Page 58 of Oh, Hell No

Did he think I was kidding? I mean, it did sound insane, but it had just appeared here. I had decided that I might be sleepwalking, and that explained the other things, but the wine didn’t work with that theory. I hadn’t walked in my sleep to a wine store in the middle of the night and bought this.

“I am serious, Oz. I don’t know where that came from. Someone put it here. I…I…”

My imagination was taking over. Different crime TV episodes I had watched of something like this happening began to play out in my head. The small hints that didn’t add up. They could be here now. My heart began to race in my chest, and I reached for the sharpest knife in the block, sliding it out.

“I’m not using that to open this. I mean, I can, but it will likely get cork in the wine,” Oz said.

I shook my head and put a finger over my mouth to silence him.

Someone had put that bottle in the rack. It could be drugged. Perry might have screwed someone else over that we didn’t know about. They might have found him in jail and come for me. This bottle was for me to drink, and then they would take me.

I walked as soundlessly as possible as I made my way to the pantry and jerked it open.

“What are you doing?” Oz asked.

I shook my head, but didn’t look back at him and continued toward the bathroom. If I were waiting for someone to drink the drugged wine I had left for them, where would I hide? I could be here awhile. They might not drink it right away. I didn’t have that many hiding places that were good for long-term hideouts.

My eyes slowly scanned the bathroom for any sign that they had been in here. My eyes went to the towel. Had that been them? Was the person here to take me a clean freak?

I stilled. There was the other scenario I’d thought of and didn’t want to think about. Some sicko who had been breaking into my apartment and watching me. Bile rose in my throat. The wine was so they could take me and…and keep me.

A large hand touched my arm, and I screamed, jumping and almost dropping the knife.

“Jesus,” Oz hissed behind me, reaching around and taking the knife out of my hand. “You’re gonna slice off a finger or toe. What the hell are you doing?”

He was going to think I was a wacko. Maybe I was. I’d been saying I needed counseling for wanting the man who had abducted me to also make me orgasm, but I mean, if I showed the counselor a picture of him, she’d probably agree that was normal. This stalker thing was not normal. Things being moved around and appearing in my apartment were far from normal.

I pointed at the towel. “See that?” I asked.

“The towel?” he asked.

I nodded, already regretting bringing it up.

“Yes.” He said the word as if he was worried about me.

“I didn’t hang it there. At least I don’t remember it. I left it on the floor of my bedroom last night.” My voice was barely above a whisper in case someone was here and heard me. “I’ve never seen that bottle of wine in my life. We can’t drink it. Someone could have drugged it—whoever put it there. Or maybe Perrypissed off someone else and they can’t get to him in prison so they’re coming after me.” I paused, then took a deep breath because this one was the scarier scenario. “Or I have a stalker who can get into this apartment.” I dropped my voice. “I was checking the place for someone.”

Oz’s hand squeezed my arm, but not painfully. “That’s what the knife was for?”

I detected humor in his tone. I was right. He thought I was crazy.

“I needed a weapon, and I don’t own a gun.”

I felt his warm breath against my cheek, and my girlie parts decided to wake up and distract me.

“I do.” His deep voice made me close my eyes for a moment.

Whew, that was nice. It would feed my time alone tonight.

“Why didn’t you ask me to search the place for you?”

That question caught me off guard.

I frowned. “I don’t know. I just…I just handle things. I don’t think about asking for help.”

I was proud of that independence too.

I was alone most of the time. I didn’t need to learn to depend on someone. It wasn’t like Oz showed up often. The only other time, I couldn’t even remember why, unless it had just been to give me the sloth. Wait…why had he come here today?

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