The glimmer of moonstones along the windowsill caught her attention. Morning light was peeking between curtains and making the line of stones glow.
Kaylee squinted at the colorful stones, unable to recall when she put them on her sill. She pushed herself up and looked around.
Her head hurt. Bad. Gripping it, she blinked away the last of her sleep.
Nathan’s room. It was quiet and large with a small sitting area on one side and simple, dark furniture. Moonstones were everywhere in his room, from the dresser to all the windowsills to the top of the doorframe. While pretty, she couldn’t help thinking the massive quantities of small stones was bizarre.
She felt gross. Kaylee rubbed her face and then glanced at the alarm clock beside the bed. It was way past the time when she was supposed to be at work. She felt a small twinge of guilt, until she thought of Mike stressing out trying to find her.
He deserves it.
Assuming he showed up. She glanced down at herself, irritated to find she’d slept in her clothes. Not only that, but she’d slept on the pocket with her keys, and her right thigh hurt. Her mouth was gummy, her head pounding.
Kaylee left the bedroom silently for the bathroom in the hallway. She found herself pausing to feel for Shadowman; he wasn’t there. Relieved, she listened for the signs of anyone else being awake. While she smelled breakfast cooking from the floor below, she didn’t see anyone on this floor.
Down the opposite hall, she thought she heard someone moving around in another bedroom. Vaguely, she recalled that Nathan claimed to have a roommate, so she ignored the sound and hurried to the bathroom, wanting to straighten up and get out as fast as possible.
She automatically reached for the pocket where she kept her phone, only to find it wasn’t there. Irked, she rinsed her face and mouth then paused, attention falling to the huge Jacuzzi tub at one end of the luxurious bathroom.
She had no bathtub in her place, just the shower. The thought of a bath sounded like a heavenly solution for her pounding head and sluggish body. Debating for a moment, she finally decided that he owed her a hot bath if nothing else for dragging her across town to bail him out of jail.
She carefully avoided the thought that she was the one who put him there.
After locking the door, Kaylee drew a bath and stripped. She hissed as she stepped into the hot water and was soon fully immersed. The aches in her body eased, along with the tension between her shoulders and in her neck.
Kaylee didn’t rush her bath but enjoyed it, nearly dozing at one point. She thought she heard the door creak open and roused herself. She assumed it was the hallway creaking.
No other sounds came, and she grudgingly got up and stretched for a fluffy towel. She turned finally and froze. The door was cracked open, and a woman stood, hiding behind the small wardrobe acting as a linen closet.
She gasped.
It was Amira Santiago, the missing witness. She held a butcher knife in one hand and a cross in the other. Apprehension and uncertainty crossed her chiseled features.
Recalling their first interaction, Kaylee had no doubt why the girl was there.
She screamed.
Amira lunged forward, knife raised. She slipped on the wet tile from Kaylee’s bath and landed on her knees, her first strike scratching Kaylee’s arm.
Kaylee shoved her and stumbled out of the bathtub. She wrapped her towel around her as she darted to the door. Amira was quick and close at her heels.
Yanking it shut, Kaylee leaned back with all her weight to prevent the girl from opening it.
“Jesus!” Nathan said, coming into sight from the direction of the stairwell. “What’s wrong?” He was dressed in dark chinos and a polo.
“She’s here! That psycho followed me somehow!” Kaylee shouted.
Amira pulled at the door then pounded on it.
“What?” Nathan sounded startled.
“The … other day, I went with Mike to Rosewood … “ Kaylee grunted, struggling to keep the door closed. “I got stabbed by this crazy deaf girl who … disappeared.”
Nathan was staring at her. “That was you?”
“What was me?” she asked, glancing at him. “She’s here, Nathan! She followed me and is trying to kill me.” Her heart felt like it was ready to leap out of her chest.
How had Amira found her? How did she get into the apartment?
Why was Nathan looking at her like that?
“I’ll handle it,” he said, stepping forward.
“No, Nathan! You can’t let her out!”
“No one is going to kill you, especially not when I’m around,” he assured her. He moved between her and the door.
Scared, Kaylee let go and backpedaled until her back hit the wall. Ready to run, her eyes stayed on Nathan. His light touch and confident words were too reassuring to think he was going to free some serial killer to get her.
The door wrenched open.
Kaylee didn’t have time to react, but Nathan did. Deftly, he deflected a blow that should’ve taken out his eye. It sailed by his head, and he whirled the attacker, disarming her with agility unlike any Kaylee had ever seen. In a matter of seconds, Amira was wrapped in his arms, defeated.
Nathan sighed and spun the girl. He gripped her arms.
“Go to your room,” he ordered her.
She glanced at Kaylee, eyes wide.
“Now,” he added.
Amira spun and ran through the apartment to the hallway on the far side, where the guest rooms were.
Kaylee watched her, unable to digest what was going on.
Nathan tossed the knife onto the bathroom cabinet then faced her.
“Love that look on you,” he said, looking her over.
Her face grew warm. She clutched the towel around her.
“You know her?’ she asked, confused. “She’s staying here?”
“You’re not ready for those answers, Kaylee,” he said. “You’re bleeding.”
She glanced down at the streak of red on her arm. The relaxing effects of the bath were completely gone.
Nathan neared, bringing with him the intensity of his presence, its unusual heat and his supple strength. He was close enough for their bodies to touch. She found herself letting him draw her into him. His movements were too sure, too possessive and instinctive. She didn’t know what to think of the way he seemed to think he could touch her whenever he wanted. He smelled like he’d been smoking a cigar. Its rich, slightly sweet scent clung to him.
He rested a hand on her wound. Familiar heat coursed through her and ratcheted up the pain.
“Ouch!” she muttered, pulling at her arm.
“Easy, sweetheart.”
Kaylee froze. The same strange hot pain, the same words.
Amira.
That was you?
“My god,” she whispered. “Don’t touch me!” She slapped his hand and moved away. “You’re the man from the elevator. The one who kidnapped Amira!”
“About that,” Nathan said.
“That’s your game? You’re trying to get to the information Mike has on the case?” she demanded, furious.
Kaylee went into the bathroom, where all her things were. She slammed the door closed behind her.
Was she that stupid? She let him convince her he knew something about what she was going through? Maybe she told him about Shadowman in the elevator, and he used that to lure her into his apartment, so he could get better access to Mike and the case.
“Kaylee, don’t make this worse than it already is.”
She ignored him and dressed hastily, her calm gone.
“You came here to talk,” Nathan reminded her.
She whipped the door open, glaring up at him. Too angry to speak, she pushed him out of her way and strode to the stairs. She jogged down two floors to the garage door.
“Shit. C’mon, Kaylee, we really do need to talk,” Nathan said. He took her arm.
She yanked away. “Get away from me, Nathan!” Kaylee opened the door leading into the hallway. “If you come anywhere near me, I’ll call the police. And I won’t bail you out this time!”
She didn’t look back and raced to her car, afraid a knife wielding Amira would attack her. There were tears in her eyes, and she didn’t know why. For the few hours she was with Nathan, she didn’t feel scared or lost. That feeling left when she drove away from him.
She was alone again to deal with the mess and no closer to understanding what was going on.
Her thoughts went to Mike. What the hell was he involved in and how had he managed to drag her into it?
Feeling alone and hurt, Kaylee drove all the way home to change for work.
Shadowman was waiting for her, his oppressiveness driving her to tears as soon as she walked into her apartment.
The only person who could help her figure out what to do was involved in something she instinctively knew wasn’t good. Kidnapping? Supernatural creatures?
Who was Nathan Smith really?