Mrs. Mackey rested her hand on Maggie’s armand tugged her back when she started to turn away. When the olderwoman hooked a finger and gestured Maggie toward her, Maggie bentcloser. “If I were you, dear, I’d take that man for a ride. Perhapsyou’ll smile more.”
Unprepared for the words, a blush crept upher cheeks as she stepped away. Aiden’s smirk didn’t help as sheturned and shuffled toward the stairs. Feeling more like ninetythan twenty-four, Maggie trudged tiredly up the stairs and backpast Saxon and Declan.
“I’ll help you gather your things,” Aidensaid as she turned onto the stairwell for the second floor beforecontinuing to the third.
“My things?” she asked, too caught up in herfantasies of food, a hot shower, and pillows to process what he wassaying. She’d eaten at Carha’s but her stomach was already rumblingagain. Apparently, she’d worked up quite the appetite while runningfor her life.
“Yes. I’ll help you pack so we can get outof here sooner.”
“Out of here?” she asked stupidly, hatingthat she parroted him, but she had no idea what he was talkingabout.
“And somewhere safer.”
“I’m not leaving my apartment,” she toldhim. She glanced over her shoulder to find Aiden’s eyes narrowed onher. Behind him, Saxon and Declan exchanged a look.
“You can’t stay here,” Aiden replied.
“I have nowhere else to go.”
“You’ll come with me.”
“No. I won’t.”
Declan and Saxon slowed their pace; theirheads tipped back as if they suddenly found the water stains on theceiling of the stairwell fascinating.
Aiden didn’t break her stare while he spoke.“It’s possible the Savages know where you live. They’ll comelooking for you if they do.”
“It’s also possible aliens could arrivetomorrow. I’m willing to take my chances.”
“I’m not.”
“No one asked you!” she snapped and pulledopen the door to the third-floor hallway.
She stepped out of the stairwell and stalkedtoward the door at the end. The same gray carpet lined this flooras all the others. Stopping outside her door, she slid her key intothe deadbolt, unlocked it, and swung the door open. She flipped theswitch and stepped inside. The glow from a lamp next to herfifth-hand couch illuminated the small living room with its old,hardwood floors and blue throw rug.
The floor had seen better days in theseventies, but she loved the character of every dent and scratch onits golden surface. Sometimes, she would sit and wonder about thefamilies who had lived here before her, the lives they’d led andthe love they’d shared. In all her imaginings, no one had livedhere alone, as she did.
She may have no one else to share this placewith, but it was her home, and she took pride in her ability tokeep it. She’d spent the past two years turning it into a place shelooked forward to returning to every night.
“I will not leave it,” she muttered. “Damnpushy vamps thinking they—no,he…”—over her shoulder, sheshot a look at Aiden—“knows what’s best for me. You don’t.”
He didn’t speak as he remained standing inher doorway. Maggie bent and unlaced her boots. She tugged them offand set them in the box next to the door before stalking toward hersmall galley kitchen. She didn’t bother with shutting the doorbehind her; she knew it wouldn’t stop Aiden from following herinside.
Opening the fridge, she removed a bottle ofGatorade and the leftover Chinese noodles from the night before.She took a fork out of the drawer as she stared at the open door,but none of the three massive men entered her apartment. Keepingthe box of noodles in hand, she slurped some into her mouth as shewalked over to the doorway.
Aiden had his hand resting on the doorframeas he leaned against it. He gave her a small smile. “You going toinvite me in?”
Maggie froze with a forkful of noodleshalfway to her mouth. “That’s arealthing!” she blurted asshe dropped the fork into the box.
“Yes, we have to be invited into homes.”
“Does it apply to the Savages too?”
“Yes.”
She stood for a minute, torn on what to do.Then she glanced around her home before strolling back toward thedoor. “In that case….” She shut the door in his face and lockedit.
Silence followed. Then she heard Declan andSaxon laughing loudly in the hall. A knock sounded, but Maggiegrabbed her remote, turned on the TV, and upped the volume on thenews. When she heard another knock, she turned the volumehigher.
