Page 27 of Behind the Shadows

I kept picturing Kip, the way the corner of his mouth twitched when he was about to say something clever, or the way he measured and nearly leveled me with his stare as if he could see the skeleton in my closet, and the shame that wrapped around it like wet sheets. The first time we’d met, he’d been so unsettlingly perceptive, pinning me down without laying a hand on me, and I’d known even then that he could be a problem. I fought it, but every cell in my body seemed to vibrate on the same wavelength as his. It was sickening and exhilarating, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to fuck him or punch him in the nose.

Irritated with the direction my thoughts had turned, I headed to my car. How could I think about him like that when I had much bigger problems to solve?

My day passedin a blur with patients back-to-back. It was two-thirty before I had a break. At least my busy schedule had kept me focused on someone else’s problems, which was a relief. I checked my phone. It was a quarter to three. I tapped the text icon and Kip’s message appeared.

Monster:

See you at three.

My stomach flip-flopped at the idea of seeing him again—even under shitty circumstances.

My obsession with bad boys was going to get me into trouble again if I didn’t watch it.

Needing to pee, I grabbed my purse, stepped out of my office, and headed down the hall. The other office doors were all closed. Quiet. Everyone must have left early.

That worked. No prying ears while I talked to Kip about my past. I hadn’t decided how much I would tell him—just enough to get his help.

Once I relieved myself, I spent two minutes obsessively reapplying lip gloss and fixing my hair. I was ridiculous, but the situation with Draco had shaken me, and some primitive part of me wanted Kip to approve of how I kept my shit together. Or maybe I wanted him to think I needed help. Maybe I wanted him to believe I was breakable. I was.

I left the restroom and started toward my office.

Then everything blurred.

A flash. A man standing over my bed. His face was a smear of shadows.

My pulse stuttered. I stumbled, pressing a hand against the wall to steady myself.

Was it real? Or were the lingering effects of the Ambien playing with me?

I pressed my palm to my throat and breathed through it. My body remembered. Even if my mind didn’t.

Count your steps.

I forced myself to walk, letting each step pull me out of the fear.

Back in my office, I opened the mini fridge and grabbed a yogurt and a bottle of water—pretending everything was fine.

I was so lost in thought about the man in the mask I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me.

“Well, well, well. Holland Alder, or should I call you Samantha?”

Fear clawed at my throat, the familiar voice nearly sending my adrenaline into overdrive. He shouldn’t know that information.

I turned slowly, my attention meeting cold, steely blue eyes full of hate and rage.

I gulped. “What are you doing here, Cooper?” I thought I’d left the asshole behind in California. But maybe he’d never really let me go. Maybe he’d followed me all along. But if that was true … someone must’ve told him where I was. There was no way he found me on his own.

He scratched his chin thoughtfully, his stare piercing through my soul. At one time, things had been good with Coop, and those were the times my brain remembered. Other times, he was downright terrifying, especially after stints of drinking and gambling. It was the main reason I moved back to Portland. Ithought he might leave me alone with some distance between us. Clearly, I was wrong.

“I wanted to meet this Samantha lady. Have you seen her? She’s about five foot four, red hair, gorgeous with big tits. She’s a psychiatrist if I recall.” He smirked. “And here I thought you were boring and stuffy. Turns out you’re a dark and twisted bitch.”

He closed the gap between us, his presence dominating and filling the room, suffocating me while he pressed me against the wall.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I fisted my hands in order not to shake in front of him.

He tsked and placed his fingers under my chin, roughly forcing me to look up at him.

“You need to leave. Now. I have a client on the way, and they’ll be here any minute.” As hard as I tried, I couldn’t disguise the tremble in my command.