Her heart slammed into her throat. Panic surged through her veins as she raced up the long staircase.
Had she fullyshutthe door? The thought hit her like a punch to the gut as she whipped her head around to check. The sudden movement caused her to lose balance. Her foot caught on the edge of the stairs.
And pain exploded through her shin as a scream ripped out of her throat.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ascream. Loud, piercing, and panicked. Jordan heard it through his door.
Vanessa.
He leaped from the couch where he’d been watching NBA highlights and bolted for the door. The scream hadn’t come from across the hall, but from lower, from the building’s entrance, so he turned to the staircase.
She was at the base of it, awkwardly crab-crawling up the steps backward as she faced the entrance.
“Vanessa!” He was halfway down the stairwell before she turned her head.
“The-there’s som-someone—” Her voice was choked, her face ghost white. “Outside.” She managed to point to the door.
Jordan crouched in front of her and gently brushed her hair away from her tear-streaked cheeks. Her pupils were blown, her breathing ragged.
“Who’s out there?”
“I—I don’t know.” Her eyes jolted from side to side. “Someone with a ca—camera, maybe. I think. I saw a flash.It’s nothing. But the roses, and the messages. I’ve been drinking.” She was rambling, unable to catch her breath.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
Her gaze kept dodging his, like she was waiting for someone to jump out from behind him.
“I need you to look at me, princess.” His tone was soft, gentle, as he cradled her face in his hands until her gaze locked with his. He held her there a moment, thumbs brushing over cheekbones, until she seemed to calm a bit. “I’m going to go check things out.”
She shook her head violently and grabbed his arms. “No, don’t leave me.”
“If someone out there scared you, I will find them.” And kill them if he had to.
Seeing her like this, broken and vulnerable, ripped his heart wide open. Itscaredhim. He’d never known her to be anything other than strong and confident. “But you have to stay right here,” he told her firmly. “I mean it,” he added, knowing that she had yet to follow a single order he’d ever given her.
To his relief, she nodded slowly, but her grip on him didn’t loosen. “Vanessa, baby…” His voice was quiet, but there was a steel edge to it he couldn’t hide. “I have to make sure you’re safe.”
Her breath hitched, but after a beat she released her hold on him.
He stood gradually, making sure not to spook her further.
“Hurry.” The desperate plea in her voice made his stomach churn.
“Don’t move,” he said, then went out onto the street.
It was dark, except for the eerie glow from the streetlamps and a few neon lights from local businesses,including the bronze-litBowie’ssign on the corner. A car drove past, making whooshing sounds as the tires splashed through the puddles from the earlier rain.
With his senses on high alert, Jordan jogged to the bar’s entrance. Bowie’s closed at midnight on Thursdays, so it had been shut for almost an hour.
At the far end of the street, a couple walked in the opposite direction, huddled together in the cold. He scanned the other end, but no one appeared suspicious. No one lurking in any shadows. Just…empty shadows. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that Vanessa was right. Someone had been out here.
He jogged back to the apartment building’s entrance, checking everywhere as he went, even glancing up at the rooftops to make sure no one was watching from above.
When he turned to the door’s window, his heart stopped. The staircase where he’d left Vanessa was empty.
“Fuck!”He shoved his key in the hole and tore the door open, taking the steps two at a time. “Vanessa!”
