Then he left, and just as I’d asked, I was alone.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed one of the pillows off of the chair next to me, pressed it over my face, and screamed into the brightly colored fabric.
CHAPTER 11
Jordy
My steps echoedoff the concrete floor. It was a small hallway, so there wasn’t much room. Just three steps, then I hit the wall and had to turn around.
Step, step, step. Turn.
Step, step, step. Turn.
Over and over again.
After about five minutes, this pattern was so ingrained into my brain, I was unconsciously breathing to the beat of my own footsteps. I’d seen Kitt go through those doors a little while ago, and I was fairly sure he was alone. It was my perfect opportunity to thank him for sticking up for me earlier. That was all I wanted to do.
Why was it so hard?
Enough.
I needed to either walk through the door or leave. Loitering around in the hallway outside was getting me nowhere, and at this point, it was starting to get creepy.
I wish I could say I pushed through the doors with confidence, completely sure of what I was about to do. However, nothing could be further from the truth. I hesitated with my hand on the handle, and I ended up opening the door so slowly the hinges didn’t make a sound as they moved. I slipped inside the room like a shadow clinging to the walls and shut the door just as silently behind me.
The explanation for the safe house we were staying in was that it was an old cold war bunker that had been converted into a luxury retreat, and nowhere was that more obvious than in the place’s many amenities. The private gym wasn’t large, but it had everything a person could want. Treadmills, free weights, cable machines, and even a boxing ring off in the corner.
That was where I found Kitt, all alone as I’d hoped, and punching a heavy weight bag like he meant to snap it off its chains.
He was also shirtless.
What was it about this man’s wardrobe that it always swung toward the extremes?
He was either completely buttoned up in a three-piece suit, or he was showing off an absurd amount of skin in nothing but a pair of loose pants.
Did he not have any casual outfits that still covered him?
A T-shirt, or a sturdy pair of jeans?
No, apparently, he either left everything to the imagination, or nothing. There were no in-betweens.
Not that I was complaining. The sight of his bare back brought me up short, and I instinctively hid behind one of the workout machines. His muscles rippled each time his fist made contact with the bag, and sweat dripped down over his skin, making him glisten under the harsh florescent lights. I could hear his heavy breathing, even from so far away, and my ownpulse rate quickened in turn. A familiar heat settled in my stomach, but this time I didn’t panic.
Instead, I silently cheered with a sense of victory. I’d taken one more step toward becoming a healthy, functioning adult.
Kitt kept working the bag until some unknown signal told him he was done. He didn’t seem tired, so I knew he hadn’t stopped just because he ran out of energy. Rather, he stared down the bag like it was an enemy he had defeated while he unwrapped the boxing gloves from his hands.
“If you think I can’t see you, then we need to have a talk about your stealth abilities.”
I jumped and ducked farther behind the weight machine.
Was he talking to me?
Of course he was. I was the only other person here. Yet, he wasn’t looking in my direction. His gaze was firmly locked on the far wall that was lined with mirrors.
Peeking out behind from behind the weight machine again, I gasped and hung my head in shame when I realized the mirrored wall clearly showed my hiding spot.
He was right. I wasn’t being stealthy at all.
