The mirror showed that there was no one behind me. Thankfully.
I shut my door and hit the button to lock the doors. A click sounded throughout the Rover, letting me know I was safely locked inside.
I clutched the bag to my chest as I eyed the rear-view mirror.
There was nothing out there.
What was the matter with me? I didn’t know but I had a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach growing larger and more acidic by the second.
If I had Dash’s phone number, I wouldn’t have hesitated to call him and make him walk out to my car and walk me safely inside.
Something was seriously not right.
I looked at the vehicles I had parked next to and my stomach twisted for a different reason. I had no idea what Dash drove. Did he have more than one car? Was he in there alone? Did he have another client here? A date?
I scrunched up my face as I chewed on my bottom lip. I probably should have called first. I didn’t want to interrupt him if he had a date. My throat tightened, and I clutched the bag tighter to my chest. Why did the thought of
Dash on a date bother me so much?
A conversation I had overheard floated through my brain.
“She’s too young. I’m not ready to give up my social life for a girl I don’t even know and am expected to share,” Dash had said.
Julian’s reply had been immediate.
“By social life, I assume you mean dating and sleeping with random’s you bring home with you?”
Even Quint had told me about how much Dash liked to sleep with the ladies.
The black Camaro gleamed shiny and masculine. It looked like something I could see Dash driving. The big, silver, SUV parked beside it could have easily been driven by a male or female.
I should have gotten Dash’s phone number from Tyson and called ahead first.
Why did I care so much?
I had no interest in the truth at the moment ,so I left that particular question be.
The mirror showed nothing but trees and the driveway behind me.
This was absurd. I was supposed to be done being afraid.
There was nothing out there.
I squared my shoulders. Brave, I needed to be brave. There wasn’t always something lurking around every corner, some great danger, some new torture, waiting to lash out and attack me.
I needed to step away from that mindset, far away from it and start to think positively. If I was constantly thinking unhappy thoughts, then how would I ever find happiness?
Fuck it.
I hit the button and unlocked the doors. If I sat out here much longer, it would be full on dark and I would never get out of the Rover. I opened my door and climbed down quickly before I could lose my nerve.
I slammed the door, looped my arm through the straps of my bag and bleeped the locks on the Rover. Maybe I should have left the bag in my vehicle. The bag seemed a bit presumptuous but leaving it in the Rover would mean I would have to come back out and get it if I stayed.
I sprinted across the stone walkway. I kept my eyes focused on the black door, my prize. I was too big of a chicken to look behind me, but I felt it. Eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as tingles raced down my spine.
There was someone out there, I could feel them, and they were watching me.
What felt like years later, I made it to the door. I slapped my open palm on the door over and over again. My heart sped up to an almost unbearable speed and I was afraid it was going to leap right out of my chest, so it could run away from me.