Page 5 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
My knuckles ached with how tightly I was clenching them. I’d been standing on the other side of the road, watching her through the window, for the entirety of her shift two days after she visited the ranch. Not once did she bother looking through the dirty glass, as if her life wasn’t in danger and she shouldn’t be checking over her shoulder.
She was too fucking naive to think this wouldn’t goanywhere, and I was going to prove her wrong. She didn’t want to watch her back? I’d give her a reason to.
It was dark now, the temperature dropping as soon as the sun went behind the mountain bordering one side of the town. But knowing McKenna, she’d walk out of that diner in her tiny little skirt and too-tight top and make her way to her car without a single second glance. She’d either die of hypothermia if someone knocked her out, or get stabbed walking alone in the dark.
Another hour ticked by, then she finally undid the knot on her apron, saying something to a coworker before heading through the door to the kitchen.
That was my cue.
I slid the skeleton mask on my face, adjusting it before tossing my hood over my head. I looked both ways, crossing the street to stop at the head of the alley at the back of the building. Then I waited, my shoulder pressed up against the brick as I listened for the door to open.
It swung fast—McKenna showed no hesitation as she stepped into the alley and headed my way. Could she be any more fucking oblivious? What part ofshe needed to be carefuldid she not understand? The woman hadn’t bothered to watch her surroundings all day, and now here she was, traipsing through a dark-ass alley like it was a field of freshly bloomed flowers.
She headed the opposite way of where I was positioned, toward where she’d parked her car at the beginning of her shift. The heavy door slammed shut as she rounded the corner, and I followed.
With my hands tucked in my pockets, I gained on hereasily, and not once did those blue eyes make an appearance over her shoulder.
She was going to regret that.
She paused a good distance from her car, the single street light flickering twenty feet away as she fished for her keys in her purse. She should have already had them out, but like with everything else, she wasn’t thinking.
She let out a small curse, shoving shit aside in that bag of hers, and then I was on her. I wrapped an arm around her waist as I simultaneously covered her mouth with my hand. She let out a muffled scream, and I pinned her front to the car. Her mouth opened, teeth finding my glove and biting down hard. She didn’t pierce my skin, but at least she was attempting to fight.
How cute.
“Not being very careful now, are you, kitten?”
Her body froze at the sound of my voice, her breathing still hard and frantic from the sudden panic.
From where my other hand was plastered to her ribs, I could feel her heart beating rapidly. Her nostrils flared as she tried to catch her breath with her arms pinned between her body and the car.
I spun her around, keeping my hand over her mouth, but now her back was pressed to the cold vehicle.
I leaned in, my mask grazing her cheek. “I could gut you where you stand and no one would know,” I murmured. I inhaled, catching the delicious scent of strawberry again.
My hand slid from her mouth down her jaw, fingers pressing against the pulse in her neck. “If I had a knife, I’d aim right here.”
“Get off me,” she hissed, chest rising and falling quickly.
“Would an attacker who wanted you dead listen to such a simple demand?”
She froze. “Austin?—”
“I’m not Austin,” I ground out. “I’m the guy who’s going to stab you in the fucking spine if you don’t watch your fucking back. Nowdosomething about it.”
But she didn’t react. She just stood there, like a deer in the headlights. Behind my mask, I studied her. Wide blue eyes, her ponytail falling slightly from her brief struggle. Her lips were full. Pink. Perfect.
I tilted my head, my fingers leaving her pulse to trail down to her collarbone. “Did I scare you, my pretty McKenna?”
She didn’t react to the name. “No.”
I hummed, my touch moving to hover over her heart. Right over her breast. “Your heart betrays you.”
“This isn’t funny, Austin,” she spat, jumping out of her stupor and shoving at my chest. I didn’t move.
“Is that all you got, kitten?”
Her mouth pursed before she rolled her eyes. “I’m not doing this with you.”
