Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
I stop dead when I see the silhouette of a man standing in the kitchen.
My heart sinks. The stranger is tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a navy-blue hoodie and jeans. His hair is dark and spiky, and he has a lean build that feels familiar.
The bathroom light is still on behind me, so the man turns to look at the bright spot in the darkness. He sees me standing here in nothing but a bath towel.
“What a nice surprise,” he says, and my heart stalls because I know that voice.
I heard it last night when he was on top of me in that basement.
Aiden.
He starts toward me, and I dart down the hall to my bedroom. I try to get the door closed before he can reach me, but I hesitate, realizing I don’t know where Toast is.
If she’s out there, he could hurt her. I don’t know him, but what I do know makes me think he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt an animal.
I know he’ll hurt me if he gets his hands on me, though, so I slam the door shut and turn the lock a mere moment before he grabs the handle.
I back away fearfully, my eyes glued to the doorknob. My whole body is shaking, and I don’t know what to do.
The phone.
I brought it to the bathroom to keep an eye on the time, so I have it in my purse. I reach in to grab it.
The doorknob rattles and my heart nearly stops.
From the other side of the door, he says, “Come on, Brynn. I just want to talk.”
Arrogance drips from every taunting word and turns my stomach.
“I have nothing to say to you. Get out of my apartment right now. I’m calling for help, and you don’t want to be here when they get here.”
I refuse to engage with him beyond that, but I need him to get the hell out of here. I need him to leave before it occurs to him to do anything else.
My cat is somewhere, and my roommate is down the hall.
There are so many ways this can go bad.
I debate for a second if I should call Ripley or Killian, but I have Killian’s car. Even if he cares more than his friend, he doesn’t have a way to get here, and with Aiden inside my apartment, every second counts.
I press call on Ripley’s number.
It rings twice, and then he answers. “I thought I told you to stay out of trouble.”
“There’s a man in my apartment. It’s one of the guys from last night. Aiden.”
The lazy amusement melts out of his tone and he’s all business when he asks, “Are you somewhere safe?”
“Kind of? I’m in my bedroom with the door locked.” The door won’t hold if he really wants to get in here, but I don’t say that given he’s likely listening on the other side.
“Is there anyone else in the apartment?”
“Yes.”
He waits a second for me to explain, and when I don’t, he guesses. “Your roommate?”
“Yes.”
“Did he come alone?”
“I think so,” I tell him. “I don’t know, I was in the shower and then when I opened the bathroom door, he was in my kitchen. Are you close?”
“I’m not, but someone will be there in a couple of minutes.”
I gasp, startled, when something brushes my foot. Then I nearly dissolve into a puddle of relief when Toast brushes up against my leg.
I’ve never been so happy she was hiding under the bed.
I want to shove her back under there in case he comes in, but instead I scoop her up and hold her close.
It’s quiet on the other side of the door. The handle isn’t jiggling. He hasn’t said anything else, so I can’t even be sure he’s still there.
But maybe that’s what he wants me to think.
“Is he trying to get in?”
“I… I don’t know. He tried to open the door when I first came in, but…”
“He stopped? Do you hear him?”
“No.”
Cognizant that Aiden could still be listening, I don’t want to say too much on my end. My stomach is in knots, and I can’t draw a full breath.
The panic is setting in.
Shit.
“Are you okay?” the guy on the phone asks, probably noticing my breathing patterns have changed.
“Yeah, he isn’t in here or anything, I just… can’t breathe.”
I thought since I didn’t have a panic attack last night, I might be okay now, but my heart is racing, and I feel the familiar crushing weight of fear in my chest. My breath hitches, and I feel like I might pass out, but I can’t. If I do and he is on the other side of that door, he could come in and do anything to me.
My cruel imagination conjures the image. I shove it away, but not before it’s burned into my brain.
It doesn’t make me breathe any easier, but I put Toast down on the bed and grab panties to put on. I need to get dressed. Being naked doesn’t help.