Page 1 of Unexpected Danger
Chapter 1
The noise jolted her from a sound sleep.
Who could be texting her at this time of night? Her first thought was Brodie. But no, he wouldn’t send a text.
Not out of nowhere.
Not after the way she’d broken his heart.
It could be Mom.
But no, she rarely contacted Londyn.
A friend, perhaps?
Was there an emergency?
Londyn Siegler reached an arm across the span of the nightstand to her cell phone. She opened one eye and clicked on the text icon from a number she didn’t recognize.
HELLO.
She returned the phone to the nightstand and rolled back over. Likely someone texting the wrong person.
The ping sounded once more. Whoever it was needed to save their communication until morning. She flipped the phone over again.
HELLO, BEAUTIFUL.
Londyn groaned. Most likely some lovelorn weirdo in a different time zone accidentally texting the wrong number at 1:45 a.m. And in all caps?
She was about to replace it on the nightstand again when another text popped up before she could clear her phone.
YOU’RE EVEN BEAUTIFUL WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPING.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and she instinctively peered around her bedroom just to be sure no one was watching her sleep. There would be no easy way for anyone to enter her room, not with the front door and windows locked. Raindrops splattered against the window, and lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the slim cracks edging the area where the improperly cut blinds didn’t reach.
Londyn sat up, slipped out of bed, and padded across the wood floor. Cautiously, she peeked out the window. Tree branches waved in the wind, and a whistling sound from the wind entering the house through the poorly fitted window meshed with the sound of the spitting rain.
It was then that she saw him.
Or at least it looked like a “him”. But she couldn’t be completely sure.
Londyn rubbed a clear spot on the window where her breath had fogged it up for a better view.
Across the road in front of a nearly identical apartment building, someone lurked in the shadows, a dark-colored hood secured around his head.
He or she looked up, making eye contact with her.
She shivered, and her heart palpitated. Her feet refused to move and remained planted in place.
Seconds ticked by before the person retreated into the darkness of the night.
Londyn gripped the windowsill. Sweat chilled her forehead. Was he the same one sending her the texts? Or was it two different random people with no connection?
Should she call the police? Wait until tomorrow? Londyn left her post at the window. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she rushed to shut the bedroom door, lock it, and stand with her back to it, willing her heart to stop pounding incessantly in her ears.
Lord, please help me. Please let it have only been a nightmare.
She ignored the niggling voice in her head that reminded her she rarely had nightmares, or at least ones she remembered.
