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Caitlyn
Flames licked the top of the awning while I stood open-mouthed in disbelief. Against explicit orders from Kade, I had returned to Joe’s Pizzeria this evening for work as if nothing had happened. I had, somewhere deep down in my heart, wanted to listen to what Kade asked of me, but because I was me, I’d disobeyed and snuck out like a reckless teenager. Joe hadn’t been happy with me when I had called him earlier this morning, but when I twisted the truth a bit, his tune had quickly changed. I informed my boss that I could sue him for worker’s compensation after being sent to a bad neighborhood and attacked on the job. Joe had relented, but it hardly mattered now.
I stared up at the clouds of thick black smoke that filled the block and crinkled my nose at the awful smell that permeated the air around me. The only small compensation was that my only real friend, Amanda, had been off today. Kade is my friend too.
Funny how one night of long conversations where I had shared secrets I’d never shared with another living soul, and one really hot make out session, led me to think about him in this moment of panic. Fire trucks sounded off in the distance, their sirens blaring, and I shook my head.
“You need to get out of here.”
I shifted slightly and saw a man covered from head to toe in dark clothing on the sidewalk beside me. I headed toward him, but he took several steps backward.
“You get out of here, bozo,” I hollered, annoyed that this crazy, oddly dressed person thought he could order me around. “I’ve got to give a statement.”
“The fire was deliberate,” he insisted, urgently. “Please listen to me. You aren’t safe in this neighborhood.”
Deliberate? Like, as in, arson? What in the actual fuck? Who was this stranger and how did he know whether the fire was set or not?
“Did you set it?” Every step I took, he mirrored with a step in the opposite direction. “Wait!” His eyes were mostly covered with a black mask, similar to the one I remembered from the other night. “Were you at Devil’s Park about a week ago?”
“It’s not safe to stick around,” he answered mysteriously, ignoring my question. “Go home!” He disappeared around the corner.
“Did you tell Kade to take care of me?”
I hurried across the street, following in the direction he’d vanished, around the corner and into a dark alley. I wanted answers. But when I stood in the mouth of that alleyway, staring down the narrow access between two buildings, I couldn’t see him anymore. He was gone. I hesitated, unsure if my desperation for answers meant I was also crazy enough to blindly follow him into this kind of darkness. Anyone or anything could be hiding in this litter-strewn alley.
I was still hesitating when someone grabbed me around the waist from behind, wrapping a burly arm around my neck. I knew without a doubt my strength could cause damage to that person, but the body felt familiar.
“If you don’t let go of me, Masquerader, I’m going to break your neck,” I warned.
“Yes, I was at Devil’s Park,” the man whispered against my ear. “Don’t move. There were four large SUVs circling the block a few minutes ago. I wanted to get you away from the building.”
I stilled in his arms, acutely aware of every part of his body, and breathed out. “So, I should be thanking you again? Is this what you do in your free time? Rescue waitresses?”
“Be quiet.”
“Hey, Masked Wonder,” I teased, poking him gently. “Did you start the fire?” My pulse quickened. With the quiet command he had just given, he had almost sounded like Kade. Almost.
Could there be something else at play here?
“Is that the best name you can come up with?” He blew out a breath and it tickled my ear. “Make no mistake, this fire was no great loss to anyone. Joe was far from a pillar of the community. He was corrupt and his business was too. No one innocent died.”
“If you did commit arson, then you also risked my life,” I reasoned, my voice getting a little hard with anger as the smoke billowed around us, floating down the street. “Why would you do something like that if you’re here actively trying to save it?” I sought answers but I wasn’t sure he would give any.
“I would never put you directly in danger.” Every answer he gave was vague and mysterious. “I’m not that sort of degenerate.”
“What about the others? I’m sure Joe had staff in there.”
“Enough talking,” he snapped. “The men surrounding the area are moving in closer and they are looking for you. We can talk later and I’ll answer your questions. Please be quiet.”
I fell silent for a moment, contemplating the number of ways this could go down. The one thought that propelled me was that my best outcome included one in which I was out of this man’s arms no matter how pure his intentions were.
If I jab an elbow into his rib cage, I’ll damage something without killing him and it will cause a fuck ton of pain.
Masked and Dangerous needed to understand I wasn’t playing anymore.
“If you break my ribs, Caity-bug, I’m going to be mighty pissed.”
I swallowed hard, but stayed quiet for once. Pieces I’d been missing suddenly clicked into place. The masked man from Devil’s Park was Kade. The second less obvious puzzle also sorted itself out in front of me. Kade had the ability to read minds. I knew for certain I hadn’t spoken out loud that time.
