My Fake Fling

“Yep.”

We ventured back to the lobby. Kona got to her feet and stretched. “Let me check the schedule,” I said.

He flopped into one of the chairs and spun around a few times. It was too tempting for teen boys. While he spun around, I checked the schedule before shutting down the computer. “We have three appointments for tomorrow already,” I said to Lucas.

“That’s awesome,” he said with enthusiasm.

“It is, I—”

A loud banging sound grabbed our attention. Someone started to shake the front door. Kona barked just as someone started to bang on the door again. Several someones by the sounds of it.

“Get to the kennel,” I hissed to Lucas.

“We should run out the back!”

Just then, someone started ringing the buzzer at the back door. “Not an option,” I said. “Kona, come!”

She was snarling and giving her warning bark. Her ears were up, and her tail was stiff as a board. I was not going to let her get hurt protecting us.

“We should call the cops!” Lucas cried out.

“We can’t stay out here. They’ll get through the door in no time. Get to the kennel.”

I grabbed Kona’s collar and practically had to drag her along with us. We rushed for the employee door. It didn’t lock, but I prayed like hell no one was dumb enough to try and break into the kennels. The dogs erupted into a cacophony of barking when they saw Kona. We ran to the back of the long row of kennels. I shoved Lucas into the corner. “Kona, stay!” I ordered.

I reached into my back pocket for my phone. “Oh no,” I groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.

“My phone is in my purse. I left my purse on the front desk.”

“Oh no,” he whispered.

I heard the fear in his voice. I could feel the panic bubbling up. “Lucas, do you have your phone?”

“I was checking Instagram,” he said. His face paled. “It’s on the desk.”

“Okay,” I said. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. “It’s okay. They won’t come in here. If they get in, they’ll steal my purse. There’s no money in the register. If they get in the safe, it’s not a big deal.”

“What if they want a dog?” Lucas asked. “What if they come in here? What if they have a gun?”

“Someone will call the police,” I said.

“The alarm,” he said. “Did you set the alarm?”

I cringed and shook my head. “No. I was waiting until we left.”

Lucas slid to the floor. Kona backed up and did her best to guard him while offering some protection. I tried to think of what I could do. My brain was whirring, and nothing was coming to mind. I felt like I was on a spin bike. I was pedaling as fast as I could and going nowhere. I looked over at Lucas. He looked scared. I didn’t really blame him. I was scared.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the shelter. All the sounds echoed in this place.

“Oh shit,” Lucas breathed. “They broke out the window.”

“Yes, they did,” I said calmly.

“They’re in the building!”

“Shh,” I whispered. “Maybe they’ll ransack the place and go. We have nothing of value here. Just stay calm.”