Page 26 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

9

Seeing Green

Mikko

Like he had when he’d arrived at the warehouse, Mikko was sure to cut his motorcycle’s engine and headlights to avoid being spotted by Anika. He’d already tempted fate once by letting her see him at the riverside property, if she saw him again here it’d be too much of a coincidence for her to ignore. There would come a time for that but…

Right now, he wanted to sit in the dark, the street lights spaced far enough apart he could remain mostly unseen. His all black attire, helmet, and bike also kept him in shadow—shadows she should stay far away from for her safety and his sanity.

But he feared she never would, always walking the gray and enticing Mikko to come closer.

Peering up at the massive white oak trees lining the street in front of her house, he waited for her while she pulled in around the back of her house through an alleyway. He thought about creeping closer, positioning himselfjustright to see inside her ground level windowsor catch a glimpse of the decor inside her house. Anything would be helpful to add to his ever-growing list of facts he had about her. The thought of viewing her lifestyle so intimately made his pulse pound in his ears.

While she made her way to her house, Mikko glanced around, curious to see what kind of neighborhood she found pleasing enough to buy a home in. It was a smaller, historic suburb of the city, a place he didn’t visit often since many of his clients lived closer to his headquarters, but he could change that.

Old homes sat like soldiers on their lawns, well-groomed and evenly spaced. Currently, they were indistinguishable, but in the daylight Mikko was sure their facades were painted in various colors. Each portrayed a piece of the owner inside, and judging from the glowing porch light at Anika’s, hers was dark green.

Neighboring windows glowed with soft light from lamps and only the sound of insects chirping could be heard. The subtle hum of the highway was far enough away that his brain hardly registered it.

Propping a foot up on one of his motorcycle’s pegs, his eyes focused in on the front of her house, waiting with bated breath for a light to turn on. A thin sidewalk led to her porch, dark foliage softening the edges of the man-made structure. In the dark, it bordered on overgrown and unkempt, but Mikko wondered if that was really the case. Everything he’d learned about her screamed the opposite.

Maybe organized chaos…

A light flicked on.

Mikko’s jaw clenched, his body freezing.

It was the large picture window to the left of her porch.

Sheer cream curtains framed the glass, allowing for him to see inside. It appeared to be her living room, the tops of rusty orange velvet chairs and a worn leather couch were visible. He could barely see a knitted throw blanket draped over the sofa. Alamp was positioned in front of the window, but Anika had yet to turn it on. Currently, the light was coming from a taller one positioned behind the couch.

Botanical wall paper lined one wall and a subtle green color covered the others from what he could see from his vantage point. Frames hung on the walls, the pictures indiscernible, and half of a bookshelf stuffed full with tomes caught his eye.

So much to see, so much to catalog.

Stepping into view, Anika’s form halted his thoughts. She was still in the same outfit as earlier, her skin aglow with the lamplight, but she held her phone up to her ear.

Resisting the urge to leave his motorcycle unattended and stalk up to the sill of her living room window, Mikko tried to read her body language; hell, even her lips, but it was impossible. Popping his helmet’s visor up, he strained his ears for the sound of her voice through the panes of glass, but again, it was futile.

With a sigh, he tried to reign in his frustrations, contemplating taking what he’d learned and heading back to his penthouse. He’d gathered enough information for one night, he could afford—

His phone buzzed, the screen lighting up from where it was mounted near the small dash of his motorcycle. Tearing his eyes away from Anika, who was still on the phone, Mikko expected to see Cristiano’s name appearing on the screen.

Levi.

Mikko’s brow rose and he swiped to unlock his phone.

Levi:We might have the warehouse property sold

A bold statement.

To who?:Mikko

Levi:The woman who toured it today

And you know this how?:Mikko

Levi:I’m on the phone with her right now and she sounds giddy