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His shoulders relaxed. “She’s one of my regulars. Then again, pretty much everybody here right now is a regular.”
“Thanks.” I left money on the counter for his time. As I turned to leave, my shoulder slammed into the shoulder of a middle-aged brunette. Fire sparked in her brown eyes, and her upper lip curled into a snarl. There was no mistaking her shifter vibe.
“Watch where you’re going,” she growled. I smelled stale beer on her breath.
Her friend grabbed her arm in an effort to tug her away. “Relax, Anna. It was an accident.”
Anna did not relax. The touch of our shoulders must’ve alerted her to my otherness, and her body stiffened in response.
I didn’t want an incident. I quickly held up my hands, apologetic. “It won’t happen again.”
Anna didn’t seem so sure. She cut a glance at Tommy Mennard. “I saw you talking to Tommy. Are you some kind of succubus? Have you come here to suck our boys dry?”
I cringed. “I’m not here to suck anybody. Promise.”
Her gaze raked over me, seemingly unconvinced. “I don’t like you. You smell weird.”
“That’s rude,” her friend hissed.
Anna was drunk and itching for a fight. I got the sense that no matter how I responded, she’d still throw a punch to end the conversation.
I glanced at the can of Bud Light in her hand. “If you’re planning to crush a beer can as a display of strength, at least rinse it out first so it can be recycled. There’s the environment to think of.”
Anna’s companion stifled a laugh; my aggressor’s nostrils flared in response. “Outside. Now.”
The companion paled as she realized the evening was about to take a violent turn. She tugged on her friend’s shirt. “Anna, just leave it. She’s nobody.”
“All the more reason I need to teach this nobody a lesson, so she doesn’t mistake herself for somebody in this town.” Anna’s hostile gaze lingered on me. She was scared, but too drunk to understand why. To be fair, even if she were sober, she wouldn’t know unless I told her.
I debated the best way to handle the situation. I didn’t see a way of diffusing it without some sort of physical altercation. On the other hand, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.
“Just the two of us,” I said.
Anna smiled. “No witnesses. Sounds good to me.”
Her friend whimpered. “Can we not do this, please?”
Anna thrust her beer can at her companion. “Stay here and have another beer waiting for me. I’ll be two minutes.” To me, she said, “You might want to ask for a napkin to wipe off the blood.”
“It’s fine. I’ve never been a fan of this shirt anyway.”
I followed her outside and around the corner to where the dumpster squatted between the building and a cluster of oak trees.
She flexed her fingers, preparing to curl them into fists. I didn’t give her the chance. My hand shot out and gripped her shoulder. Ipushedinto her mind and was surprised by the number of options. In the interest of time, I chose the most prevalent one.
A younger version of Anna skipped rope outside a trailer. A wind chime tinkled as a gust of wind blew through the row of homes. Young Anna stopped jumping and lowered the rope.
I waited, curious to see where this was going. Creepy stalker? Vampire attack?
The earth shifted, causing the trailer to tilt. Anna turned as a giant hole opened beneath the trailer and swallowed it whole. A scream tore from Anna’s throat. She dropped the rope and started to run. The ground seemed to chase her as chasm after chasm appeared behind her, claiming everything in its path. The girl’s face appeared strained, and I realized she was trying to shift in order to run faster. For whatever reason, she couldn’t. All part of the nightmare.
I released my hold on her shoulder. “Sinkhole, huh? I guess they are pretty scary.”
Anna staggered backward, gaping at me with wild eyes. “What did you do to me?”
“Nothing you haven’t done to yourself. How many times have you had that nightmare?”
Her face scrunched together as though she was resisting physical pain. “I’ve had it off and on since I was seven.”
