The Call Back

She dialed the first number. A man answered, gruff and short. “Yeah?”

“Good morning, sir. This is Kira from Coastal Communicators. I’m calling about our premium home security subscription. Have you ever thought about upgrading your system?”

“Not interested.” Click.

Kira marked it and moved on. The next few calls followed the same pattern: voicemails, quick hang-ups, a few polite refusals. She fell into the rhythm, the script rolling off her tongue like a familiar song.

Around ten o’clock, Josh appeared at the edge of her cubicle, holding two cups of coffee. “Thought you might need a boost.”

She looked up and smiled. “Thanks. That’s really kind.”

He set the cup on her desk. “First real day going okay?”

“It’s a grind, like you said. But I’m getting through it.”

“You’ll get your first sale soon. Just keep at it.” He hesitated, then added, “If you ever want to grab lunch, I know a good place down the street.”

“I might take you up on that.”

He nodded and walked back to his desk. Kira took a sip of the coffee. It was warm and smooth, just the way she liked it. She felt a small flutter in her chest. It had been a long time since anyone had done something thoughtful for her.

She returned to her calls. Another hour passed. She left messages, updated her log, and tried not to let the rejections sting. Then her phone buzzed with a new call. The screen showed an internal transfer from the front desk.

She pressed the button. “This is Kira.”

“Good morning, Kira.” The voice was calm, crisp, and familiar. “I believe we spoke yesterday. You called about a security system.”

Her stomach tightened. She recognized it immediately—the same measured tone, the same polite amusement. “Yes, sir. I remember. You said you weren’t interested.”

“I wasn’t. But I’ve been thinking. Your offer intrigued me.” There was a pause. “I’d like to hear more. But not from a script. Tell me about yourself, Kira. How long have you worked there?”

The question felt odd. Cold calls weren’t supposed to go this way. But she followed her training. “I just started, sir. I’m still learning. But I can tell you about our packages. We have three tiers—”

“That’s all right,” he interrupted smoothly. “I’m more interested in you. You have a pleasant voice. It made me want to listen.”

A chill ran down her spine. She forced a professional tone. “I appreciate that, sir. But if you’d like, I can send you some information. What’s your email address?”

“Maybe another time. I just wanted to let you know I haven’t forgotten you, Kira Wade. Have a good day.”

The line went dead.

She sat still, the headset heavy on her ear. The man’s words echoed: I haven’t forgotten you. It wasn’t a threat, exactly. It was worse. It was a promise.

She shook herself and dialed the next number. But her concentration was broken. The calls blurred together. She made mistakes, stumbling over the script. By lunchtime, she had made no sales.

Josh appeared again. “Heading to the break room. Want to come?”

She removed her headset. “Sure.”

In the break room, she sat across from him, picking at a sandwich she had packed. He noticed her quietness. “You okay? You seem distracted.”

She considered brushing it off, but something in his warm eyes made her speak. “A call this morning. A guy I talked to yesterday. He called back, asked for me by name. It was… weird. The way he talked.”

Josh frowned. “We get strange calls sometimes. People don’t like telemarketers. But if he made you uncomfortable, you should tell Emily.”

“I don’t know. It wasn’t rude. Just… too interested.” She shrugged. “Probably nothing.”

“Still. Trust your gut. I’ve had a few calls that gave me the creeps. Manager’s good about handling it.”

She nodded, but the knot in her stomach didn’t loosen.

After lunch, she returned to her cubicle. The afternoon dragged. She made more calls, but her mind kept wandering back to that calm voice. At four o’clock, her phone buzzed again. A voicemail from an unknown number. She pressed it to her ear.

“Hello, Kira. This is William. I decided to take you up on your offer after all. I’ll be stopping by Coastal Communicators tomorrow to discuss the package. I hope to see you there.”

The message ended. No address, no specifics. Just his name and the promise of a visit.

Kira’s hand trembled as she set the phone down. He was coming here. Tomorrow.

She looked across the office, at Josh laughing with a coworker, at Emily reviewing papers behind her glass door. She wanted to tell someone, but what was there to say? A customer wanted to talk in person. That was normal, wasn’t it?

But the way he said her name—Kira—lingered in her mind, soft and deliberate, like a cat playing with a mouse.

She logged out at five o’clock and walked to her car, checking over her shoulder. The parking lot was empty. The sky was gray. She drove home in silence, her mother’s lasagna waiting on the table.

Carol greeted her with a hug. “How was the second day?”

“Fine,” Kira said, forcing a smile. “Just tired.”

But that night, as she lay in bed, she couldn’t sleep. She kept replaying the voicemail. William. He had a name now. And he was coming.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. A text from an unknown number: See you tomorrow, Kira.

She stared at the screen, her heart pounding. There was no escape. Not from Brian, and now not from this stranger who had her name, her workplace, and her fear.

She didn’t reply. She didn’t block the number. She just turned the phone over and lay still, listening to the silence of the house, waiting for tomorrow.