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So did the car.
That was it. Abruptly wheeling around, Sophy half-ran back toward the mall. The moment she was surrounded by people again, most of whom seemed to be having the time of their lives, she felt both foolish and almost light-headed with relief. A fast food chain outlet was open all night, so she went inside, blinking in the sudden bright light, ordered a Coke out of good manners, and sat down to pull out her phone.
She meant to call Melissa. Her thumb actually scrolled to Melissa’s name and paused before she continued on a little further and selected a different contact.
He picked up on the third ring, sounding brisk, fully alert and concerned.
“Sophy?”
She actually closed her eyes for a moment.
Foolish.
“Mick,” she said, and her mouth was dry. She fiddled with the straw of her drink, took a quick sip, cleared her throat.
“What’s the matter?” he asked quickly. She could hear a faint rustling as if he was sitting up, perhaps pulling on clothing. There was a thought best aborted at once. “Are you at work? Is everything all right?”
It was after midnight and she’d only called him on a handful of occasions, all in broad daylight. She supposed she’d better snap out of it and find speech quickly before he started loading a gun and calling for backup.
“I got off at twelve,” she explained in a rush. “Um – I was just walking home and there was a car. It was sort of – creeping behind me. It was probably nothing, but I kind of freaked…”
“Where are you now?” He didn’t hesitate. A door on his end opened and shut. Keys jangled. “Are you somewhere safe?”
“Yes.” Sophy couldn’t hide her relief as she gave him the directions. Her attempt to dissuade him was half-hearted at best.
She wanted to see him.
Despite the traffic congestion between the restaurant and the hotel where the Ryland Curry staff were living, the black Lexus slid to a stop, illegally double-parking, in less than five minutes. She trashed her empty plastic cup, grabbed her things and ran out to slide into the passenger seat beside him. The interior of the car was dim, lit only by the streetlights. One arm resting on the steering wheel, Mick pulled out into the flow of cars without a word, his free hand coming out to close warmly over hers.
Sophy leaned her head back against the headrest and let out a deep sigh.
“Thanks,” she said simply.
His fingers squeezed hers before he let go.
“I probably over-reacted.”
“You reacted like an intelligent person with good survival instincts,” Mick responded calmly. His dark eyes flickered over to her, scanning her body in one quick, comprehensive look. The harsh features of his face were hidden in shadows. “You’re all right?”
“I’m fine.”
After a moment of oddly comfortable silence, he said, “I’m glad you called me.”
She hesitated and then lightly touched her fingertips to his thigh in a wordless gesture.
The house was completely dark when they arrived, which was unusual. Melissa always left the porch light on for her when she had a late shift and Jeeves was usually standing sentry at the window.
“That’s weird,” Sophy said, frowning as she released her seatbelt. “I wonder why Mel didn’t… Oh – God, I’ve completely lost track of time this week. Never mind.”
“Is she not home?” Mick asked, his own brow troubled as he looked from her to the house.
“No, I completely forgot. She’s staying at her mum and dad’s house tonight because Aunt Ella had surgery today. Nothing serious, but Uncle Peter has a system malfunction and starts whirring and emitting clouds of smoke if he has to deal with more than one household problem at once. Melissa went along to help out and prevent her mother being arrested for homicide when she should be resting. She told me yesterday that she’d take Jeeves with her, because we thought I wouldn’t be home until four-ish and he usually takes that level of abandonment out on my shoes.”
She didn’t know where this recent tendency toward nervous babbling had come from, but it could subside at any time.
“I see,” said Mick. He was smiling slightly, but didn’t look happy.
Sophy didn’t feel overly happy herself as she looked again at the dark house. The independent streak she prized so highly seemed to have packed its bags and headed for cooler climes.
