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Okay, maybe today isn’t the right day to talk about this.
Later in the afternoon, I bring the files Naamah sent me away for back out to the big room. Lucas is standing there, talking to Naamah and Salesh. My heart leaps into my throat, and I freeze. I don’t know what to do. If I go over there, I’m going to stumble all over my words, broadcasting to the whole office that something happened. If he looks at me the way he looked at me upstairs, I’ll turn into a puddle right here in front of everybody.
He glances at me, and there’s nothing in his face to show that anything happened at all. He’s gone cold again.
I blink. What is with this guy?
He walks off with Salesh, leaving Naamah open and available. I give her the files and she shows me what to do with them, but I retain exactly none of it. My brain is far too occupied with confusing, conflicting feelings about my damn boss.
Five o’clock takes its sweet time arriving, but eventually, it’s time to go. My body is still sensitive, reacting to the soft touch of fabric on my skin, the body heat of the people in the elevator with me, the ghost images of Lucas in every fucking room of the building.
Unfortunately, I lent Cassidy my car, which means it’ll take longer than usual to get home. The bus is going to be hellish.
Finally outside, I suck in a long breath. The signature scents of L.A. aren’t all good, but they’re a welcome change from the pure, filtered air of the office. I’m anonymous out here, or I will be, when I’m far enough away from the office. There’s a bus stop right out front, but I can’t bring myself to stand here and wait, anticipating a long, bumpy ride smashed up against strangers and all their vibes.
So I shove my earbuds in and crank up the music. The sun is nearly down, its light a fading memory in the sky. Office buildings up and down the block are expelling their workers, sending wave after wave of professional whatevers out into the world.
I let the music travel down my body, washing away the tension of the day; most of it, anyway. The sexual tension is getting easier to ignore, at least. The crowds thin out after a few blocks, everyone hurrying to clog up the freeway instead of the sidewalks. With less of an audience, I let loose a little bit, bopping my head along with the beat to work out some of the excess energy in my body.
Then a prickle down the back of my neck snaps me out of my solitary dance party.
I pause, looking around. Nothing.
Pulling one of my earbuds out, I listen for anything unusual. The prickling feeling grows stronger, but I don’t hear anything.
My heartbeat speeds up as I realize I don’t hearanything. At all. In the middle of L.A. Apart from distant traffic noises, this whole street is silent.
That’s not right.
That’s really, really wrong.
The silence is broken suddenly by a frenetic rustling off to my right. I look that way and don’t see anything for a moment—then, in the shadows, a crouched figure moves. I can’t tell what it is. Some kind of oversized raccoon? As it stands up, I realize it’s a man. Scruffy, teetering, clearly homeless, and probably on something.
I take a quick step, and so does he. I freeze.
Okay, he’s just a creepy dude. I’ve dealt with creeps before, right?
He grins at me with too many teeth, and then in the blink of an eye, he’s closer. I didn’t see him take a step, but he must have.
“I-I don’t have any cash,” I stutter.
I swear his eyes glow red for a second before shifting to a normal appearance again. Well, sort of normal anyway, considering there’s something majorly off with this guy. I take a step back, and he takes a step forward, not letting me open up more space between us.
Then, with an animalistic roar, he charges.
For the second time in less than two weeks, I jerk in shock as danger comes hurtling toward me.
My scream of surprise is cut off as something pulls me out of the way. I stumble on my heels and find my balance, still skittering back in the direction I was thrown. As I get my feet back under me, I realize thatLucashas stepped between the homeless guy and me.
The guy’s eyes are locked on me, and he looks like he’s going to charge again, but then Lucas snaps his fingers. He says something I can’t hear, and the man’s eyes widen, then narrow into slits. Lucas takes a step toward him, menace in every line of his body.
For a half second, they face off like that, then the guy turns and runs away.
My heart is pounding, and I can’t catch my breath. I open my mouth to thank Lucas, or ask him what the hell was wrong with that man, or something, but I don’t have the chance.
As soon as the guy disappears from view, Lucas rounds on me, striding toward me like he intends to walk through me, glaring at me with the furious fire of a hundred suns. He backs me up against the wall, bracing both hands on the wood and staring down at me with narrowed eyes.
“What the hell were you thinking, walking by yourself?”
