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The night swallows me up as I try to follow the path of the shadow I saw briefly in the window.
Shadows in the night can be either bad or nothing.
This shadow is malevolent. I can feel it. He’s out to claim something that doesn’t belong to him and I have no intention of letting it happen.
Nobody else is dying on my watch.
CHAPTER8
CASSIDY
Yawning,I stagger out of my bathroom in the morning. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in ages and yet last night I slept like a happy baby and I think it has something to do with my taciturn next-door neighbor and his reluctant protection.
I say reluctant because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to get involved in all of this. I’m also pretty sure that there’s nothing that’s going to stop him from helping me. I saw it in his eyes last night. They were calm and determined. The blue in them so bright that it’s like looking at the ocean along a tropical island. Deep and stunning. With his long, dark lashes they’re too pretty. Most women would kill for his lashes.
But the rest of him? All big, manly and devastatingly, ruggedly handsome. He’s not really pretty. Even with those eyes. He’s too rough to be pretty but he’s still too much to look at sometimes. Like a fallen angel standing right in front of you, blinding you with his glorious light.
There’s something dark and frightening hiding behind those eyes. Something that I desperately need to know about. He’s not talking. So I have to just accept that I may never know what is going on behind his stunning eyes.
Thump!My head whips around, my eyes widening. My heart scratches at the base of my throat, pounding out of control. I step slowly, carefully, to the door. My hand shakes as I reach out to turn the doorknob, unlocking my deadbolt at the same time.
I close my eyes, praying that I don’t see some new, weird surprise from my ex. With a shudder, I pull the damn door open and then fall back in surprise. It’s still dark since it’s only three in the morning and I have to be in at work at four to start baking.
Franklin rolls towards me, his eyes tired, still wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday. “You leaving for work, Cassie?”
“What the hell are you doing out here, Franklin? You should be at home in bed.”
He shrugs and yawns. I’m fine. After I get you to work I’ll come home and get a little more sleep. I’ll be good as new.”
“Don’t be silly,” I scoff. “I can get myself to work.”
“I’m aware that you can get more sleep. My issue is the fact that a strange man is sleeping on my front stoop. What the hell?”
“I heard something out here last night and by the time I got here, I figured I’d just wait him out.”
“You heard something? What?” My heart races. My palms start to sweat.
“I only caught a quick glimpse of a figure running away but I wasn’t willing to just leave. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal. You must have been so uncomfortable. I feel awful that you felt the need to do something this extreme.”
“Don’t. It was my choice, Cassie. And I’d always make the same choice. I want to help you. Want to make sure that you know that I’m always available if you need anything. Just call me.”
Nodding, I gulp a swallow and then look away. “I was just going to have some scrambled eggs. Would you like to have some breakfast?”
“Not necessary.”
“I didn’t ask if you thought it was necessary. I asked if you’re hungry, Franklin.”
His brow lifts and he grins. “It’s kinda early for the sass, killer, but yeah I’d like some eggs. I’m pretty hungry.”
I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. That he’s coming inside my house to have eggs for breakfast at three in the morning and that we’re just not supposed to even remark on the fact that he slept outside my house because he heard a noise.
I open the door wide and he slips through, his eyes wandering around the room. “You’ll have to forgive the mess, I wasn’t planning on company so early.”
He nods his head and then follows me back to the kitchen. My little house feels even smaller with his big body trailing after me, blocking out the eerie feeling of aloneness that sometimes hits me.
He’s silent and stoic and I feel rattled. My heart jerking around in my chest.
