Page 12 of Laila Manning
Lately, I ached to feel the draw of electricity that burned in my gut every time I neared her door.
Lately, it was almost enough to be in the presence of her innocence, to feel like the weight of my darkness no longer threatened to shove me into the ground, inch by inch, until I was six feet under.
At least, that was until someone reminded me of all the reasons I shouldn’t even share her air.
Laila.
The name of the angel with the spirit of a wounded animal.
As if the mere thought of her could conjure her perfection, I caught sight of her on the sidewalk standing still, unmoving outside the mansion that belonged to a sleazy politician on Ryker’s payroll.
I pulled my blacked-out SUV over on the side of the street and put it in park, watching the mysterious woman as she stared up at the brick façade, still motionless. Her usually sharp senses were dulled, and she didn't notice me approaching; her alertness was gone.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice me silently stalking her from twenty yards away; the only sounds were the gentle breeze and the rustle of leaves under my feet.
Which meant that the house meant something to her, or something happened again.
Before I could think twice, my hand pulled the door handle, and I slid from the car, quietly closing it behind me as I walked up the sidewalk toward her.
Still, she didn’t move.
“Laila,” I called quietly so as not to spook her. If jumpy had a picture in the dictionary, it would be Laila with those big brown eyes rounded in surprise at every little noise or movement. Those eyes with flakes of gold in them made the monster in me wonder what they would look like swimming in tears, staring up at me as she kneeled at my feet.
Fuck.
“Laila,” I growled out with more force, trying to straighten out my thoughts, and as if on cue, her body jolted as she swung around to face me with that startled expression on her face.
And those deep, bottomless chocolate eyes staring up at me.
“Jesus.” She gasped, covering her heart with her hand as she twirled around, finally taking in her surroundings.
“What are you doing?” I questioned, keeping a couple of feet between us.
“What areyoudoing?” She avoided my gaze, staring just off to the side of my head like she normally did before glancing back at the house beside us.
“Trying to understand why you’re frozen stiff on the sidewalk, staring up at Senator Lupold’s house.” I nodded to the house again, and her jaw clenched slightly.
“Senator.” She repeated quietly before looking away from the house completely and facing me, straightening her spine, and taking a deep breath. “I got distracted. That’s all.”
“Distracted,” I repeated, not buying it. “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.” She countered, chewing her bottom lip the tiniest bit.
And that was her tell.
She always chewed on her lips when she lied or avoided the truth.
“Laila.” I urged, deepening my voice and drawing her attention back to me. “Don’t ever lie to me.”
“I’m not—,” She stopped and swallowed. “I’m just walking.”
“Where to?” I questioned. “Jed said you quit your job.”
Annoyance flared in her normally sweet eyes for a second before she turned and simply walked away from me, like I hadn’t interrupted her in the first place.
I stood rooted in place as she walked down the sidewalk away from me, stunned at her bravery. A sinister grin pulled my lips to the side while something akin to excitement burned down my spine as she got further away from me.
With a flick of my wrist, I locked the SUV with my fob and followed her. A fire ignited within me, growing stronger with each footfall on the concrete behind her.
