Page 56 of No Headlines Please

I didn't bother looking back, not even when Mrs. Stelter called out, "At least the soup kitchen is grateful!"

My hand itched to flip her the bird. But I didn't dare. For all I knew, I'd be running into her again.

Heaven help me.

Instead, I stomped down nine whole flights until I reached the seventh floor. By the time I reached the door to Tessa's apartment, I was sweaty and out of breath.

The trip wasn't even that long. Probably, I was panting with rage – assuming that was a thing.

Inside Tessa's apartment, I stripped off the sweater, found some laundry detergent, and filled Tessa's kitchen sink with soapy water before dropping my sweater in to soak.

I gave it a worried look. Would the coffee stain come out?

Probably not.

On the upside, at least the sweater was my own – as opposed to the cocktail dress I'd borrowed last night. I would need to clean that, too, but not right now, because already, I'd been gone longer than expected.

Still, I took a few extra minutes to hop in the shower for a quick rinse before putting on a fresh shirt and black leggings to replace the splattered jeans.

Finally, I left Tessa's apartment and stood for a long moment in the hallway, my gaze bouncing between the stairway and the elevator. If I took the stairs, I'd arrive hot and sweaty. But if I took the elevator, I'd be risking another run-in with Mrs. Stelter.

In the end, I took the stairs, going slow to avoid overheating. When I reached the top floor, I opened the stairway door just wide enough to poke out my head and look both ways.

No Mrs. Stelter.

But that didn't mean I was out of the woods.

The penthouse level had only two units – the one where Maddox was waiting and the other belonging to my new nemesis. The two doors weren't directly across from each other, but they were still close enough to make me nervous.

I bit my lip. The last thing I needed was another ugly scene, especially in front of Maddox. Finally, I just made a run for it, bolting straight for Maddox's door and knocking as softly as I dared.

If I was lucky, he'd hear me and answer quickly.

And if I was unlucky?

At this rate, it would hardly be a surprise.

22

No Poodles Detected

Maddox

When I opened the door, Delaney looked flushed and twitchy, like something had her spooked.

I eyed her with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope. Not at all." She bolted into the penthouse, rushing past me before looking back to say, "Sorry, that took longer than I planned."

Huh. My eyebrows furrowed as I turned away and stuck my head out the open doorway. I looked both ways, half expecting to see a pack of rabid poodles yipping down the hall.

No poodles.

The hallway was empty, which shouldn't have been a surprise. This level had only two units, and I had no idea if the other one was even occupied.

Behind me, Delaney gave an incredulous little laugh. "Oh, my God. You didn't."

I shut the door and turned to face her. "I didn't what?"