“It’s late.Let me—”
“Brennan.”
He freezes at my eerily calm tone.I teeter on a knife’s edge.One more inconvenience and I’ll snap.The muscle in his jaw jumps.I take a silent breath and enunciate each word as I speak.
“I amdonefor the day.We part ways here.I’ll see you at work tomorrow morning.”
He pushes his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose.
“Alright, if that’s what you need.Give me your phone,” he demands.
“No.Ms.Baker and I already exchanged important contacts, so I have your information.She sent you mine as well.If there’s nothing else—”
“Add me to your emergency contacts,” he demands.
I open the car door and step out onto the curb.
“Tomorrow, Mr.Diamond.”
When I turn to shut the door, his clear blue eyes capture mine.The ground drops out from under my feet.
“Be safe, baby doll.”
My stomach wobbles.I nod and swing the door closed before striding across the sidewalk and through the store entrance.Unfamiliar with the layout, I wander down a few aisles before finding the bedding section.
After surviving such a horrible day, I deserve another blanket.A thick, heavy comforter will block out more sound.I may sweat to death underneath, but that sounds preferable to reliving Edgar’s touch every time the chilly air of my apartment wafts over my skin.
I stiffen as the feeling of being watched creeps over me.With my eyes ghosting over the shelves, I check my periphery and glimpse a familiar face before she ducks back around the corner.
I may have only met Ms.Baker a few hours ago, but recognizing faces is an important part of my job, and her pretty features set in a perpetual scowl make them easy to identify.
Anger, relief, and frustration war within me.Brennan must have sicced her on me when I refused his company.
I grab my selection and stalk around the corner, but Ms.Baker is nowhere in sight.Neither is my ex-stepbrother.
My senses remain on high alert as I purchase my new blanket and walk to the subway.The feeling of being watched never goes away even though I don’t see anyone following me.I stick my hand into my purse, close my fist around my knife, and hug my new comforter close as I step off the dirty train onto filthier streets.
Three blocks away from the station, my hands grow clammy and the urge to check over my shoulder every five seconds plagues me.I cross the road, turn the corner, and pause in the shadow of the unlit overhang I usually avoid.
A dark form rounds the corner, spots me, and jerks back out of sight before I can see their face.
The urge to rush to my apartment and lock my door nearly wins, but the first thing my best friend, Brook, taught me in self-defense class was to find somewhere neutral and heavily populated when you think you’re being followed.
I’m not in the area for finding safety in public places, and it’s too late to head back toward the office, so I calmly walk down the sidewalk in the same direction as before but pass my building and continue around the block.
After slipping into the rundown laundromat and ducking behind a washer, I wait with my heart pounding in my throat.
With her hands in her pockets, her shoulders bunched, and a cap on her head, Ms.Baker strides past the window.
Relief pours through me.I sigh and drop my head against the washer.After a few deep breaths, anger simmers in my gut.
Technically, Brennan kept his word since he didn’t follow me, but having his advisor trail me goes against the spirit of my wishes.
He’s such an overbearing asshole.
I lift my head and check my surroundings.A group of men smoke and play cards in the back room.
No longer caring if Ms.Baker sees me or not, I stomp straight home, too tired to face her tonight.After locking the door behind me and scrubbing my skin raw in the shower, I add my new blanket to the top of my pile and crawl underneath.
