In the Shadows (The Club)

"You left it on this morning?"

"I knew I'd be staying late." She shuddered and Zeke tugged her closer to him.

His voice was calm and steady when he told her, "I need to go take a look. Do you want to wait in my car, or come with me?"

"I'm staying with you."

"Okay. But I need to go take a look and see why your light is out. It may not be anything unusual."

"Maybe not."

Too bad they were both lying between their teeth.

***

Approaching the darkened doorway, Zeke realized his chest felt strange. Heavy and uncomfortable. Much of his profession relied on his ability to read his body's signs, but this new one had him stumped.

Vivian had been too focused on her door to comment when he'd gotten into his trunk safe and removed his Sigs. He hoped his actions were overkill, but wasn't willing to take a chance if her stalker was planning to make his move now. He kept Vivian behind him as they approached the door. He pretended not to notice that her hands were trembling as she rested them against the small of his back. As long as she didn't raise them higher, he'd be able to keep it together. He couldn't afford to let his control slip, not now, not when she may be in danger.

His cell phone's light was bright, but didn't illuminate the furthest edges of the area. It was enough to shine off a small package at the base of the door though, reflecting on some kind of plastic.

It was a bouquet. That shouldn't have triggered his every survival instinct. But the scent lingering in the air from the crimson buds...it was a smell he hadn't encountered in a while. And it sure as hell wasn't the scent of roses.

"Darlin', do you have your phone?"

"In my purse."

"You need to call the police, okay?"

He waited until she was on the phone with the cops to edge closer to the flowers and examine them. The buds were crimson, but the color was anything but natural. Sticky beads dripped from the petals onto the concrete landing, the flowers bleeding as they lay there. A simple white note was tucked into one of the cellophane folds on top.

He didn’t bother to look at it. Instead, he herded Vivian away, back to his car. He made sure she was tucked in and seatbelted before he took the phone from her and answered Detective Mancini’s questions, making sure Vivian couldn’t overhear the details from inside the car. Once the conversation was over, he slipped into the driver’s seat and left the lot, ignoring the flashing lights of the nearing patrol cars in his rearview mirror.

“Zeke, where are we going?”

“I’m taking you to my apartment.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s the only place I know I can keep you safe.”

Vivian’s sudden quiet left him shifting in his seat, afraid he’d done something wrong. Voice low, she murmured, “I didn’t mean for you to get involved in this.”

“Hey,” he interrupted, reaching for her hand. She slipped it in his and he raised her icy fingers to his lips. “I don’t give a shit about this psycho. And I just so happen to come with a skill set that’s useful in this situation. You didn’t get me into anything. I want to help. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said meekly.

He was only a few blocks away when he realized his mistake. “Wait, are you comfortable with this? I can check us into a hotel, if you want–”

“Zeke, this is fine,” she assured him, leaning forward to take in the modern lines of the newer section of Karim. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you...”

He shook his head as he turned into his building’s private garage. “No repayment necessary. Just don’t...” The flippant words he wanted to say caught in his throat. Don’t what? Get hurt? Get killed? He swallowed painfully and tried again. “Don’t...”

Scare me out of my goddamn mind? Leave me?

Vivian placed a hand on his leg. She was watching him closely, her full lips turned down in the hint of a frown, lines of concern marring her forehead.

“Don’t worry about it,” he managed. It sounded strangled, even to him.