Page 24 of Alik

“Come on.” He pulls away from me to take a step in the direction I came, then nods down the street. “I know a shortcut.”

A shortcut?

When he starts that way, I don’t question him. I follow close behind, having to jog to keep up, and looking over my shoulderfor the car. He leads me into an alleyway, walking all the way down until it breaks into a T where he pauses to look back at the road. I do the same.

Are we hiding here?

“Who was that?” he asks, bringing my eyes back to him. In the dark, his red eye seems to glow, and if he were an animal hiding in the bushes, he’d be terrifying. Heisterrifying. Horribly terrifying. And electrifying.

“I can’t tell you,” I whisper, although no one is around. I think I’m just too afraid to say any of this out loud. “It would be dangerous for you if I did.”

He tips his head toward the road. “They just saw me with you. It’s more dangerous for me not to know now, don’t you think?”

Is it?

Would they… Would they hurt him just for being seen with me?

“Oh no…” My lips part, and I put a hand over my mouth. “Alik, I’m so sorry.”

“Who’s following you?” His eyes roam my face. “Does someone want to hurt you?”

He says it with no emotion, no concern, but instead of it stinging, it makes me shudder. Something feels off again.

“I think so.”

“Who?”

The alley feels uncomfortably silent, as if no one is around for miles, which can’t be true. When I look around, I see the alley only forks off to two different main roads, one being the one I was about to walk down.

Where is this a shortcut to?

“What were you doing over here?” I ask, my eyes drawing back to him. He’s still expressionless. More so than I rememberhim last. There isn’t an ounce of warmth emanating from him, despite him saving my life. Despite me being so scared.

I’m weird. I accept that. But the way he’s acting would never be considered normal.

“Working,” he says.

“Working?”

He nods.

“What kind of work?”

His eyes narrow. “The private kind. Are you going to answer my question or not?”

I shrink back, my feet slowly shuffling. Alik’s eyes lower as he notices until my back hits a brick wall, then he meets my gaze. There’s a threat in his eyes, on his face, in his voice, contained in his entire aura that’s new to me.

The hairs on the back of my neck are straight up again, but Alik won’t be rescuing me this time. He’s the cause for the alarm.

Something’s wrong.

Something’s really wrong.

Him being here isn’t a coincidence.

He didn’t bring me into this dark, secluded alley to help me.

My eyes scan the alley, seeking help I know won’t be there, and when Alik moves toward me, I open my mouth to scream.

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