Page 3 of Revealed

Before I could lament all the bananas that had given their lives, a loud wailing siren made me nearly drop my bags. I froze in the middle of the crosswalk, swiveling my gaze to search for an emergency vehicle or quickly approaching storm. But, aside from other people looking equally confused, there was nothing.

Then I watched as others whipped out their phones that also screeched with alarms. But that alarm I knew. It was the alert from the emergency broadcast system, and I’d grown up hearing tests of it. But as eyes widened and people started to run, I knew this was not a test.

Still, I could not move. Fear had locked me into place, and even as cars screeched around me, I couldn’t get my legs to move. If I crossed to the other side, I would know what everyone else did, and a part of me didn’t want to look as terrified as them.

As the blood pounded in my ears, I spotted a man who looked completely out of place. Not only was he taller and broader than almost any man I’d ever known, but he wore a black suit that was far too formal for the hot South Carolina day. His hair was dark and pulled back, and even though sunglasses shielded his eyes, I could feel his gaze when it landed on me.

Before I could back away from the massive man, he had crossed to me and wrapped an arm around me without asking, movingme out of traffic and saying something about getting me off the road.

Once I was on the sidewalk, he dropped his arm. “Do you have someplace safe to go?”

I hadn’t told him it was okay to touch me, but now I missed the warmth of his arm around my waist, which was odd. I stared at him, forgetting what he’d asked me. “What’s happening?”

“I do not know, but you should take shelter.”

His voice was low and deep, and it was like thunder rolling through me and sending a shiver down my spine. This made me think of the storms that regularly battered the East Coast. I mumbled something about hurricanes, which I don’t think he heard because he asked me if I worked in a flower shop.

Were we just going to exchange random questions? “No. Why?”

He didn’t answer, but just then the ground trembled, and a yelp escaped my lips.

He glanced at the white-hot sky. “Take shelter.”

I tilted my head at him. “What about you? You’re not from around here, are you? Where are you going to go?”

My questions seemed to stump him.

“Come on,” I said. I couldn’t leave my Good Samaritan high and dry. “I live right around the corner. You can shelter with me.” When he hesitated, I added, “You saved me from being run over. I owe you one.”

Once again, I could feel his gaze from behind the dark glasses. Finally, he nodded.

I jerked my head to one side and started to walk quickly. “This way.”

I’d only gone a few steps when a shadow fell across us. I tipped back my head to see what could be darkening the cloudless sky, but the massive shape emerging from nothing was impossible.

The man snatched the shopping bags from my hands. “Run!”

I didn’t wait to start running, my heart racing as I dashed down the street and around the corner. The huge man was right next to me, and people leapt off the sidewalk to avoid being run over by him and the swinging bags of groceries.

My hands shook as I dug into my crossbody purse for my keys and ran up the walk to the brick townhouse that had been converted into apartments. I found them and managed to get the front door open, practically falling inside but managing to hold the door open for him.

It was only when I was fumbling to get the key into the lock for my apartment that I questioned the wisdom of inviting a total stranger into my home. It was the kind of thing that got people killed in horror movies, but here I was, letting the guy carry my groceries and be a hero.

Even as logic told me I was being an idiot, there was something about the man that made me feel safe. Maybe my judgment was skewed and I’d regret the decision for the rest of my short life, but I knew in my gut he would not hurt me.

I swung the door open, remembering only then that I’d left my place a mess. Clothes were strewn across the floor, dishes were piled up in the sink, and my calico cat was lounging across my small dining table as if she always slept there, which she did. Myface flushed, but when I glanced at the man beside me, he didn't seem to notice or care.

"Sorry about the mess.” I stepped inside and dropped my keys in a bowl by the door. “I wasn't expecting company."

He placed the bags on the table, causing Dinah to get up in a huff, twitch her fluffy white tail at him, and jump to the floor. “I do not mind.”

He must have been distracted by that big thing in the sky, whatever it was, because he looked as shellshocked as I felt.

He watched Dinah sashay toward my bedroom. "What species is that again?”

I blinked, unsure if I had heard him correctly. "It's a cat.”

Oh boy. He was more affected by what was going on than I’d thought.

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