He still didn't budge.
I sighed. "Please?"
"First, tell me your name."
"Why?" I felt myself swallow. "So you can call the police?"
"Your name," he repeated. "First and last."
Arden Weathers. That was my name. Still, I refused to say it because the last thing I needed now was more trouble. I tried to think. What if I gave him a fake name? Would that do the trick?
Probably not. But hey, it was worth a shot, right?
"Fine," I said. "It's Clara Cooper."
His posture stiffened. "What?"
I felt my eyebrows furrow. Obviously, something had changed, and not for the better. Did he know that I was lying?
Maybe. I bit my lip. But maybe not.
Pushing my luck, I said the name again, this time with more bravado. "Clara Cooper."
His only reply was a single world, spoken almost too low to make out. "Fuck."
Now it was my turn to stiffen. It wasn't just the profanity. It was something in his voice, something new and ominous.
Either he knew that I was lying, or some girl named Clara Cooper had really done a number on him. Either way, this wasn't good.
I held my breath and waited.
Finally, the guy turned – but not toward the open doorway. Instead, he reached toward the sink behind him. While I watched in new confusion, he gave the faucet a hard twist.
As water gushed into the sink, I asked, "Why'd you do that?"
A moment later, I had my answer in the form of icy water shooting from the shower head and pelting my naked skin. With a little yelp, I hollered out, "Hey! What the hell?"
When the guy spoke again, his voice was so cold, it made the water feel warm in comparison. "See you in the hall, 'Clara.'"
All modesty forgotten, I jerked back and fumbled for the shower handle. Desperately, I twisted until the icy water stopped running.
I looked outward just in time to see the stranger leaving through the open bathroom doorway. He didn't even bother to shut the door behind him.
Well, that was nice.
Shivering now, I stared after him, wondering what on Earth had just happened. Already, the image of his departure was burned into my brain, and not because he had the tightest ass I'd ever seen.
It was the other thing I'd noticed– the blurry handle of what could only be a gun, poking out from the rear waistband of his jeans.
When I shivered again, this time it wasn't because of the cold.
Still, I tried to look on the bright side. At least he hadn't shot me.
Not yet, anyway.
Chapter 3
Brody
Clara Cooper, my ass.
I'd just realized who she was, and her name wasn't Clara. It was Arden Weathers, my least favorite psycho.
I hadn't seen her in years – six to be exact. But if I had a shit-list from high school, her name would be right at the top.
From inside the bathroom, she was muttering, "Oh, and thanks a million for closing the door."
Was she talking to me?
Not likely. Yeah, I was the only one here, and yeah, it was me who'd left the door open. But judging from her tone, she was talking to herself, as if I couldn’t hear what she was saying.
It was vintage Arden. She'd done that in high school too, back when I'd had the sorry luck to be partnered with her in chemistry.
We weren't friends. And that wasn't going to change any time soon.
I was standing just a few feet away from the bathroom doorway, leaning sideways against the wall. From here, I couldn’t see into the bathroom, but I'd be sure to catch her if she tried to run off without explaining what she was doing here.
I called back, "Hey, you're welcome."
Silence.
I scoffed, "What, you thought I couldn’t hear you?"
More silence.
That was fine by me. I was busy, anyway. On my way out of the bathroom, I'd snagged her cell phone off the counter near the sink.
And why?
It was because I wasn't a dumb-ass, that's why.
The last thing I needed now was for her to start making phone calls, serving up stories to the police – or hell, even to the media – about how I'd accosted her in the shower.
My shower.
My house.
My rules.
It was my hot water, too, and I wasn't sorry for cheating Arden out of the last of it.
Inside the bathroom, the sink's faucet was still running. I couldn't see it, but I could hear it loud and clear, even out here in the hall.
Just to be a dick, I called out, "Oh hey, turn off the sink, will ya?"
I heard a sigh, but nothing else. Probably, she was still hiding out in the shower, as if she wouldn’t need to come out eventually.
But hey, I had all night. And the delay wasn't all bad. It gave me more time with her phone. With one hand, I started scrolling through her texts. I started at the top, where she'd left dozens of messages for someone named Jason.
Her boyfriend?
Maybe.
If so, they were definitely on the outs. Her texts fell into one of three basic categories.
Where are you?
Why aren't you calling me back?
Will you please text me or something?
Some of the messages, the later ones in particular, included a good bit of profanity. All of them reeked of desperation.
The cursing surprised me. In high school, Arden hadn't been the type. Instead, she'd been all prim and proper – well, except for that one time, when she'd cursed up a storm.
And me? I'd been on the receiving end.
As far as her desperation, that surprised me too. I didn't like Arden. Hell, I might even hate her. But I wasn't blind to what I'd seen back in high school and just now in the shower.
A girl like Arden – she wouldn’t need to beg.
At the memory of her silhouette, naked and slippery with suds from her hair, I felt my jeans tighten only a fraction before I remembered
