Page 33 of Above ’N’ Beyond

That didn’t necessarily mean he’d come home alone, and she wasn’t talking about Jax.

At the first bend in the trail, she picked up her pace and noticed another runner behind her. A man wearing a blue T-shirt and shorts that looked oddly like cargo shorts, not the kind of shorts most people ran in, but whatever. Each to their own.

Unobscured by trees, the sun blazed down hotter on this section of the trail, heating the air faster and making every breath she sucked in seem hotter and more humid. The quarter-mile marker seemed to mock her, reminding her that she still had two and three-quarter miles to go. Who knew ditching twenty pounds would take so much work?

The question reminded her of the conversation she’d had with Jimmy that first day at the Bistro. He hadn’t seemed to notice she was a bit overweight. More likely he didn’t care since he had no interest in her. But she cared. It wasn’t about doing it to look more attractive to men. Losing the weight was something she needed to do for herself. It was a self-confidence issue. And if it had the added benefit of getting Paola off her back, it would be worth it. Her aunt’s criticism had been eating away at her for years, but lately, for some reason, she’d been on her case more than usual.

At least she hadn’t spilled that much of her guts to Jimmy. Although, he did have a way of making her feel comfortable. Maybe too comfortable.

One of her shoelaces made a soft clicking sound, and she looked down to see it had come undone. She stopped and bent to retie it. The man running behind her also stopped.

After retying the lace, she started running again and replaying more of her conversation with Jimmy from last night. When she’d voiced her discontent about her aunt, she’d barely touched the surface. Divulging too much about her family could be dangerous. Whatever else Jimmy wanted to know he’d have to figure out on his own.

As much as she wished otherwise, Paola and Tony were her closest living blood relatives. One would think that meant something. To her it did. Not to Paola, and probably not to Tony, either.

Again, her shoelace flapped loose, and again, she stopped to retie it. This time, she’d double-knot it. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and she swiped it away.

The man behind her had also stopped. As she knotted the laces, her hands shook. No one would ever consider her a quick runner. Judging by his size and level of fitness, he should have passed her long ago. Why hadn’t he?

Nothing good came to mind.

Her pulse rate kicked up. She shot to her feet, running faster this time, pounding along the trail. Sucking in shallow breaths, she glanced over her shoulder.

The guy had also picked up his pace.

The trail ahead was empty. Aside from the parking lot where she’d started from, low scrub and trees rimmed the rest of the lake. Only one other car—an SUV—had pulled in, but she couldn’t tell if the driver was still inside.

Not accustomed to the brutal pace, her thighs and calves screamed in protest, and her heart jackhammered. She’d only just begun this running regimen, so outrunning this guy…doubtful.

Something about his odd behavior told her to kick it in faster.

Footsteps pounded closer. Bella dug deeper, tapping into fear-fueled adrenaline. She pumped her arms harder, hoping and praying she could actually get her legs moving faster.

With every breath, her lungs burned. She could no longer hear the guy’s pounding feet. But she knew he was back there. Following her.

A hand grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around. “Hey, I just want to talk to you.”

Sure you do.

Taking a deep breath, she shoved at him, intending to push him into the lake, but he was rock-solid. She practically bounced off him, losing balance and falling backward into the scrub. Gasping for air, she managed to get on all fours and push to her feet. She scrambled deeper into the trees, then stumbled over a large rock. She cried out, flinging her hands in front of her to break the fall.

The ground might have been soft, but naturally, she landed on another rock. Pain jolted her right shoulder, and she hissed in a breath.

Get up! Get up!

Using her left arm, she pushed upright and turned in time to see a shadow looming over her. She kicked out, catching the guy in his family jewels.

Muttered curses split the silence. He bent over, cupping his hands to that special place she hoped now had a permanent imprint of her sneaker. “I just…” He sucked in a pained breath, stepping closer. “…want to talk to you.”

Bella gulped. He was big. And he looked vaguely familiar. Not that he was a friend.

Knowing it would be the equivalent of a gnat buzzing a gorilla’s head, she fisted her hand, readying to slam it beneath his chin. If she even could reach his chin. But she had to try, had to do something, because she was alone, and he easily had a hundred pounds on her.

Once he took her to the ground again, it was game over.

He advanced on her, reaching out to grab her by the shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Bella fisted her hand tighter…and prepared for the worst.