Nothing to worry about.
Nothing to lie awake staringat the ceiling over.
“I should go to bed,” Ashleysaid before I had the chance tovoiceany of that.
“Umm. Sure, of course.”
I didn’t want him to goto bed.
Where the hell wasthatthought coming from?
My stomach lurched, butconsidering everything that’d happened in the last five minutes, I wasn’t surewhy. The pounding in my head was making it hard to think.
I needed those painkillers.Soon.
Ashley nodded, offering me asmall smile with a hint of sadness clinging to the edges. “Good night,Logan. Sweet dreams.”
“Night,” I responded,watching him walk away.
Notlooking at hisass.
Never looking at his assagain.
What the fuck was wrong withme?
SEVEN
ASHLEY
Thump.
Creak.
I sat bolt upright in bed,heart hammering on the inside of my ribcage like a spooked horse.
Someone was in my apartment.
Shit. What was I supposed todo?
Were they looking for me?What were the chances this was just a random burglary?
Quiet as I could, I slippedout of the bed and pressed my ear to the door just in time to hear footstepscoming in my direction.
Shit, shit,shit.
I needed a weapon. I needed…
My eyes fell on my closet.
More specifically, the box tuckedundermy closet.
Creeping over, I yanked itout and opened the lid, praying that I’d find what I was looking for before whoeverwas out there found me. This wasn’t a big apartment. I didn’t have a whole lotof time.
Relief coursed through me asmy fingers curled around the familiar handle. This wasn’t the best weapon ever, andif whoever was out therewasarmed, I was screwed. But if today was myday to go down, I wanted to go down fighting.
My grandma had taught me thatthe first time I came home from school with a black eye. There was no point innotfighting back. No one ever went easier on you if you laid down and took thebeating.
I’d never quite followed thatadvice before, but I would now.
