Page 2 of Caution

“What’s your name?” he asked, stepping a bit closer.

Now, I could see a bit of his face—pale, parchment-colored skin, red-rimmed eyes. He was perfectly still, not huffing and puffing like I was after my attempt to get away from him.

“Sharon,” I lied, giving him my designated name from back in my clubbing days with my friends.

“Okay Sharon, I’m Daveed. And just like that… we’re not strangers anymore.”

I forced a smile to my face. “Right. Well… next time I see you out here, I’ll make sure to speak, okay?”

I am never stepping foot on this trail again.

“Why can’t you talk right now?” he pushed, taking yet another step closer.

The proximity pulled my stomach into immediate knots.

I shook my head. “I just… I need to finish up my run, get home, get some sleep, go to work. You know the grind.” I wrenched out a laugh, trying not to show just how uncomfortable I was. “It was nice to meet you though,” I said, stepping to the side, and further down the path, keeping a wide berth between us.

Did Iwantto turn my back on this man?

Of course not.

But I needed to get away from him.

“How about I walk you home?” he offered in a tone that didn’t really give the vibe of his suggestion beingoptional.“It’s not the safest thing for a woman like you to be out alone at night.”

“Never know what you might run into, huh?” A new voice broke through the unsettling stillness of the night from behind me.

I whipped my head around to find the newcomer standing a few feet away, in running gear himself, with a large dog seated beside him.

Averylarge dog.

It looked at me, bored, then at Daveed, a low growl rumbling from deep in its chest as it fixed on him.

“Are you okay?” the man asked and I started to nod, but then… didn’t.

Couldn’t.

“He’s scaring me,” I admitted, but not because Iwantedto. I just… couldn’t overcome the compulsion to tell that truth.

He looked to Daveed. “You hear that? You’re scaring her.”

Daveed’s face twisted into a snarl. “What the fuck does it have to do with you?”

“Everything,” the man said, then stepped into a patch of moonlight, further illuminating him. Vaguely, he seemed familiar, but just the fact that I could fully see his face was comforting enough.

Daveed’s reaction to him was a welcome extra.

He must’ve recognized him too because he instantly shrank back and the inexplicable chill I’d been feeling was suddenly gone. The street lamps suddenly illuminated the path again as Daveed took several long steps away from me.

“My bad, I swear,” he stammered, hands up. “I didn’t know—”

“But youshould’veknown, shouldn’t you?” the second man asked. “You’re out of bounds.”

“I wasn’t thinking—”

“Clearly. Find something safe to do.”

“Yes, Mr. Black. I’m sorry.”

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