Alex came striding over, hands in his pockets. Ever since Sam had come by, he had remained friendly but typically made sure to keep several feet between us, a consequence of Sam’s “protectiveness.”
“Are you heading out?” he asked with a slight frown.
I slowed, frowning. “Yeah, I just clocked out. Why?”
“I’d be careful when you leave,” Alex said, glancing outside with narrowed eyes.
“Why?”
“I just took my break, and there’s a guy lurking around,” Alex said.
I stiffened, my mind going to the two shifters who had broken into the store what felt like a lifetime ago. Had they come back despite Sam’s warning? Were they coming to get revenge for what had happened? Jenson had improved the security system after the robbery, once he had given me an earful about closing on my own. But I still felt like I was jumping at shadows sometimes, as if I kept expecting them to turn back up.
“What do they look like?” I asked, keeping my voice as neutral as I could.
Alex shrugged. “Not entirely sure. They’re keeping sort of to the shadows, like they don’t want to be seen.”
“A pack member?” I prodded.
He scratched the back of his head. “I think so? I’ve smelled their scent before, at least. But whoever it is, they’re acting weird.”
My lips thinned as irritation washed over me, and my fingers curled as a sneaking suspicion crept over me.
“I’ll handle it,” I said, my voice tight.
Frowning, Alex said, “Are you sure? I don’t want—”
“I said I would handle it,” I said, snapping despite myself as I marched toward the front. The pregnancy hormones had kicked in, and that only made every little nuisance irritate me further.
Cool air brushed against my skin as I stepped outside, the smell of fall filling my nose as I searched around, going to the side of the store to see a man looming in the shadows, close enough to keep track of everyone going in and out of the store, far enough back that few people would notice him. He was tall, with russet hair and stubble, and I recognized him almost immediately. He watched me as I approached.
“Oz? What are you doing lurking here?” I asked.
Oz coughed, a sheepish expression spreading across his face. He glanced around, looking every bit like a child whose hand was just caught in the cookie jar.
“Hey, Rachel,” he said, adopting a too-casual tone as he tried to keep his face calm. “How’s it going?”
My lips pursed as I folded my arms, frowning. “What’s going on? Did something happen to Sam?”
“No! No, Sam’s fine. I was just looking for some groceries,” he said.
“And normally those are found inside the store,” I said. “Window shopping doesn’t mean you can reach through the window, you know.”
He swallowed as he bobbed back and forth, giving a casual, almost bored shrug as he scratched his chin. He gave a vague, innocuous whistle as he struggled to come up with some sort of response.
Letting out an annoyed growl, I folded my arms. “Why don’t you save us both the trouble and tell me what you’re really doing here.”
Oz didn’t say anything. Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at me, as if he were a kid who’d been caught snooping in his sister’s room.
As I frowned, trying to discern what the hell was going on, an unpleasant certainty struck home, seeping deep down into my marrow.
“Oh my God,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Please tell me that Sam didn’t tell you to come here to keep an eye on me?”
Oz bit his lip as he tried to come up with a response. I folded my arms as I waited, hoping that my intuition was wrong.
“I mean, I could tell you that,” he said. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to be the truth.”
I stared, my mouth parting slightly as I let the words sink in. “I’m going to kill him,” I muttered.
