was right. "But if we leave it on, some smart-ass is bound to investigate."
"Well, that's that. They’ll check the building soon enough."
"We have to get out of here," Anjelo said, his pacing a dead giveaway to his tension. He was incapable of lying to the law and we both knew it. I, on the other hand, was a master at subterfuge.
"Check the hall and the ground floor. Quick recon. Give me the all-clear and we can make a run for it." When he started to protest, I held my hand up. "Wasting time, Anjelo."
He turned on his heel. I didn't miss the hurt expression in his eyes and immediately regretted the snark, but it got him moving. Only a few minutes had ticked by when he came barreling into the room, shutting the door as quietly as he could.
"Someone's coming."
We were too late. Dawdled for too long. I shoved him into the closet.
"Stay there and be quiet."
The pained, caught-in-the-headlights expression on his face may have been comical had I not been in a murderous rush to reach the desk. Mental note—have a good giggle when we’re in the clear. Even laughing at my friend's expense seemed like a luxury at this moment.
I switched the closet light off and shut the door, hoping to Ailuros that Anjelo wouldn't go berserk in the now dark and tiny space.
Hurrying to the desk, I stuffed my ear buds in and turned up the volume. My eardrums vibrated. Laptop switched on—check. All wires and bits plugged in—check.
I was ready.
Ready to handle whoever walked through that door.
No one would be coming to help me, not when the mess was my own creation. Even though I hadn't asked to be shot, I could imagine my father's face if he saw me now. Those cold, gray eyes would spare me the briefest of accusing glances, if he bothered to look at me at all. Corin Odel remained devoid of every emotion except for anger. And, in my case, disappointment.
I pretended to work. The more I waited, the more stressed I became.
And stress was dangerous.
Stress summoned my Panther. And so far, I'd managed to keep my feline form subdued. The effort to tamp my animal down zapped more from me than I expected, and I wiped off the beads of perspiration coating my upper lip.
My body ached, my shoulder ached more.
Fatigue dulled my senses.
I blasted Beethoven at full volume as I hunched over my computer. And almost missed the knock when it finally came.
***
Chapter 10
The door opened a few feet in front of my desk. I scented my visitor as he entered the room, but kept my head down. I smelled sweat and adrenalin and ozone. Strange. He smelled electric. Or electrified. Weird. But nice. Sort of gooey, tingle-in-the-stomach nice. I still hadn't laid eyes on him. Knowing my luck, he'd be an ogre.
A pair of booted feet entered my line of vision and left me no choice but to address him. I looked up, intending to feign surprise with a touch of fear. I had no trouble with surprise. His youth, not his presence, elicited the emotion. He didn't look much older than me—no more than eighteen. Humans aged faster than Walkers did, and their age showed. My eighteenth year loomed like a death knell, but I did look a lot younger. It posed a problem when Grandma Ivy had insisted I attend the local high school if I wanted to stay with her. The headmaster at Crawdon High had demanded proof of my age before admission. A good thing I was only in school six months before graduation.
My visitor's dark hair stuck up in boyish spikes, as if he'd just run his fingers through it in frustration. My neck hurt with craning it to take in his full height. He cracked a smile. Clearly, he didn't smile much or had forgotten the art long ago. His mouth turned up at the corners, but his eyes remained cool, calculating and contemplative, as if he recognized me from somewhere.
My fear was real too. The effect he had on me scared me so badly; enough for me to wish I were very far away from him. But at the same time, he enthralled me. Ugh. This is what got girls into
"Well, that's that. They’ll check the building soon enough."
"We have to get out of here," Anjelo said, his pacing a dead giveaway to his tension. He was incapable of lying to the law and we both knew it. I, on the other hand, was a master at subterfuge.
"Check the hall and the ground floor. Quick recon. Give me the all-clear and we can make a run for it." When he started to protest, I held my hand up. "Wasting time, Anjelo."
He turned on his heel. I didn't miss the hurt expression in his eyes and immediately regretted the snark, but it got him moving. Only a few minutes had ticked by when he came barreling into the room, shutting the door as quietly as he could.
"Someone's coming."
We were too late. Dawdled for too long. I shoved him into the closet.
"Stay there and be quiet."
The pained, caught-in-the-headlights expression on his face may have been comical had I not been in a murderous rush to reach the desk. Mental note—have a good giggle when we’re in the clear. Even laughing at my friend's expense seemed like a luxury at this moment.
I switched the closet light off and shut the door, hoping to Ailuros that Anjelo wouldn't go berserk in the now dark and tiny space.
Hurrying to the desk, I stuffed my ear buds in and turned up the volume. My eardrums vibrated. Laptop switched on—check. All wires and bits plugged in—check.
I was ready.
Ready to handle whoever walked through that door.
No one would be coming to help me, not when the mess was my own creation. Even though I hadn't asked to be shot, I could imagine my father's face if he saw me now. Those cold, gray eyes would spare me the briefest of accusing glances, if he bothered to look at me at all. Corin Odel remained devoid of every emotion except for anger. And, in my case, disappointment.
I pretended to work. The more I waited, the more stressed I became.
And stress was dangerous.
Stress summoned my Panther. And so far, I'd managed to keep my feline form subdued. The effort to tamp my animal down zapped more from me than I expected, and I wiped off the beads of perspiration coating my upper lip.
My body ached, my shoulder ached more.
Fatigue dulled my senses.
I blasted Beethoven at full volume as I hunched over my computer. And almost missed the knock when it finally came.
***
Chapter 10
The door opened a few feet in front of my desk. I scented my visitor as he entered the room, but kept my head down. I smelled sweat and adrenalin and ozone. Strange. He smelled electric. Or electrified. Weird. But nice. Sort of gooey, tingle-in-the-stomach nice. I still hadn't laid eyes on him. Knowing my luck, he'd be an ogre.
A pair of booted feet entered my line of vision and left me no choice but to address him. I looked up, intending to feign surprise with a touch of fear. I had no trouble with surprise. His youth, not his presence, elicited the emotion. He didn't look much older than me—no more than eighteen. Humans aged faster than Walkers did, and their age showed. My eighteenth year loomed like a death knell, but I did look a lot younger. It posed a problem when Grandma Ivy had insisted I attend the local high school if I wanted to stay with her. The headmaster at Crawdon High had demanded proof of my age before admission. A good thing I was only in school six months before graduation.
My visitor's dark hair stuck up in boyish spikes, as if he'd just run his fingers through it in frustration. My neck hurt with craning it to take in his full height. He cracked a smile. Clearly, he didn't smile much or had forgotten the art long ago. His mouth turned up at the corners, but his eyes remained cool, calculating and contemplative, as if he recognized me from somewhere.
My fear was real too. The effect he had on me scared me so badly; enough for me to wish I were very far away from him. But at the same time, he enthralled me. Ugh. This is what got girls into
Similar Books
