Page 43 of Spies without a Face
But then the sensation that I was being spied on returned. My muscles tightened. I searched for the source, which I attributed to Marius. No sign of him.
“What’s wrong?” Austin asked.
He must have sensed my discomfort. How wrong I’d been to suspect him of being the eyes watching me.
“Nothing.” I wasn’t sure how to explain what was going on without getting into my past with Marius, which I didn’t want to affect my future with Austin.
Although he continued to watch me with concern, he didn’t push. “By the way, I made an appointment to bring Tuxy to the cat shelter you recommended.”
“Tuxy?”
“Yes, I know it’s silly, and I said I wouldn’t give him a name to confuse him, but it sort of happened and stuck.” His expression darkened.
“Oh, Austin.” I sighed. “You look downright devastated about it.”
He groaned in acknowledgment. “It’s going to be hard to say goodbye.”
“Maybe you don’t have to.”
He perked up, shooting a sideline glance at me. “You’re okay with me continuing to harbor a furry outlaw in my apartment?”
“No, but…” I pursed my lips. “You could find another place that allows cats.”Don’t say it, don’t say it, you have enough cats.“I can help out with cat concealment in the meantime.” For the love of black crackling cauldrons, what was wrong with me?
Austin smiled at me with a grin so wide, it affected me deep in my core. “You’re so kind, Pandora. I’m lucky to have you as my—” He cleared his throat and added, “—neighbor.”
I’m not sure what he was about to say, but I’d bet two handfuls of sage that it wasn’t ‘neighbor.’ “I’m happy that you’re my neighbor, too,” I added. And suddenly, Lucas’s suggestion of having a neighbor with benefits didn’t seem so bizarre.
I liked Austin. Maybe I didn’t want him just as a lover next door. Could we have something more? What I truly wanted was still a mystery. I groaned at myself. At my age, I should know what I wanted in life. I thought I did. But then my handsome neighbor showed up with a tuxedo kitten and then my ex-fiancé returned from the dead later that night and since then, my mind had tumbled into more turmoil than bats in a belfry.
Unease crept up my spine. I jerked so abruptly, my arm fell from his.
Something was out there.
CHAPTER16
AUSTIN
“What is it?” I asked Pandora.
“It’s this—feeling.” She searched around and then pointed up. “There!”
I followed her gaze. Dark winged creatures flew away in a V formation and disappeared into the night.
“What are they?”
She turned to me with a surprised expression. “You saw them?”
“I did. They looked like bats.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Maybe that’s all it was.” She ran her hand through her dark hair and released a shaky laugh.
“Are you okay?”
She bit her bottom lip. “No. I’ve felt like I’ve been watched for weeks now but nobody else sees or senses anything. I’m wondering if I’m just paranoid.”
“I don’t think so. I definitely saw them.”
She tipped her head and searched my eyes. “You think they were just bats?”
