“I like checking on you. Did I see you in the video feed that you went down to the basement?”
That stopped her in her tracks again, and a shudder passed through her. “Yes. I was trying to see if the breaker could be switched, but it was in bad shape. It seems they must have fixed it sometime between when I was down there and when I got back up.”
“You really shouldn’t go down there, not without a guard, at least. You never know what you’ll find or what can happen. Was someone with you? It was dark, and it was hard to put a face to the people in that feed.”
“I wasn’t alone, and I agree, that basement isn’t a place for anyone to be going down into in the middle of the night. I am running really late, though, so I need to leave,” she said, taking another step away.
“Of course. I don’t want to make you late.” But he grabbed her arm and stopped her. No, she wouldn’t say he did it in a threatening way, but it still made an unpleasant shiver travel down her back. “I wanted to ask if you would like to go out sometime?”
His words stopped her in her tracks. That was the last thing she’d been expecting from him. Wasn’t it inappropriate to be asking out someone in the building he was guarding? She didn’t want to upset him, but she certainly didn’t want to go on a date with the fellow.
“I’m…um…actually seeing someone right now,” she said. She wasn’t, really — yes, she’d just slept with Tanner, but they weren’t an item, and she hadn’t the least idea whether they would sleep together again, but he was a convenient excuse to get out of what she knew would be an awkward date. “I really do have to go,” she told the guard as firmly as she could, and then she pulled her arm from his grip, pushed through the doors, and practically ran from the building, her horror story fully in her mind again. She couldn’t even imagine being down in that dark basement with Wayne. Just the thought of it sent a whole new level of terror racing through her body.
She knew the man was most likely harmless, but with the power outages, and her imagination, and her aversion to this particular man, her mind was running a million different scenarios through her mind.
Kyla made it to the mall, and luckily she wasn’t too late. No one reamed her out or threatened to call her employer, so she spent the day trying to make children happy. But her mind couldn’t help but wander. What had she gotten herself into? It seemed her life was one big roller coaster and she wasn’t sure when she was going to be flipped upside down again.
After her shift she would have to visit with Billy’s grandmother. She really hoped the woman woke up soon. The boy had dealt with enough loss to last him a lifetime, and he certainly didn’t need to lose his grandmother on top of losing his parents.
Her paperwork was filled out, and she would be there for the child if she could. Maybe they needed each other.
Her night of pleasure was certainly over — that was all she could say. The real world was intruding with a big splash, and she didn’t like it one little bit.
Chapter Twenty
I want all the information you can find about Billy Stephens and his grandmother, Vivian Stephens.” Tanner waited for his assistant’s answer before he added, “No one is to know about this.”
Without another word, he hung up. Why he even cared about this pathetic little kid was beyond him, but he’d been restless all day, pacing in his apartment, and he needed something to occupy his mind. How the hell had Kyla had been able to sneak away from his bed without his knowing it?
He didn’t normally fall asleep with a woman still in his bed, but the only reason he’d let Kyla stay in bed with him was to help maintain body heat and because she’d told him she was frightened of the dark. Yeah, that’s all it was. But even while nodding his head in agreement with what he was saying to himself, for heaven’s sake, he had to admit she was different.
He could tell himself all he wanted that he was going to walk away from her and never look back, but this small woman, this woman who was completely unsuited for him, was quickly wedging herself into his life.
He didn’t like that. Didn’t like it one little bit. And he would fight it like hell.
He’d just have to fight it until Christmas day, when he’d run like hell back to his bachelor heaven high in the Seattle sky. Take things one day at a time — wasn’t that what you had to do? Accept the things you couldn’t change? Suck it up? But a few more little fixes wouldn’t hurt. One thing Tanner knew for sure was that he wanted her back in his bed again tonight.
Waiting for her to arrive back home after work was killing him. Yes, he’d called the authorities and asked permission to walk over to the mall to accompany her here, and they’d denied him. They’d already let him go to the hospital, had let him have some leniency, they’d pointed out.
This damn ankle device was pissing him off. “Only a few more days to go,” he reminded himself out loud.
He was a good man, a man who gave to the community, who provided jobs, who obeyed the law. The two officers who’d so gleefully escorted him to this effing building didn’t seem to feel the same way, though. Well, to hell with them. He was only here for a little longer.
Okay, he had to admit that the thought of leaving and never seeing Kyla again was far less than appealing. But who knew what would happen in the next few days? He would just cling to the happy thought that he was temporarily insane, most likely from the mold he knew had to be everywhere in this old building.
When Kyla didn’t arrive back at the complex soon after her shift was over, he began to worry. What if something had happened to her? When two hours passed, he was about to break the law and go looking for her.
After a few more minutes, he made his way purposefully to the front doors of the building, not caring if the damn officers came and arrested him. She could be in trouble, and he needed to make sure she was okay.
Just as he pushed the doors open, she came through. He gave her no greeting as she looked up, startled, then quickly looked back down again. This wasn’t good. She wouldn’t even look him in the eyes.
“Where were you?” The question wasn’t meant to come out as so curt, but he’d been worried, dammit.
“What business is it of yours, Tanner?” she said as she looked back up, fire instantly leaping in her eyes.
“I was worried.” Again, Tanner was shocked when those were the words that popped from his mouth. He didn’t worry about people, and if he did, he certainly didn’t admit it.