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I swallow. “Yeah?”
He draws his bottom lip into his mouth, running his tongue over it. “I—”
I freeze at the sound of a car approaching.
“Shit,” he whispers. The car’s tires slow down on the gravel and eventually come to a stop.
I shoot a glance at Memphis, whose dark eyes are now filled with only fear.
Outside, a car door shuts.
Someone’s here.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Thinking quickly, Memphis grabs my arm and pulls me toward him and against the wall. I slam into him, keeping myself still as I try to listen to the sounds outside.
It’s incredibly hard to do when I can focus on nothing except the way he’s looking at me. Our chests rise and fall together, and I’m not sure whose heartbeat I’m feeling. His eyes lock with mine, and for a split second, that warm feeling fills my core again, something totally out of place in this moment of terror.
He looks away quickly, turning and lifting his head from the wall to take a peek out the window. I’m incredibly aware of his arm around my shoulders, his other hand resting gently on my hip.
His head falls back to the wall. “It’s not them,” he says softly, then juts his chin forward. “Go. Quick. Through the back. Come on.”
He releases me too quickly, and I miss the heat of his skin against mine.What the hell is wrong with me?
I push away from him, tiptoeing across the kitchen, past the dining room table, and into the hallway. I pull open the first door we reach, staring down into darkness.
“A basement,” Memphis whispers, peering inside.
“We should check it out—”
“We don’t have time.” He nudges me forward. “Keep going. Find the back door.” Easing the door shut, we move forward quickly as I hear a muffled voice outside. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but I know they’re close. Too close.
My heart races for a new reason now, as we have mere seconds to get out of this house before we’re caught.
“There!” I whisper.
The back door is just in front of us, secured with a dead bolt and locked knob. I twist them both with shaking hands as I hear another door shut outside.
Faster.
Faster.
If we’re caught in this house, there’s no way we’ll ever be able to explain why we’re here.
I twist the knob and ease it open gently, stepping outside, and then we bolt. We run down the two concrete steps and across the lawn at full speed, only stopping when we’ve reached our own yard. I bend forward over my knees, huffing to catch my breath. Next to me, Memphis is panting, a small smile playing on his lips.
“We almost got caught,” I say. “Why are you smiling?”
“I guess I’m an adrenaline junkie and never knew it.”
“Well, then, you’re welcome.” I roll my eyes as I hear a voice and turn my head to look at them.
“Oh my god,” a woman cries. Next to her, a man puts a hand on her shoulder. My entire body turns to ice as I stare at him, then slowly melts as I realize I’m wrong.
It’s not him.
From a distance, he could pass for the man I saw before. He has similar curly, black hair, but this man’s only goes to his chin, not down his back, and there’s much more gray in his beard. He’s also a bit heavier than the man who was here before, his features less sharp.
