No, I haven’t called Sonny,” I announce from the doorway, not even bothering to hide my annoyance as I take in Jake and Maddie sitting on his bed. Jake’s been gone for a couple of days. He had a business retreat or something, but he looks like shit. Like someone kicked his puppy. Which is saying something because the guy’s been through the wringer over the past year or so.

Cutting him some slack, I sigh and add, “But if you have any other questions, you can ask me. We clear?”

Jake nods, staring at Pixie behind me with wide eyes and a slack jaw. I’d laugh if I weren’t still a little annoyed they were talking about me behind my back.

Poor, broken Fender.

I hate it’s how they perceive me. But what I hate even more? They’re not wrong.

“Good,” I return, looking down at the four-legged beast. “This is Pixie.”

“Pixie?” Maddie asks.

“My friend’s dog. I’m watching her for a while.”

Milo and Maddie look at each other, and he grunts, “What’s a while, Fen?”

Jaw tight, I repeat, “A while.” I walk the rest of the way into Jake’s room, the dog padding behind me, and peek through his window, still fighting the urge to grab a flashlight and search the premises for the lurker outside. There’s no way I imagined those flashes.

Is there?

“Something wrong?” Jake asks, his voice quiet and strained. Probably afraid I’ll finally snap and lose my shit on everyone. Even though he’s only been gone for the weekend, a better friend would’ve noticed his absence more. But me? I’ve been too lost in my own head to care. About anything, really.

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