Page 24 of Reckless

“I’ll be fine, but I really need you to stay here.”

“I can hold my own.”

“I know that, sweetheart. But I’ll be too distracted if you come with me. Please do this for me. You can kick my ass for it later.”

“Fine.”

“You promise you’ll stay here?”

“I promise if you promise not to do anything stupid.”

“Say you’ll go to dinner with me, and I’ll promise.”

I glare up at where I imagine his face is. “I already agreed to go have dinner with you.”

“I meant a real date.”

“Now is not the time.”

“Say it,” he says.

“You’re going to lose him,” I hedge. Really? What is he thinking? When he doesn’t move, I hiss, “Fine, I’ll go to dinner with you. But it’s under duress.”

“I’ll be right back. Don’t move. Get your gun out, just in case.”

He’s gone before I can say that “I’ll be right back” is exactly what everyone in a horror film says right before they’re horrifically murdered.

As much as I want to find this bastard, I don’t want Griffin to get hurt. I keep my gun aimed at the floor in front of the door, push my back against the wall, and wait.

Minutes or an eternity later, the door to the closet swings open, and I gasp, aiming my gun for center mass.

“Whoa, sweetheart, it’s just me. Whoever it was is gone. We’d better get out of here before they come back.”

“You didn’t see them?” I ask when we get into the car.

“No, they were long gone by the time I checked the apartment.”

“That’s so weird. They didn’t stay long.”

“I’m thinking of getting some surveillance on this place. Maybe we’ll catch the person coming or going.”

I don’t say anything as I stare mindlessly out the window. What little hope I had of finding out more information has ebbed.

The sound of a gunshot explodes in the air around us, and the window next to me explodes into a thousand pieces. I duck automatically, feeling a sting of pain lance across my temple when my head collides with the dash and then a hot wash of blood along the side of my face.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Griffin shouts and guns the car into traffic. Tires squeal and horns blare as we cut off other drivers. The car shudders around me, and another shot pings off of the back.

Someone is shooting at us.

Someone knows who we are and why we were here.

Someone has been watching.

Chapter Twelve

Griffin

I’ve never been more scared in my life. I knew I should have pushed harder to make her stay outside. I shouldn’t have let her come at all.