Page 7 of Claymore
I held up the menus all fanned out, and she picked one from my favorite Chinese place. I called to order, and in half an hour, the food was hot and waiting for us at the front door. We got to eating, sharing egg rolls and Kung Pao chicken. For a few minutes, I had forgotten how terrified I was, how worried that I was constantly being watched.
“How’s the bookstore been?”
“Traffic’s been good. People have been buying so many paperbacks and first editions I’m sure there has to be something in the air. The Nook is never this busy,” she said.
“It’s crazy how close it is to Crystal’s and we’ve both been so busy we couldn’t even carve out the time. I’m glad you’re here now, Hallie. You don’t know how much I needed this,” I said, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.
She poured us both a glass of rosé, and I felt the bubbly drink trickle down my throat, relaxing me after a long day. She swirled hers in her glass like whiskey before she drank it, and I chuckled. It was something she did with every single drink she ever had, even the ones with the little pink umbrellas.
We finished up the rest of our food and when we were done, Hallie looked over at me, her red curls falling into her eyes.
“I should be heading home. It’s pretty late and we both need to be up bright and early for work tomorrow,” she said.
She looked out the window for a moment, her eyes catching on something across the street, and I followed her gaze. She walked toward the window with two empty Chinese take-out boxes in her hand.
“What is it, Hallie?”
“There’s a guy across the street. He’s just standing there.”
“What?”
I looked out to see him near his bike, his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, staring directly into my apartment. My heart sank into my stomach, my breath quickening, but I kept my cool around Hallie. The last thing I needed was her freaking out.
He pulled out his cell phone, getting a call, and I turned Hallie around, shrugging my shoulders.
“It’s probably nothing. There are so many apartments in this building. He’s probably just waiting for someone. It just feels weird because we’re so close to the ground floor,” I said, calmly.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Hallie helped me clean up, tossing away the empty boxes, putting the glass bottle in recycling before it was time for her to leave. She grabbed her purse and hugged me tightly before she left. I stood in the door frame to make sure she got into the elevator and when it closed, I headed back inside. I turned both locks, rushing over to the living room window to make sure Hallie got back to her car okay. When she finally sped off, I felt like I could breathe a little easier again.
I double-checked to make sure the locks were secure, and I pulled the thick curtains shut before I finally headed to bed.
***
My cell phone started ringing. At first, I thought it was my alarm until I squinted at the bright screen, realizing it was Louise calling.
“Hello?”
“Ella! I know you don’t have to be down here for another hour, but is there any way you could stop at the store for some more burger buns? We’re all out and the guy Derek’s training for inventory forgot them.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there.”
“Thanks. You’re a doll,” she said, hanging up.
I rubbed my eyes, sitting up in bed for a moment until it finally dawned on me how late it was. I scrambled to get ready quickly, my lion’s mane a disheveled mess, but I was too late to fix it. I cleaned up, rushed right out the door, nearly forgetting my car keys inside. I drove down to Joe’s, parking in the spot closest to the door, and I bolted inside with just my wallet.
I sped through the aisles to the bakery section, ordering a box worth of burger buns that were freshly made only a few hours ago. The nice lady behind the glass packaged them perfectly, checking me out on the spot so I could grab the box and get moving.
“Thank you so much,” I said, swiping my credit card.
I was on my way out of the grocery store when I felt someone behind me. They were so close I could feel their breath on the back of my neck like they were about to tap my shoulder.
“Excuse me, do you know which way the bakery is?” I heard him ask.
I turned around to see a six-foot hulking biker standing in front of me with his leather jacket collar popped, a chain dangling from his jean pocket, and a smile that was anything but warm.
“It’s that way.”
