Not sure how long I sat on the stair, I got to my feet and paced the porch. Leaning over the side, I spotted another building at the back. Under the single light there, I figured it was a garage. Maybe there was a car in there, I could use...well, technically steal because there was no one around to ask.
Shocked at my bravery and that I hadn’t wimped out yet, I headed for the building. I remembered Ishara once mentioning that an adrenaline rush could keep you going for hours. We’d been watching a movie and I couldn’t figure out how the guy was still standing after being shot and rolled in a wreckage and fighting the bad guys. As a nurse, she would know about adrenaline, then again it was a movie.
When I reached the building, a small door at the side caught my eyes and I let myself in, surprised that it was open. Maybe people were trusting around here. Inside, I used the light from the phone to look for a light switch. I flicked the only switch I could see and light from a single bulb up in the rafters, illuminated the place. It wasn’t bright but it was enough for me to look around. My gaze went straight to the huge bump under a heavy brown tarp. I lifted a corner and immediately brightened when a pink fender peaked out. Moving over to the driver’s side, I lifted the tarp and checked the door, it was locked.
Shit.
Dropping the tarp, I scanned the shelves and tables filled with car parts and rusty metal things I didn’t recognize. Opening one of the drawers, I froze. Two monstrous black eyes stared back. Then it charged at me, followed by a large gray body attached to it. It leaped into the air at a speed I hadn’t anticipated. “Oh, hell no!” I screamed, scrambling up onto a counter with an agility I didn’t even know I possessed. “Shoo, go away.” I jumped around the counter, air-hitting the rat. The monster just stared at me like I was dinner.
“Oh, God, this isn’t happening,” I groaned.
A sudden sound had me glancing toward the door, immediate nausea gripped my throat as panic once more tensed my body. Another second and Zayne stormed through the door, his gun in hand, cocked and ready to fire, his chest heaving while eyes saturated with blue murder, darted around. “Where did they go?” he gritted through clenched teeth.
Even though relief relaxed my shoulders, I stared at him dumbfounded then pointed at the rat as it scurried into one of the many holes in the brick wall. “Rat,” I squeaked at the same time my body shuddered with revulsion.
He stared at the animal before his eyes lifted to mine. The alert scowl morphed into a smirk. Then as if noticing my terror-stricken face, his gaze softened. “It’s just looking for food, it won’t harm you. C’mon.” He gestured with his hand for me to get off my perch.
“No freaking way.” The haphazard ponytail I’d pulled my hair into, bounced with the vehement shake of my head. “I hate those things. They’re gross. I’m staying right here.”
“You sure about that?” One dark brow quirked up.
I nodded, realizing I looked stupid. We’d just run from men who hadn’t hesitated to shoot us and here I sat afraid of a freaking rat. Strangely, I could stomach snakes and spiders, even roaches but rats made my insides turn. My stomach revolted at the thought of another one of those things jumping on me. There was no way, I was putting my feet down there.
He glanced around the building. “What were you doing in here?”
“I was looking for car keys.” I pointed to the pink fender sticking out from under the tarp I’d uncovered.
He lowered his hands to his sides. “We’re safer here, for tonight.”
His soft words should’ve started the panic ball rolling once more. It didn’t. I had no idea why I felt safe around him even though our previous encounters hadn’t been amicable. Well, on my side maybe. He’d enjoyed ridiculing me.
Still, I bit my lip, my gaze meeting his, confusion lining my brow. “Why can’t I just go home?”
“It’s safer here,” he repeated, his tone a touch sterner as if warning me not to question him.
Cheeky, I rolled my eyes. “Who were those men? What did they want from me? Are they all dead?” Then my insides twisted, recalling what had gone down. They wanted to rape me. I should still be afraid but somehow the sight of Zayne drained me of fear. “Are you a cop?” I tipped my chin at the weapon in his hand. He didn’t answer. “I deserve answers if you plan on keeping me captive—”
“If you were my captive, trust me, baby girl, I’d be eating your pussy by now and whether you deserve it or not, remains to be seen.”
“W-what?” My cheeks grew so hot, I feared I’d sear my fingers if I touched them. “I don’t know what crap you’re involved in, and I don’t care, I just want to go home,” I rambled, internally cringing at my whiny state. He merely cocked a brow. My hope of covering my embarrassment at what he’d just said, shriveled up and died.
Sticking his gun in the holster under his arm, he crossed the floor and reached out. I tried to back away but that meant jumping off the counter and I wasn’t about to do that. Shoving at his hands was futile. With one quick move, he scooped me up in his arms, but he didn’t walk away. Instead, he stared down at me, and I was suddenly conscious of his heated palms. One on my bare thigh and the other around my mid-back. His grip tight but not uncomfortable, almost reassuring. Even in the dwindling light, his eyes glowed with a warmth I couldn’t understand. Since that first meet, there was just something about this man. The tenderness in his touch and his eyes was such a dire contrast to the person who’d killed men without flinching. My brain questioned everything I’d witnessed today, making it think it was all just a dream.
“The house is cleaner than this building,” his gentle words broke our stare down.
“I can walk.” I pushed at the solid wall of his chest and immediately regretting the intimate touch, I pulled my hand away. Chuckling, he ignored me. “Let me go,” I protested, kicking out my legs. With one quick toss, I wasn’t expecting, he threw me up and over his shoulder like I weighed nothing, banded his arm around my thighs, and carried me out. “Seriously,” I grumbled. “You’re such an asshole.” In response, he slapped my ass. “Ouch,” I yelped, and he laughed. Hating the husky sound, I clenched my fists to keep from rubbing the sore spot and let my eyes wander. Thankfully, the house was clean, like he’d said, and the notion it was probably rat-free, calmed me. Only when we reached the bedroom on the first floor, did he set me down in the middle of the room.
Chewing my bottom lip, I slipped off his jacket, tossed it on a chair, and studied the medium-sized space with its flowery wallpapers, pastel-colored bedding and paisley-patterned carpet. Given the décor, I surmised that the house probably belonged to an old couple. I looked at Zayne. He stood near the bed removing his underarm holster and another gun from the waistband of his pants before reaching for a knife tucked into his socks. God, who was this man? Then something clicked.
“Do you always break into people’s houses?” I asked. He ignored me again. I huffed as another thought frightened my calm. “You didn’t harm the owners, did you?” My breath hitched at the notion.
His eyes narrowed, giving him that same deadly look I’d seen before he shot the first man. “Do I look like a man who just goes around killing innocent people?” Irritation laced his words as he approached me.
“I was thinking more along the lines of a confidently cold killer who is calculating and methodical. So yes, to the killing of innocents and no to the just going around doing it. Does that answer your question?” My brazen behavior shocking me into biting my lip. I had no idea what response I expected but the slow smile wasn’t it. More aggravating was the tingle spurting down my spine.
His gaze locked on mine, he took a step forward and I automatically stepped back, just like that first time in the parking lot. He kept coming and I kept moving backward until my back hit a wall. My breath whooshed out on a soft gasp. I licked my suddenly dry lips, and his eyes followed the action as he leaned forward, caging me with his palms flat against the wall on either side of my head. Hands at my sides, I dug my nails into the soft wallpaper to keep from shoving at his chest. Touching him right now wasn’t good for my sanity.
“Since we’re discussing my abilities, care to analyze my bedroom skills while you’re at it?” His brow shot up, his expression unreadable. “Do I fuck hard, baby girl?”
