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My body erupted in goosebumps and the door opened as Maverick came in.
“Noelle,” she said. Her expression was tight.
I passed the phone to her. “Figure it out,” I snapped.
Fear threatened to take over, I pushed it down. I was in the middle of the compound with ten men in the building and I had Maverick with me. I was safe.
“Everything ok?” Arthur had his brow raised.
“Yeah, just working out the kinks in our security system,” I said, trying to stay calm.
“I’m sure the transition of power is hard, and people are chomping at the bit to take over,” he said matter-of-factly. “Men in this line of work are threatened by women who do this job better than them.”
“What makes you think I’m doing a better job than they are?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’ve seen my sister raise a child while going to school,” he shrugged. “She graduated on the Dean’s List, and she is now thinking of going back to school to become a nurse practitioner. Men think women are only good for ensuring our future, but I think you could rule the world with more efficiency than fifty men.”
I studied him, thinking he was too good to be true, but he looked sincere.
“Why do you think a woman runs the town better than her father did?” he smirked. “It’s a family who runs the towns, but until she came into the picture, the towns were floundering.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that information. I had heard the whispers about the Mayor and what she had had to clean up.
“Thanks for coming, Arthur,” I said, standing up as the door opened again.
Maverick held the phone out to me, with a scowl on her face.
“Maverick will escort you out and we will be in touch," I said, dismissing him.
“Thanks for seeing me, Noelle,” he said and shook my hand. “I look forward to working together.”
I nodded as he buttoned his coat and left with Maverick.
“Yes,” I said, holding the phone to my ear.
“Stay inside, do not leave,” King clipped.
“Is that really?—”
“Two more sensors were tripped,” he said quickly, as I heard his bike start.
“King,” I said, my heart skipping a beat. “You don’t have to come, I have?—”
“We are an hour away,” he sighed. “Boogie and I know the system and I want to check it ourselves. No one leaves.”
“I just finished an interview, I can’t make him stay,” I snapped.
“Boogie will call Mav,” King said as he revved his engine. “Stay put, Doll.”
He ended the call. I sighed thinking this was overkill, but a sick part of me liked that they were coming to check on me. The distance was killing me and every day it was getting harder to quell the urge to quit and just live at Halloween Town with them.
I left my office, tempted to go to the room with all the cameras, but that would only make me worry more, so I walked to my room to get my thoughts in order. The quiet hallways unnerved me, my heart beat faster as my mind raced with thoughts that someone was inside the compound. I walked into my room and felt better when I locked myself in.
This was getting stupid. I was safe here, Maverick was here along with a few of my men. There was no way someone could get to me. I walked to my bed and froze when I noticed a note was in the middle with blood red letters that read ‘DEAD SLUT’ and the outfit I used to wear was covered in what looked to be blood.
Chapter 10
King
