Page 30 of Unbearable

“What do you know about this delivery?” Colt demanded, his tone too serious, causing the girl to visibly shrink back.

“Uh… I don’t know much… I can ask Mrs. Sterling when I get back to the shop. I just make the deliveries,” she stammered.

Colt handed her his business card. “Have her call. Tonight.”

“Is something… wrong with the flowers?” she asked, her voice trembling.

I intervened before Colt could scare her further. “No,there’s nothing wrong. I’ve been receiving unwanted flowers, and we’re trying to figure out who’s sending them. You did nothing wrong.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks…” She took a step back. “Have a good evening.” She hurried back to her car and drove away.

We brought the delivery inside—white lilies, as always.

Colt grabbed the note. “What the hell is this, Dotty? Since when does he say things like this?” he growled, running a hand over his stubbled face. I took the note from him.

Soon, Dotty James, you’ll be mine. I promise.

Suddenly, I felt sweaty and overstimulated. My body was restless, yet I couldn’t seem to move. I was acutely aware of my tongue in my mouth and struggled to think of anything else.

“This… This is the first time I’ve received a note like this. Normally, it’s simple and innocent. This is… more…”

“This isn’t good,” my dad said, nodding his head.

I turned to see that Colt already had his phone up to his ear. “Who are you calling?” I asked, barely able to get the words out.

“The station. You need to report this now. Give me your contact for the detective in Seattle.”

I looked up the number and sent it to him. He spent the next several minutes on the phone with both the local police station and my contact in Seattle. From what I could gather, the authorities agreed that this marked a significant escalation that warranted thorough investigation.

My head spun, going in a thousand directions, overwhelmed by the implications. Since I moved away from Woodstone and started to receive the notes, I had always felt a persistent unease gnawing at the pit of my stomach.

Each cryptic message had further instilled a sense of paranoia, forcing me to constantly look over my shoulder every time I left my apartment. The feeling of being watched, of my every move being on someone’s radar, was a shadow that loomed over my daily existence, even during periods when the notes had been less frequent. It haunted my life, a silent torment that never fully subsided.

And now, with this latest note signaling a clear escalation, my apprehension deepened. The explicitness of the threat was undeniable, and it filled me with a renewed sense of dread. The thought of this unknown person becoming more threatening was terrifying, and I knew that this would only intensify my already heightened state of alertness.

As I tried to process the gravity of the situation, I realized that the escalation not only posed a direct threat to my safety but also further disrupted any semblance of normalcy I had tried to maintain. The fear that had once been a background noise in my life was now blaring, impossible to ignore.

My dad gently drew me out of my hyper-focused state. “Hey, try not to worry. We will make sure you are safe. If this guy is getting more reckless, it will make it easier to catch him.” He pulled me into his side, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “I think you should think about staying in Woodstone Falls longer than you anticipated, though, to be safe.”

“He clearly knows where I am, so I don’t think going back to Seattle would change anything, honestly.”Extending my time in Woodstone no longer felt like the worst thing in the world, but I also still wanted to get back to my life in the city.

“Yes, but here you have your family to watch out for you. It’s a small town, and people notice if someone unfamiliar shows up. It’s going to be much safer here.” He guided me over to the couch and sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“I’ll consider it, but I need to discuss with my manager to see if I can work remotely or take additional time off.” The thought of taking more time off work was far from ideal. I had come to Woodstone for a week with my family, but this trip was turning into something entirely different.

“Good. I just want you to be safe,” Dad said, squeezing my shoulder gently.

“Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

“Love you too, Dotty.”

Colt walked into the room and sighed. “The flowers were ordered online. They are trying to trace the IP address now, but the order seems to have been placed under a fake name. Seattle PD is sending over all the info they have. For now, there’s not much to do other than be hypervigilant.” Colt took a seat on the other side of me.

Gracie walked in from the other dining room. “Papa, I finished my puzzle. Can I watch some TV now?” She was innocently oblivious, for which I was grateful.

We watched another princess movie, which Colt was clearly over, but he put up with, regardless.

Halfway through the movie, I got a call from Dorian and clicked to answer it. “Hey. Are you on your way home?”

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