Fight or flight survival mode kicked in full force.
I turned to bolt toward the door, but it was just like a bad dream. I couldn’t move as fast as I needed to. As fast as I wanted to.
As fast as I knew I must.
Out of nowhere, something slammed against the side of my head.
The pain was searing, and then a loud noise barreled through my ears. Bursts of colors, like a fireworks display, lit up as I hit the ground hard.
Everything went black.
FORTY-EIGHT
Cane
I blastedAlice in Chains as I made my way home. As I turned into my subdivision, I was too focused on seeing my girl to even be annoyed by the Jack-and-Jillness of the fucking place.
I’m so turning into a pussy.
I smiled as the thought crossed my mind.
Yeah. I’m fucked.
Once I’d pulled up to my house and parked beside Jada, I turned to open my door and noticed something odd.
There were no lights on in the house.
I cocked my head to the side, trying to figure out why she wouldn’t have turned one light on at all.
Would she have gone to bed?
I looked above the garage to the master bathroom, and it was dark, too.
This is just your paranoia from the last few weeks, asshole.
I hopped out of the Denali but entered through the side gate, the neighbor’s dog barking its fucking head off.
The rooms on that side of the house were guest rooms, and I didn’t use them for shit, so I wasn’t surprised when there weren’t any lights on. There would be no reason for Jada to be in there.
I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn’t shake it.
I quietly opened the door to the walkout basement, slipping in and closing it softly behind me.
My senses took over: looking, listening, feeling for anything that seemed off.
I stood still, knowing that the kitchen was right above my head. I listened for any sound of life but was met with quiet.
You’re a fucking paranoid idiot, Alexander. Just go find Jada and make love to your girl.
I shook my head, knowing I was right. I was wasting precious time.
I took a few steps ahead before the floor above me to the right squeaked, the joists giving way to the weight on them.
My brain did a quick assessment.
My office.
Someone was in my fucking office.
