Page 32 of A Taste Of Darkness

Michael cocked his head at me, his eyes calling me out way before his mouth did. “They know Arlo had been hiding with you, Milo.”

“How would they?” I walked over to my gas fireplace and picked up the remote for the LED lights that illuminated my living room, just to switch the warm tone of the light to a color that reminded me of someone.

The living room now lit up in a soft pink. While I didn’t like the color per se, it did calm my nerves as my brain got flooded with images of her.

“Just think about it,” he said. “How else would they have found you so suddenly? They knew you’d be here. It’s why Arlo found you so quickly as well.”

I knew very well that this was a possibility, but I didn’t want to entertain the idea that they’d simply let me go until…

Until I was truly needed.

17

UNDERESTIMATE

Sterlie Adams

They were following me.

All morning long, I had this feeling that I was being watched. As much as I looked around myself and appeared like a crazy fool, I couldn’t find anyone suspicious.

Soup had been on edge the entire time as well.

What I thought was going to be a calming morning walk turned into a nightmare filled with people and shadows that I wasn’t sure were truly there or if I imagined them.

I didn’t even make it to Soup’s favorite park as my paranoia was too strong. Truthfully, I didn’t think it was paranoia, as I saw people watching me. The only thing I wasn’t sure about was if they were watching me or if they were just looking at me because of Soup.

I was used to people smiling at me in awe whenever they saw my dog, though I didn’t understand why. Just because my dog was partially paralyzed didn’t mean she was less of a dog or deserved less love because of it.

I wasn’t being heroic when I took her in. She was the first dog that caught my attention when I got to that shelter. There was this immediate connection between her and me. If anyone thought I’d ignore that immediate bond just because she couldn’t use two of her legs, someone needed to give their brain a good rinse.

By the time I rounded the corner to Milo’s Street, I was sure those looks were dangerous ones. I got my confirmation when suddenly, someone who I hadn’t even found suspicious, walked up to me and, without giving me a second to process, pulled me right into an empty alley.

It happened so fast that I even let go of my purse and the leash, only half watching as my dog ran off since I wasn’t holding her back any longer.

My head hit the brick wall behind me as the man pressed me up against the building. At least he didn’t push me against the tree right next to me, I guess.

He reeked of a mixture of sweat and disgusting perfume. His breath made me want to kill myself.

If he already planned to be this close to me, the least he could’ve done was brush his freaking teeth.

Fear is only brain chemicals, I told myself when his dark eyes laid on mine. As long as I keep a clear head, everything will be alright.

Kai once told Flora how to escape attackers, though she’d never need it. When she told me, I only half listened because I thought I’d never get into a situation where I had to escape someone.

Clearly, I should’ve freaking listened.

The guy pressed his body tighter against mine and moved as if he was grinding against me, but I realized he was simply trying to retrieve a weapon from his pocket without loosening his grip.

Amateur. He should’ve had that weapon in his hand way before he attacked me.

“Where’s Luca?” he asked with a thick accent.

I shook my head. “I don’t know any?—”

He slapped me with the back of his hand before he pressed the barrel of his gun right between my eyebrows. Pain surged through me, and my cheek throbbed instantly. That was going to leave an ugly mark for a while.

“Where—” he inhaled just to sound angrier “—is Luca?”

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