Protection at Nightfall

by E L Thorne

  So now, I had to get out of two dates. Somehow. I should ask Mae for their phone numbers. Then I should call Grant and Jeff and cancel.

  I made short work of cooling down while I swept the floor. I was so wound up in thought, I not only swept my station and the immediate area around it, I swept the whole shop.

  I put the broom back and returned to my station.

  “Feel better?” Mae smiled her dazzling smile.

  I nodded. “Do you think I could get Grant’s and Jeff’s numbers so I can call and cancel?”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Mae gave me a look of concern.

  I was overwhelmed by the woman’s kindness and patience. I nodded. “Positive.” But I didn’t feel positive. I felt like I’d been on a boat that had sunk and plunged me into the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean.

  “You know, if Jeff’s bothering you, we can call the police.”

  I gasped. “No.”

  Mae’s head snapped up. She nodded in a reconciliatory way, as if to calm me. “Okay.”

  I hadn’t meant to be so loud. Again, Mae had caught me off-guard. But calling the police was the last thing I needed. How could I stay off-the-grid if Mae called the police in and they happened to check on me? There would be a paper or cyber trail if anyone checked into my background.

  Mae stepped behind the desk and touched the computer keyboard. She clicked, then clicked again. “Well, we don’t have Grant’s number on file. You’ll have to tell him in person.” She took a piece of paper and a pen, wrote something. “Here’s Jeff’s.”

  “Thank you.” I gave her a huge hug. “I’m glad I met you.”

  “It’s mutual.”

  “You two are so cutely sentimental.” Lana’s whiny voice came from behind us.

  A sound of disgust, almost a small growl, came from Mae. I studied Mae. Did she not like Lana? Why had she hired her, and why did she keep her, if she didn’t?

  I slipped to the phone in the back to call Jeff in private. I didn’t want Mae to hear that conversation. I tapped the numbers into the handheld and put it to my ear.

  It gave me the ‘disconnected’ sound.

  Great, just great.

  I tried again. The same thing. Shoot. So, now what? I walked to the front of the salon.

  Mae glanced up from the closing paperwork. “Are you okay?”

  “Um… yes. Yes, I’m fine.” I gulped air in. “It’s all taken care of.” I hoped she wouldn’t ask for details. That would mean lying to her and I already felt bad about my lie of omission. Saying that things were taken care of bothered me. I looked away and busied myself with arranging products on the shelves and dusting.

  I prayed Jeff wouldn’t stop by while Mae was still here. Oh, jeez. What would I do if he did?

  Mae shut down the computer, put the ledger away, and slipped the cash in a bank bag. “All I have left to do is assemble a product order, so it’s ready to call in tomorrow morning.” She rubbed her temples. “Long day.”

  I jumped on the opportunity. “I’ll do that. Let me. I’ll need something to do tonight.” I tried for a cheery smile. And prayed that I could shuffle Mae out the door before Jeff appeared. If he appeared.

  I feared he would, so I had to get Mae out. I put my arm around the stunning brunette and guided her to the door.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get rid of me.” Mae laughed.

  I let out forced laughter, hoping it didn’t sound fake. I helped her with her coat and held the door open for her. “Go put your feet up and relax.”

  Mae gave me a curious look, as if she might be suspicious, but not very. “I may do that. And watch a movie I recorded last week.”

  I locked the door behind my boss then proceeded to sort out the shampoos, conditioners, and styling products, noting which ones needed to be purchased on an order form for Mae.

  I glanced at the clock on the wall.

  Eight o’clock.

  I’d been at it for an hour, and no Jeff. I breathed a sigh of relief, put my coat and a scarf on, shoved my cell phone in my coat pocket, and opened the door.

  Chapter Ten

  Chelsea

  I shivered as I pulled the door shut. Then I tested it to be sure it was locked. It was one of those kinds of doors you didn’t need a key to lock from the outside. You opened it, set the lever, then let it close, and ta-daa, it was locked.

  I tested it again with a vigorous tug. Definitely locked. One more time to be extra sure, I tugged, and at the same time cursed my compulsion to double-check things. How irritating. Worse than being superstitious.

  I tugged my coat around my body, wishing I’d found one my size when I’d gone to the secondhand store, but thankful I’d found this one, even if it was too snug to button all the way up. If only I could drop a couple pounds—okay, maybe a few more than a couple.

  I turned around, gasped, and fell back. “Jeff.”

  He’d been standing right behind me. Too close. Almost touching. And now he was right in front of me. Far too intimate, and way too uncomfortable.

  “I tried to call you—” I started, then immediately wished I hadn’t said that because I didn’t want to set him off.

  “Why?” He raised a brow. His face, though handsome, had a look to it that made me want to back away—no, run away. Brutality was his prevalent expression.

  I tried to back up but found myself pressed against the door. I scrambled for an answer to his question. “I don’t feel so well. I was trying to reach you to cancel...”

  He clenched his jaw, his eyes squinting in the light reflected off the snow. The rest of the parking lot was deserted, snow unmarked by tire tracks.

  Unmarked by tire tracks? Where was his car? If there were no tracks...

  I shivered. That meant he’d been here for a while. Waiting.

  “I never got a call.” His voice held more chill than the night air.

  I shrugged, mostly for show. “It wasn’t a working number. I’m sorry.”

  “So you’d like to postpone? A rain check?”

  I hadn’t actually said that, I’d said cancel, but I didn’t want to get into it with him on this very cold, damp night. The weatherman had said there’d be more snow, so the last thing I needed was to be out here with Jeff, and away from my place.

  “Yes, if that’s okay with you?” I would say yes now and get out of it later.

  “Friday night,” he said with a smirk.

  I knew he was trying to bait me. He’d heard me accept Grant’s offer. Now, he was putting me in a bad place. “Well, uh... maybe, we—”

  “What’s the problem, Chelz?” His voice had a sinister quality to it, and his eyes were menacing.

  And he’d used Grant’s nickname for me.

  A shiver ran its course through my body, a shiver that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold. I glanced up and down the lonely street, all the storefronts dark, no houses on this road—a road that was more for tourists than for locals. Only the streetlights offered company, standing like blind sentinels, offering little light and even less comfort.

  I crossed my arms over my chest to stave off the shivers. “I don’t know. Can we talk tomorrow? It’s cold.”

  “Sure. Let me give you a ride home? Or we could drive into the city and grab a latte?”

  Yeah, right.

  The last thing I wanted to do was be trapped in a car with him. “I’m feeling poorly. Do you mind if... not?” I sidestepped in an attempt to walk around him.

  Jeff put his hand on my arm, his grip like a vise. “I think you...” He paused, a smile I didn’t care for crossing his face. “Fine. Have a good night. Mind if I wait until you pull out so I can be sure you get on the road without a problem?”

  I frowned, hesitating. It was nice of him to offer to make sure I got on the road safely, but...

  “I won’t follow you home. But you should know this—if I wanted to know where you live… I am a realtor, after all.”

  I held ba
ck an eye roll. I didn’t work on the books. I was just renting a room. No one should know where I lived unless I or Mae had told them. I was off-the-grid and happy about Mae’s discretion. I’d asked her when I moved in to keep things private, not because of Jeff, but it was working out for the best. I wasn’t ready to turn one problem in for another.

  I pointedly looked at his hand on my arm. He removed it with a flourish, as if it were a grand gesture on his part.

  Without a backward glance, I chirped my car unlocked and jumped into the freezing vehicle, wincing when my backside touched the cold seat.

  I jammed my foot on the brake and my finger into the start button of my Altima.

  Nothing.

  Nothing at all.

  I did it again.

  Still nothing.

  “Shit,” I muttered under my breath. “Shit and damn.”

  I glanced out the windshield at the vehicle nearby, headlights on.

  Jeff.

  Waiting.

  Chapter Eleven

  Chelsea

  “Come on, dammit.” As if talking to the car would make any difference. I slammed my foot onto the brake and at the same time pressed the start button.

  Again nothing.

  “What. The. Fuck.” I could wait. I could wait it out. Go inside the salon and wait there. Maybe call Mae, see if she could give me a ride. Or I could sleep in the shop, in the waiting area, where it was warm and there was a row of seats I could squeeze myself across. That’s exactly what I would do.

  A sharp rap on the windshield made me jump—felt like actually jumping out of my skin.

  I snapped my head to the left and fought to keep the disappointment from showing on my face.

  Through the glass, Jeff raised his voice. “You okay? You’re not moving the car. And it’s a bit cold.”

  What should I do? Tell him the car wouldn’t start? Or tell him I still had some work to do at the shop. Or... what other options did I have?

  None.

  “I’m fine. Just—” Just what, smarty? “I’m… I was waiting.”

  “Are you having car problems? This isn’t the kind of weather to mess around in, Chelsea.” His tone was nasal.

  Why hadn’t I ever noticed that before? His voice grated on my nerves. I’d much rather listen to Grant’s deep, soothing timbre.

  “Just a little one. But it’s fine, Jeff. I can go back in the salon. It’s fine.”

  “You have a key to Mae’s?” Surprise registered in his voice.

  Hell. I’d forgotten. I’d locked the door. I wasn’t getting back in. “No.”

  “You can’t stay out here. It’s too cold. Let me run you home.”

  I hesitated and saw the reaction to my hesitation in his expression. Anger flared in his eyes.

  “Don’t be silly. I’m one of the area’s top realtors.” He tugged on the door handle.

  Maybe I was being silly. I should let him take me home. I could tell Mae in the morning and figure out a way to get my car fixed. She might be able to tell me about a trustworthy mechanic. And with a lot of luck, this wasn’t going to be an expensive setback.

  I released the lock and shoved my keys in my pocket. “I appreciate it, Jeff.”

  He took my elbow and led me through the parking lot to his black sedan. I studied the vehicle, wondering how a car could manage to seem sinister when cars had no personality.

  The European machine gleamed in the darkness of the night, its shiny exterior evidence of the care taken by its owner. Jeff opened the car door for me, helped me inside. His steps seemed a little too happy as he walked to his side of the car. I’d rather he didn’t seem so joyful over my misfortune.

  He got in, reached across me for the seatbelt, and pulled it over me, fastening it before I could protest. A shudder of revulsion rolled through me when his hand accidentally brushed across my breast, even though I was bundled up. When he fastened the belt, the snapping sound made me jump. The finality of it reminded me of the clanging of a cell door. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

  He started the car. Envy ran through me at the ease with which his newer, more expensive vehicle started. An anger ran parallel to my envy. Anger about the position I was in, no means, no reliable car, running, hiding.

  Jeff glanced in the rearview mirror, a tiny smile playing on his thin lips. “How about a cup of hot chocolate? You’re looking blue.”

  Only if you’re not with me. “Thank you, but I’m tired, Jeff. I don’t feel up to much. Just a hot bath and my bed.”

  The sideways leer he gave me when I said the words “bath” and “bed” creeped me out.

  “I can get takeout. You can enjoy it on the ride to your place.”

  Where the hell would he get hot chocolate at this hour? It would be at least a fifteen-minute drive and not on the way to my room at Mae’s, I was sure of that.

  “Come on,” he continued. “It’s the least you can do. After standing me up, not wanting to give me a rain check. Here I am, your knight in shining armor, and you’re not being very gracious.”

  Maybe he had a point. “Okay, takeout will be fine.”

  At least that would appease him. He was giving me a ride after all, and he had waited to see if my car would start. Maybe he had a redeeming quality or two. I felt like I’d be a heel if I didn’t show any appreciation, even if he wasn’t someone I wanted to date.

  God, why does it sound like I’m trying to talk myself into it?

  He drove more quickly than I preferred on the dark, unlit highway, taking curves and hills at a speed that made me hold my breath. Fifteen minutes of small talk, and we arrived. He pulled into the parking lot.

  “Drive through?” I pushed my hair back nervously.

  “My window doesn’t roll down. Coming?”

  I studied Jeff hard. I wasn’t interested in being manipulated. “I’ll wait here, if that’s okay with you.” I tugged on my coat collar. “This jacket’s not really made for this kind of weather.”

  “That’s true. You’ll have to tell me sometime where you came from. Someplace warm, I’m guessing. You should probably buy a better coat.”

  “True.” I hadn’t planned on staying in this state as long as I had. But when the opportunity for a job and a place to live with Mae had come up, I couldn’t find a way to turn that down. If I had, I’d have already gone through all my money.

  “I’ll be right back.” He slipped out the car door, taking the keys with him, and letting cold air in.

  The least he could have done was left the engine running. Didn’t he trust me not to steal his car?

  Less than ten minutes later—yes, I’d timed him on my cell phone—he was back and handing me a cup of hot chocolate. He put the key in the ignition. “Sorry, I thought I’d left the keys here and the car running. I hope I didn’t make you too cold.”

  I wrapped my fingers around the warm cup. “I’m fine.” I let the warmth and steam that came through the tiny drink hole warm my face.

  “Try it.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “They make it with real chocolate. Best hot chocolate you’ve ever had, I’ll bet.” He watched me eagerly, as if he wanted my approval.

  I put the cup to my lips and took a tiny, cautious swallow so I wouldn’t burn my tongue. The liquid warmed my insides. “It’s good.”

  He pulled out of the parking lot. “Okay, so on to your place now. Do you live near Mae’s salon?”

  “No, fifteen minutes in the other direction.”

  “Oh, you live near Grant’s property. That’s close to the land I’m trying to acquire.” His face conveyed his dislike for Grant.

  I purposely didn’t respond. I didn’t need to be dragged into the middle of that drama.

  “My plans for that land will benefit the entire community. An entertainment complex will bring people in droves. We have the potential to be one of the largest tourist destinations in the state. Imagine the money that would bring to the people who live here.”

  Namely you. But I held my tongue, took a si
p of the comforting beverage, and looked out the window at the blackness of the forest.

  After a few moments of silence, Jeff cleared his throat. “You’re friends with Grant.” He paused, seeming to wait for me to either acknowledge or disagree.

  I said nothing and raised the cup to my lips for another drink.

  “You could tell him what a good thing that would be.”

  I lowered the cup slowly, pondering what to say. A bump in the road jostled the cup from my grip slightly.

  I gasped, more out of surprise than pain as the liquid exploded out of the tiny drinking hole and splashed my cheek. I tried to wipe my face, but my hand wouldn’t rise.

  Slowing the car slightly, Jeff took the cup from my hand. “You okay?”

  I peered down at my hands in my lap. “Yeshh… I’m…” Why was I slurring my words? Why weren’t my hands moving?

  I raised my eyes from my lap to his face. That wasn’t an expression of concern, it was more like expectation. What was going on?

  “What—” I still couldn’t put a sentence together. What had he given me? Why couldn’t I control my hands and my mouth? I started to panic. I was sure my face held an expression that reflected my fear and horror. What had he given me? What had he put in the hot chocolate?

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  “Relax. It’s just a little muscle relaxer. It won’t last long.” He put a hand on my wrist, his grip a steel band. “No one’s going to hurt you. Not in a bad way.” His smile was nothing short of lecherous, his leer, lustful. His thumb traced circles on my wrist.

  I wanted to pull my hand away, but couldn’t. I couldn’t move my hand, couldn’t scream at him the obscenities I wanted to.

  I glanced out the window. We were passing the salon, heading out of town. Where was he taking me? I hadn’t told him exactly where I lived. What was he planning to do with me? The vehicle sped up, and the dark countryside seemed like a blur. I wondered if that was because I was so dizzy.