sense. That jerk thought he could scare me. A little insurance on his part to make sure that I went running to his dojo.
It was the last straw.
My body shook as I yanked a tank top from a hanger in my closet and slipped it over my head. I kicked off the black ballet flats I had to wear for work and laced up my Adidas running shoes. Kim had messed with the wrong girl. He was probably counting on the fact that I’d show up afraid and crying, begging him to help me. Maybe that’s how he got his kicks. Maybe he staked out the hospital for vulnerable girls, hoping to seduce them by scaring them and then rushing in as the hero. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Well, he was in for a big surprise. I was going to his dojo tonight, but not to ask for his help. I was going to tell him to leave me the hell alone … or else.
The only problem? I didn’t know what the “or else” was. I brushed the thought away as I rushed out the door. I could figure that out along the way.
11
I was still seething after I’d entered Kim’s address into my phone’s GPS and climbed into my car, but the second I buckled my seat belt and turned the ignition, my confidence wavered. By the time I’d reached the highway my hands were shaking so badly I had to tighten my grip on the wheel to keep from swerving.
Was I crazy? What if this Kim guy turned out to be a psycho? I glanced at the phone in my cup holder, fingers itching to call Q—at the very least to let him know where I was going—but I didn’t. I didn’t need to drag anyone else into my mess.
I considered turning my car around. I wanted nothing more than to forget this whole thing ever happened and move on with my life, but somehow I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. The threatening note proved that Kim wasn’t going to leave me alone. If I wanted this to end, I was going to have to confront him in person.
Thirty minutes later I crossed the Jefferson Barracks Bridge that connected Missouri to Illinois and found myself in a town called Waterloo. I drove by several corn fields and a weathered-down shack that, given the neon beer signs, was apparently a bar.
“I’m in hillbilly hell,” I mumbled.
But soon enough, the fields gave way to housing developments and I realized this was one of those secret Midwestern treasures that the big-city dwellers devoured in search of a simpler life. Give it another couple of years and it was sure to have its own super shopping center.
I located the dojo easily. It was right off the main drag, a simple stand-alone metal building with a brick apartment complex on one side and a lumberyard on the other. As I parked the Fiesta, I noticed several cars scattered around the parking lot. Interesting. Kim wasn’t alone.
The metallic taste of fear rose up the back of my throat as I got out of my car. I managed to swallow it by the time I reached the building’s glass doors. An Asian girl roughly the same age as me frowned from behind a glass counter as I entered the reception area. Long black hair spilled over her shoulders, nearly hiding the image of a golden dragon on her red T-shirt. She folded her hands neatly on top of a stack of receipts, rubbing her thumb over her index finger.
“We’re closed,” she said coolly.
I didn’t realize I had squeezed my hands into fists until I felt the bite of my nails against my palm. “I’m looking for Kim Gimhae. He’s expecting me.”
Her almond eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “I wasn’t aware he had any private lessons tonight.”
Kim appeared in the doorway directly behind her. “Sumi, that’s not your concern.”
“Oh, Kim!” Sumi’s back snapped straight as her eyes widened in surprise. She shuffled the papers in front of her and spun to face him, her icy expression melting into lines of pleasant appeasement. “I’m sorry, Kim. I didn’t know she had an appointment.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. His eyes glittered, the black pupils
It was the last straw.
My body shook as I yanked a tank top from a hanger in my closet and slipped it over my head. I kicked off the black ballet flats I had to wear for work and laced up my Adidas running shoes. Kim had messed with the wrong girl. He was probably counting on the fact that I’d show up afraid and crying, begging him to help me. Maybe that’s how he got his kicks. Maybe he staked out the hospital for vulnerable girls, hoping to seduce them by scaring them and then rushing in as the hero. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Well, he was in for a big surprise. I was going to his dojo tonight, but not to ask for his help. I was going to tell him to leave me the hell alone … or else.
The only problem? I didn’t know what the “or else” was. I brushed the thought away as I rushed out the door. I could figure that out along the way.
11
I was still seething after I’d entered Kim’s address into my phone’s GPS and climbed into my car, but the second I buckled my seat belt and turned the ignition, my confidence wavered. By the time I’d reached the highway my hands were shaking so badly I had to tighten my grip on the wheel to keep from swerving.
Was I crazy? What if this Kim guy turned out to be a psycho? I glanced at the phone in my cup holder, fingers itching to call Q—at the very least to let him know where I was going—but I didn’t. I didn’t need to drag anyone else into my mess.
I considered turning my car around. I wanted nothing more than to forget this whole thing ever happened and move on with my life, but somehow I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. The threatening note proved that Kim wasn’t going to leave me alone. If I wanted this to end, I was going to have to confront him in person.
Thirty minutes later I crossed the Jefferson Barracks Bridge that connected Missouri to Illinois and found myself in a town called Waterloo. I drove by several corn fields and a weathered-down shack that, given the neon beer signs, was apparently a bar.
“I’m in hillbilly hell,” I mumbled.
But soon enough, the fields gave way to housing developments and I realized this was one of those secret Midwestern treasures that the big-city dwellers devoured in search of a simpler life. Give it another couple of years and it was sure to have its own super shopping center.
I located the dojo easily. It was right off the main drag, a simple stand-alone metal building with a brick apartment complex on one side and a lumberyard on the other. As I parked the Fiesta, I noticed several cars scattered around the parking lot. Interesting. Kim wasn’t alone.
The metallic taste of fear rose up the back of my throat as I got out of my car. I managed to swallow it by the time I reached the building’s glass doors. An Asian girl roughly the same age as me frowned from behind a glass counter as I entered the reception area. Long black hair spilled over her shoulders, nearly hiding the image of a golden dragon on her red T-shirt. She folded her hands neatly on top of a stack of receipts, rubbing her thumb over her index finger.
“We’re closed,” she said coolly.
I didn’t realize I had squeezed my hands into fists until I felt the bite of my nails against my palm. “I’m looking for Kim Gimhae. He’s expecting me.”
Her almond eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “I wasn’t aware he had any private lessons tonight.”
Kim appeared in the doorway directly behind her. “Sumi, that’s not your concern.”
“Oh, Kim!” Sumi’s back snapped straight as her eyes widened in surprise. She shuffled the papers in front of her and spun to face him, her icy expression melting into lines of pleasant appeasement. “I’m sorry, Kim. I didn’t know she had an appointment.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. His eyes glittered, the black pupils
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