CHAPTERTHREE
MARCUS
My heart poundedas I watched her walk away from me. It took every ounce of will I possessed to keep my feet still. My instincts urged me to follow her, to tell her that she didn't have to fear me.
I knew who she was. How her mind worked. The depth of her fear. The strength of her spirit.
But I still didn't know her name.
The only thing that kept me in place was the knowledge that she was frightened of me. That was the last thing I wanted.
I waited a few moments, just long enough to leave space between us, and then I followed, abandoning my cart. I wouldn't approach her again. I only wanted to make sure that she made it to her car safely.
I spied her all but throwing her items in bags at the self-checkout and made sure to linger just out of her line of sight.
After she paid, she threw a couple of glances over her shoulder as she walked out the doors and turned left, away from the parking lot.
Frowning, I followed her out of the store. She was practically running with the two plastic bags in her hands. Dammit, she was truly frightened. This was not how I'd imagined our first interaction going.
I let the space between us grow as she continued down the sidewalk. She must be staying close by if she'd walked to the supermarket.
A few moments later, she slowed and went into a building. I took a few more steps until I could read the sign on the side clearly.
South Congress Hotel.
I couldn't believe it. After all these months of seeing her in my sleep, of reliving her nightmares, and feeling her fear, she was incredibly close. Only blocks from The Magic Bean.
I stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes, looking at all the windows on the hotel. I don't know if I expected her to look out or if I just didn't want to leave until I knew she was safe, but I couldn't make my feet move.
"Hey! There you are."
I jolted and whirled around to find Callum standing just behind me. Damn. I'd been so focused on her that he'd managed to sneak up on me. Something he relished in doing, which meant I usually had to stay on my guard.
"What are you doing?" he asked, rocking back and forth on his heels, a smirk on his face.
"Nothing."
He produced an apple from somewhere, probably a pocket, and took a bite. "I haven't startled you like that in a decade, so you were definitely doing something. Maybe thinking too hard."
I closed my eyes for just a moment and rubbed the center of my forehead. "I was distracted. That's all."
Callum crunched on the apple again and said, "Bullshit."
I sidestepped the half-chewed pieces of fruit that he spewed when he spoke. "At least chew that and swallow it before you start talking."
He made an exaggerated face as he did just that, then continued, "I think it has something to do with a certain woman." He smirked again. "The woman of your dreams."
I scowled at him, but didn't speak. I had no idea how he knew all of this. I walked around him and headed back toward The Magic Bean. For all his juvenile jokes and general goofiness, Callum saw a great deal more than I was comfortable with.
I lengthened my stride and ignored him as he fell in step beside me, still smacking that damn apple.
My back teeth clenched as I fought the urge to snatch the fruit from his hand and hurl it as far away as I could. He took another loud, obnoxious bite, made sure to chew it as loudly as possible, and finally swallowed.
"Don't be pissed at me," he said, tossing the core in a trashcan as we passed. "Ava might have mentioned it yesterday when we were at the shop."
Great, now Ava was sharing my private thoughts with Callum and probably Macgrath, too.
"You're following her like a creepy asshole, huh?" he asked when I didn't respond to his statement. "When did that start?"
