Page 57 of Otter Heart
I stood there, my jaw working but no words coming out as the rain picked up. Cold water ran through my hair and down my neck, goosebumps breaking out over my skin. The more I thought about it, the more I realized James was right. I would torment myself for the rest of my life if I didn’t say something to Mateo. If I wasn’t honest with him directly justonce.
Was it possible he liked me, and I just never gave him a chance to show it?
My phone rang loudly from my pants pocket, knocking me out of my stupor. I pulled it out, wiping the rain off the screen. And there, plain as day, was Mateo’s name. He was calling me.
“Huh,” James said, glancing at the screen. “It’s almost like the universe is sending you a sign.”
I nodded numbly, hitting the green button and pulling it up to my ear.
“H-Hello?”
Chapter Twenty-Five: Mateo
“Adam!” I nearly shouted. “Adam, thank you for picking up! I need you! Bessie’s run off again into the storm and I can’t find her!” I paused, realizing how it sounded, but I was desperate, and my breath was coming in shallow gasps. “I… I found blood in the house, and I’m worried she’s badly hurt!”
“I’m close by,” he replied, his voice suddenly firm and serious. “I’ll be there in three minutes.”
“Please hurry,” I begged. “I… I can’t lose her!”
“We’ll find her, Mateo. I promise.”
Silence.
“I have to hang up now, okay?”
“O-Okay…”
The phone line went dead, and I was left in my condo alone with nothing to do but worry and panic for the next few minutes.
No less than twenty minutes ago, I’d realized Bessie was gone. She’d snuck out through the sliding door just as the rain was coming in. Thanks to the rainfall, I never heard the door open. However, Ididnotice when it was suddenly louder and more crisp than it should be. That’s when I found the door standing open. And that’s when the panic began.
At first, I called and called for her, trying to get her to come back to the house. When nothing happened, I shut the door and began to search the house. After all, she couldn’t be somewhere inside without me knowing. I searched the entire place top to bottom, but it wasn’t until I came across her dog bed that I found the blood.
The coppery smell was easy to recognize. And the bed was saturated enough that it threw me into a frenzy. I felt around, looking for some sign of broken glass or damage. But there was nothing. However, that didn’t make me feel any better.
I spent a crazy few minutes running around the house before I finally gave in and called Adam. In hindsight, I could’ve asked one of the neighbors for help or even called the police. But Adam was already close, and he knew Bessie. In fact, she seemed to really like him. If anyone had a chance of helping me find her, it was him. He’d done it once, and I knew he could do it again.
It was an awkward favor to ask after our text conversation, especially when he’d made it such a point never to see me face to face again. But all that mattered at that moment was Bessie. Whatever damage I did, I’d try to pick up the pieces after we found her and made sure everything was okay.
God, I was so fucking terrified that she was lying outside and bleeding out. Unless she made a noise or something, she could be ten feet away and I’d never know it. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I needed Adam’s eyes to help me save her.
I heard the tires squeal to a stop outside my condo inlessthan three minutes and I threw the front door open, knowing it had to be him. He must have driven like a madman to get there so quickly. If I hadn’t been so worried and scared, my heart might have leaped for joy to hear his voice.
“I’m here!” he called, jogging up to the front door. “Show me what’s going on.”
I waved for him to follow, charging back through the house. “I found blood on her dog bed. It feels like there’s a lot. I think she got out the slider somehow.”
A sharp pain shot through my hip as I ran into one ofthe side tables. Several things tipped and crashed to the floor as I swore loudly. In my panic I’d forgotten to count my steps and I took the corner too soon. However, Adam’s hands shot out, grabbing me around the waist and steadying me.
“Breathe,” he said, his voice a forced calm. “We’re gonna find her, okay? I don’t need you to get hurt in the process too.”
“Right,” I nodded, pulling him into the living room. “Her dog bed is over there.”
Adam left my side for a moment, his shoes making an odd squeak against the carpet. I heard him crouch, but he said nothing.
“Well,” I asked, impatient for an answer. “How bad is it?”
“There’s not that much blood, actually,” he replied. “But the bed is definitely wet.”
