He walked down into his basement after disarming the security measures. After flicking on the light, he turned on all the computer screens, and watched Riley sitting at her table.
While she’d been at work that morning, he’d gone in and wired her entire house. She couldn’t make a move without him knowing about it, and he didn’t feel any remorse about that either.
Chapter Three
“I’m not paid enough for this shit,” Riley muttered under her breath. The woman from down the street didn’t have time to pick up her cake and pastry order for her party, so she’d called Riley and begged her to drop everything off at her house. Riley was supposed to be coming to the anniversary party as a guest, but she had no plans of actually showing up.
Now she had to juggle the huge cake box and several smaller boxes as she tried to fit them in her cramped Toyota Corolla. She didn’t do deliveries because her car barely made it to work and back. The parking lot was usually close to empty when she left every night, but today it was bustling as the new tenant was busy setting up the bar for its grand opening tomorrow.
Once finally settled in the driver’s seat, she carefully drove out of the plaza, heading to her client’s house. She was terrified the cake would shift in the box or get damaged before she arrived. It was a lot of pressure baking for a bunch of neighbors that already saw her as the black sheep of the suburb.
The street was lined with parked cars for the party so she just settled in her own driveway, making her trek with all the cake boxes precarious at best. By the time she reached the house, she was out of breath. Music flooded out onto the sidewalk. Luckily there were some smokers on the front porch, so they opened the door for her. She found the nearest counter and set down her load, her arms grateful for the break.
“Oh, Carol, thank you,” said Amanda, appearing through the throngs of guests.
“It’s Riley,” she corrected.
“Right…” Amanda put her hands on her hips and gave her a less than discreet once over. Everyone wore their evening best, and Riley had her flour-stained scrubs on. She looked and felt completely out of place, and she hated that all-too-familiar feeling of being belittled. Her entire life had been a struggle. As an adult she’d put up barriers, convincing herself she didn’t give a shit about anyone else’s opinion. Reality wasn’t always so simple.
“Your order is all there. It should be refrigerated.”
“Will your husband be joining you?” asked Amanda. Karen came up behind her friend, adjusting a sheer sash over her shoulder. Surely they knew Riley was alone and single. Of course they did. It was like high school all over again.
“Erm, no, it’s just me.”
She wanted to run, to be in the sanctuary of her own home. This wasn’t her crowd, not that she’d ever been a people person.
When a warm hand landed on her hip from behind, she jerked. Nobody was allowed to touch her without permission. She turned around, ready to tell the asshole to keep his hands to himself.
It was him.
Mystery neighbor.
Shadow.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
After remembering how to speak, she answered. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Riley loved the look of shock on the other women’s faces. They appeared as dumb-founded as she felt. Still, she wasn’t going to waste this chance to get the hell out of Dodge.
“Keep it down,” Shadow said to Amanda. “Some of us have to work in the morning.” He led Riley to the front door with a hand to the small of her back. She didn’t object, not just because she was thankful to be leaving, but she liked his touch. More than she should.
Once they were outside on the sidewalk, she stopped and faced him, pressing a hand to his chest to keep him in place. “What was that?”
“What do you mean?” He wore all black, smart casual pants and open collared shirt. He cleaned up nice, but she always thought he was gorgeous in that brooding sort of way.
“Really? I mean, where are you supposed to be taking me?”
“You’re smarter than that, Riley.” The man had no expression, a blank slate with those same evil eyes. The evening dusk gave him a menacing aura. Her instincts told her she should be afraid, but she wasn’t.
She exhaled, running a hand through her hair.
“I was saving you. You told me you couldn’t stand fake people.”
“Why were you there? Trying to get lucky?” Riley couldn’t help herself. Half the time when she should keep her mouth shut, it kept on running.
He frowned. “I’m not interested in spoiled bitches.” Shadow began walking toward their end of the street.