commotion in here. Something that’ll draw him out of the apartment. He’ll be in such a hurry he won’t think about locking his door. I’ll come out of my hiding spot and peep inside. And if no one sees me, I’ll knock on your door like I’m just showing up for a visit.”
“And if someone does see you?”
Madi snorts and places her earrings back in her ears. “I’m running like my ass is on fire and getting the hell out of this building. I’ll blow the horn once I’m inside my car to let you know I made it out okay.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I give her a determined nod. “Let’s do this. Get in your position!”
Clapping once and bouncing on her heels, she takes off. She opens the door just a crack and glances first right, then left before slinking out into the hallway.
“What to do, what to do.” I gaze around the kitchen and living room, wiping my damp palms on the butt of my jeans. Cally gapes at me from her spot beside the sink. She likes it when I turn on the faucet and let her bat the water with her paw. On the other side of the sink sits the drying rack, stock full of pots and pans from the meal I attempted to cook last night.
“Maybe I can shove all the pans to the floor,” I tell Cally. “Let them clatter and clash and make a racket. Would that be enough to draw him out of the apartment?”
I pick up one of the pans, cringing at the dark residue I missed scrubbing away in one corner. I’d found a recipe online but had burnt the food to the point where it was inedible. Wait a second … burnt food.
Eyes widening, I scan the apartment for the smoke detectors. One hangs on a wall in the kitchen, the other in my living room. I put the pan away and rummage around inside a junk drawer near the sink until I find a working lighter. I press the button and flick the little wheel, grinning when a flicker of a flame wavers from the metal top. I grab a chair from the kitchen table and drag it to the wall underneath the alarm. When I stand on top and flick the lighter again, the response is almost immediate.
An ear-splitting screech bounces off the walls of the tiny apartment. I hop off the chair and toss the lighter inside the junk drawer. If Eight’s at home, he’ll be here in ten seconds flat.
Sure enough, seconds later there’s a frantic bang at the door. Eventually, he lets himself inside.
“You okay?” he hollers above the shrillness of the alarm.
Nodding, I climb on the chair like I just moved it and wave my hands in front of the alarm. Removing my palms from my ears proves painful, and I’ll be lucky if I don’t suffer a massive headache later tonight.
Waving my hands does nothing to stop the screech. I pull the alarm off the wall and pop open the back cover. After removing the batteries, I sigh at the silence that ensues.
“No more ringing. Well, except the residual inside my head.” I step off the chair and drop the alarm and batteries on the bar.
“What happened? You burn something?” Eight looks around the apartment, sniffing the air. A dark figure wearing highly expensive boots darts by the open doorway behind him and into his apartment. My heart plummets to the depths of my belly before rising to my throat. I jog across the room and shut the door, giving him a nervous smile.
“That hallway’s drafty.” Pushing myself off the door, I survey the room. “I wasn’t cooking. Not sure why the alarm went off, but I guess we should look around? Make sure there’s not something burning?”
Eight grunts in agreement and canvases the living room. I pretend to peek into my bedroom and bathroom before rejoining him in the kitchen.
“Weird,” I say, laughing. “Stupid alarm. Maybe that’s how it acts when the batteries are dying.”
“Maybe.” Eight looks unconvinced. He rubs the back of his neck. “Pretty sure it just beeps when the battery dies. Well, if you don’t need anything else …”
Eight backs towards the door, and I go into full panic mode. Madi
“And if someone does see you?”
Madi snorts and places her earrings back in her ears. “I’m running like my ass is on fire and getting the hell out of this building. I’ll blow the horn once I’m inside my car to let you know I made it out okay.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I give her a determined nod. “Let’s do this. Get in your position!”
Clapping once and bouncing on her heels, she takes off. She opens the door just a crack and glances first right, then left before slinking out into the hallway.
“What to do, what to do.” I gaze around the kitchen and living room, wiping my damp palms on the butt of my jeans. Cally gapes at me from her spot beside the sink. She likes it when I turn on the faucet and let her bat the water with her paw. On the other side of the sink sits the drying rack, stock full of pots and pans from the meal I attempted to cook last night.
“Maybe I can shove all the pans to the floor,” I tell Cally. “Let them clatter and clash and make a racket. Would that be enough to draw him out of the apartment?”
I pick up one of the pans, cringing at the dark residue I missed scrubbing away in one corner. I’d found a recipe online but had burnt the food to the point where it was inedible. Wait a second … burnt food.
Eyes widening, I scan the apartment for the smoke detectors. One hangs on a wall in the kitchen, the other in my living room. I put the pan away and rummage around inside a junk drawer near the sink until I find a working lighter. I press the button and flick the little wheel, grinning when a flicker of a flame wavers from the metal top. I grab a chair from the kitchen table and drag it to the wall underneath the alarm. When I stand on top and flick the lighter again, the response is almost immediate.
An ear-splitting screech bounces off the walls of the tiny apartment. I hop off the chair and toss the lighter inside the junk drawer. If Eight’s at home, he’ll be here in ten seconds flat.
Sure enough, seconds later there’s a frantic bang at the door. Eventually, he lets himself inside.
“You okay?” he hollers above the shrillness of the alarm.
Nodding, I climb on the chair like I just moved it and wave my hands in front of the alarm. Removing my palms from my ears proves painful, and I’ll be lucky if I don’t suffer a massive headache later tonight.
Waving my hands does nothing to stop the screech. I pull the alarm off the wall and pop open the back cover. After removing the batteries, I sigh at the silence that ensues.
“No more ringing. Well, except the residual inside my head.” I step off the chair and drop the alarm and batteries on the bar.
“What happened? You burn something?” Eight looks around the apartment, sniffing the air. A dark figure wearing highly expensive boots darts by the open doorway behind him and into his apartment. My heart plummets to the depths of my belly before rising to my throat. I jog across the room and shut the door, giving him a nervous smile.
“That hallway’s drafty.” Pushing myself off the door, I survey the room. “I wasn’t cooking. Not sure why the alarm went off, but I guess we should look around? Make sure there’s not something burning?”
Eight grunts in agreement and canvases the living room. I pretend to peek into my bedroom and bathroom before rejoining him in the kitchen.
“Weird,” I say, laughing. “Stupid alarm. Maybe that’s how it acts when the batteries are dying.”
“Maybe.” Eight looks unconvinced. He rubs the back of his neck. “Pretty sure it just beeps when the battery dies. Well, if you don’t need anything else …”
Eight backs towards the door, and I go into full panic mode. Madi
Similar Books
