Page 30 of Obsessed Fox

A woman like me, who had done what I did, didn't deserve love. I probably deserved a jail cell, but definitely not love.

Keeping my wits about me was the only way to survive, and I couldn't do that if I gave my heart to someone. It was bad enough I was attached to my bakery. I didn't need anything else keeping me in Willow Creek if tragedy struck. And it would. It always did. Annalee's situation was proof of that.

I shook all thoughts of murders and stabbings out of my head. I needed to focus.

Yesterday Hendrix broke into my apartment to get me. Tonight I wasn't giving him the chance.

Grabbing one of my dining room chairs, I propped it under the door handle.

There!

I wiped my palms back and forth a few times. Problem solved. I released a relieved sigh, only for my breath to catch when a strange sound caught my attention. I froze and looked around the small apartment.

The noise wasn't coming from inside. At least I didn't think so. It sounded far away. Just to be sure I quickly moved throughout the entire space but found nothing.

There was that noise again, though.

It almost sounded like metal scraping against metal. I walked over to the door and listened intently. I even squatted down next to the doorknob. It wasn't coming from here.

I stood up and scratched my head. Maybe I was hearing things.

There it was again.

If it wasn't in my apartment and it wasn't outside the front door, that only left one place.

No, it couldn't be.

I rushed over to the window.

Motherfucker.

I threw the sash of the window up and leaned out. "Are you insane? There's no way that's stable!" I hollered down to Hendrix who was climbing up the rusty fire escape.

He stopped climbing long enough to look up and gave me a lopsided smile. "I couldn't come through the front door again. You're too smart to let that happen two days in a row. Am I right?"

I rolled my eyes. "I shoved a chair under the doorknob."

Hendrix chuckled as he continued his way up the shaky fire escape. I could see the rusty bolts straining to keep the heavy metal attached to the building. "I knew it."

"So you decided that climbing this death trap was a good idea?"

"I would climb this fire escape every night if it meant getting to you. I'm not sure what more I need to do to make you see your place is next to me, in my bed, every night."

I shook my head. Hendrix was insane. There was no way I was sleeping in his bed again tonight. This was becoming too much like a relationship and I refused to let that happen.

But I couldn't let him fall to his death either. I watched with bated breath as he climbed higher and higher. With each creakand groan of the metal I felt another year of my life slip away until he managed to get to the landing.

His obnoxious smile greeted me much too close to my face for comfort. "Hey, sweetheart." He plopped a quick closed-mouth kiss on my lips. It was over before I could push him away.

"Get your ass in here before you fall. I refuse to be responsible for another person's death."

Hendrix wiggled his brows. "I knew you cared about me." He threw one leg over the ledge and managed to contort his large frame through the small window.

It was rather impressive considering his size.

"What are you doing here?" I kept my distance and put both hands on my hips. A clear warning that I wasn't in the mood for whatever shenanigans he wanted to pull.

"I already told you. Your place at night is in my bed. I've come to collect you."

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