1
Andrew
“Who’s there?” I call out sternly as I hear footsteps entering the front door. “You better turn around and get out of here.”
My hand goes to my side, expecting to find my weapon in its holster. I scoff as I remember that I’m supposed to be on vacation and don’t have my normal gear on. Thankfully, I’m a trained law enforcement officer, and I can handle whatever comes my way.
“Excuse me? You’re the one who shouldn’t be here,” a woman’s voice calls back. “I have pepper spray, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Who is this person ordering me around?I’m the one who rented this place for the next four days. And I’m not letting a stranger disable me with pepper spray. A calm, collected talk with proof of my reservation should resolve this soon enough.
I turn the corner of the kitchen to get a look at the woman making these demands. Before I can see her or respond, a flash of fur runs past me. My Scottish terrier is bolting straight toward the intruder and lets out a bark.
“Angus, no!” I lunge for him, trying to snatch his collar. I hear the woman shriek, then the unmistakable hiss. “Ahh!”
The searing pain hits me as pepper spray floods my vision. My skin feels like it caught fire. I inhale, coughing as my throat constricts painfully.
“I told you I would use it,” the woman says as I turn back toward the kitchen.
“I wasn’t attacking you.” I try to blink the chemical out of my eyes, and uncontrollable tears stream down my face.
“How did I know that? Your dog is menacing.” I can’t help but laugh.
“He is more likely to lick you to death than maul you,” I retort sarcastically.
I make it to the sink and fumble for the faucet. I turn it on and quickly place my head under the water. The sweet reprieve of cold water starts to relieve the disorienting pain.
Back in the academy, I got shot with a face full of this stuff in preparation for facing down criminals. Never had I thought that training would come in handy forvacation-busting women with an attitude. And here I thought I was prepared for anything.
“I’ve rented this place for the long weekend. You can’t be here,” she demands.
I don’t respond as I finish up with the cold water to get myself back to a semblance of normal. Water works to dilute some of the potency of the pepper spray, but it’s going to hurt for a little while. I dry my face and blink to focus. My vision is still fuzzy, but I see the silhouette of a short brunette standing with her hand on her hip, probably glaring at me.
“I have a reservation for this weekend,” I sigh.
The lady gives me a perplexed look and starts backing out of the room. I’m not sure where she’s headed, but I follow. She bizarrely does this all the way out the front door, onto the porch, and then looks at the house.
Her eyes go wide as she pulls her phone out of her purse and glances at it. I’m sure she’s verifying her reservation and will tell me at any second that she has made a horrible mistake.
“This is definitely the number on the rental agreement,” she mutters as she holds out her phone to me.
I blink. The pepper spray is still making it tough to focus.
“May I?” She hands me her phone, and I pull it closer to my face. I squint until the address comes into view. She isn’t wrong—it’s this address, and the dates coincide with this weekend.
I didn’t make a mistake, did I?
I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket to bring up my reservation. I glance between my phone and hers.
“Looks like there’s been a mix up.” I hand her phone back to her. “Well, we need to call the owner. They’ll need to find you a new place to stay.” I hit the call button on my reservation and put the cell phone to my ear.
I see the woman doing the same.
Nothing, no ringing. I glance at the service bars.
“No service,” she sighs. “The weather was miserable driving in, so I’m not surprised. What are we going to do?” she asks.
Angus barks, demanding the woman’s attention.
