Page 91 of Lawton

A half-hour later, I was dressed in dark clothes and hanging out near the back fence. I'd dressed carefully, in black running pants, a black long-sleeved T-shirt, and black gym shoes. If it came down to it, I could claim to be out for a run.

That meant I couldn't have a coat, but I didn't care. Even with the icy wind, I felt hot as hell. Sometimes, anger was a funny thing. I burned with it as I stood in the trees, watching the back of Chloe's house.

Someone had broken her window. Something had driven her, nearly naked, to climb my fence. Somebody had her looking sad and defeated for reasons I didn't understand. Maybe it wasn't my problem. Maybe it wasn't my business.

Screw that. I was going to make it my business.

Watching the back of her house, I was sorely tempted to duck inside, check out the place, maybe see once for all who lived there. But that would be for my sake, not hers. So instead, I stood in the trees, waiting for what, I didn't know.

By the time I saw anything, it was almost dark. What I saw was Chloe's car, pulling into the driveway. Hidden behind a dense patch of pines, I had a decent view of both her house and her car, even if she couldn’t see me.

I zoomed in on the passenger's side window. Still broken. Damn it. How far had she driven? Not far, she had claimed.

It was a lie.

I had known it then, but now, I had proof, because when Chloe got out, she looked frozen half-to death, with pale-white cheeks and wind-blown hair. Her shoulders slumped as she trudged from her car toward the front walkway that led to the front door. She had a purse slung over her shoulder and a small paper bag clutched in her hands.

Booze? Maybe. But maybe not.

Too soon, she disappeared from sight. I shifted my gaze to the rear window blinds of her house. A moment later, I saw the glimmer of lights or maybe the television, flickering behind them.

I breathed a sigh of relief. She was inside, alone – or at least, it sure looked that way. I'd been watching for hours. All this time, I hadn't seen anyone show uporleave.

I pulled my gaze from the house and zoomed in on her car. The last time something had happened to it, it had happened somewhere else – at the restaurant where she worked. Or at least that was my best guess. But that didn't mean something couldn’t happen here.

I hunkered down in the trees and waited. If I had to, I'd wait all night. For what, I still didn't know. But something was off, and I was determined to find out what.

As it turned out, I didn't need to wait all night – because a couple of hours later, I spotted movement in her driveway – not a car, but a person.

Chloe.

Chapter 40

The way it looked, she was heading out for a walk. Now? In this weather? I didn't get it. I watched her through a gap in the trees. She wore jeans and a white hoodie, with the hood thrown back, leaving her head exposed to the icy wind.

There was no dog.

Weird.

The wind whipped at her hair and molded the pale fabric of the hoodie to her tight curves. She looked good. Too good. I felt myself swallow.

I made a sound of disgust. Asshole.

I wasn't standing out here to masturbate in the trees. I was standing out here because she might be in trouble. I needed to remember that.

When she reached the front sidewalk, she turned, heading away from her house. It was nighttime. She was alone. I didn't like it. Yeah, the neighborhood was safe, but that didn't guarantee anything, especially with all the weirdness going on.

To follow in her footsteps, I'd need to hop my fence. I was willing, and I was able. I just didn't like the idea of her spotting me. So I did the next best thing. I circled the inside perimeter of my property, keeping my eyes on her and my own position hidden by the shadows and trees.

As I watched, Chloe walked along the sidewalk, moving fast, like she knew where she was going and wanted to get there fast. I paused. Was she heading to my place?

If so, it would be a surprise. Yeah, I'd told her to stop by, but even at the time, I knew the odds of that were almost zero.

I moved closer and watched as she strode along the sidewalk. When she turned the corner, her face lit with a sudden smile, a real smile. I sucked in a breath. I hadn't seen that smile in how long? Since the party. It was only a few days, but it felt like years.

I missed that smile. I missedher.

Inside my pocket, my cell phone vibrated.Not now.I reached into the pocket, thinking to turn the damn thing off. But when I pulled out the phone, it caught my keys. They fell, jangling as they hit the ground.