Page 5 of Down to One

Had she just stepped into some surreal dream world? Landon Ryan, one of the hottest males in all of pro sports, had just invited her to lunch? Not a date, for sure, but just as a baseball fan it was a bucket list checkmark. And while saying yes was probably the worst decision in the world, Katie really, really wanted to say yes.

"C’mon," Landon urged, "I know these streets like the back of my hand. I promise I’ll get us there without anyone spotting us. I saw where you planned to go for lunch on your little list, and this place is way better.Waaaaybetter. In fact, just cross that other place off your list entirely. It’s dog shit."

A big grin stretched across Katie’s face, hedging out her raging anxiety. She hadn’t expected him to be so...silly. So easygoing. On the field, he was about as intense as it got in the MLB, and that was saying something. This was the guy who held the Mavericks’ team record for most game ejections in a single season. He argued with umps, he talked shit to the other team, he talked shit in his own dugout, he even got into it with the coaches.

And yet, just being near him eased all the tension pent up inside her. The mischievous sparkle in his eyes was infectious, pulling her to fall into step beside him before her brain had officially decided it was a good idea.

Instead of leading them back to the sidewalk, Landon headed further into the alley she’d ducked into by chance moments ago. What were the odds that this great place was at the end of it?

That thought niggled in Katie’s brain and set down roots as they went around a corner and the passageway dampened and narrowed. Then it ended. She could see it for herself, just twenty or so steps in front of Landon, nothing but a soot-stained brick wall with a green dumpster pressed up against it.

An icy dread slithered into Katie’s toes then crawled up into her chest, kicking her heart into high gear. Landon Ryan assaulting her in some back alley in the middle of the day seemed even more far fetched of an idea than him taking her on a date, yet the sense of being trapped overwhelmed her. The claustrophobia consumed her mind as it raced to come up with any possible scenario taking place at the dead end of a dark alley that came with a wholesome ending. She couldn’t seem to rustle one up. Could she have read him that wrong?No, no, no way. But she had been wrong before. She’d been wrong about Kyle. Very wrong.

Katie’s feet faltered, refusing to move forward, the tightness in her chest creeping upwards at an alarming rate. She knew this sensation. This panic. Once it reached her throat, she wouldn’t be able to breathe. She’d turn into a gasping, shivering mess of tears and moansand dizzying pain."A physical manifestation of your emotional state," Dr. Walton had said, but Katie drew blanks on what he’d told her to do about it.

Landon glanced back over his shoulder, his dark brow furrowing when he realized she’d stopped. "You okay?"

That simple concern in his voice was everything Katie needed to hear. It moved in like a swift army, fending off the creeping tightness in her chest, pressing it back to allow the oxygen to return. Allowing her to remember.

"Breathe…just breathe."That’s what Dr. Walton had said. "Breathe and think. What assumptions are you making, Katie? Where do you have power?"

"Hey, what’s up?" Landon asked, since she still hadn’t moved. Since she still stared back at him like some pale, wide-eyed mess.

She sucked in another shot of air, then managed an answer. "I’m fine. It’s just my uh, my shoe."

She bent over, making imaginary adjustments to her sandal so she could get herself together. When she stood up, Landon had his hand out and Katie didn’t give her stupid overthinking brain a chance to intervene. She took it, and let the warm snugness of his palm rescue her from herself. From her past.

In a few more steps, they maneuvered around the dumpster and Katie saw that air ducts and a pile of crates had been blocking another, smaller alley branching off the one they were in. Hand clasped in his, she followed him around two more bends, until the buildings they were sandwiched between grew taller and Katie had to twist her neck to peer up at them. A parking lot loomed in front of them and Landon slowed to a halt, dipping his head around the corner and looking both ways before giving her the "all clear" nod.

Katie giggled as he pulled her out into the sunlight and they crossed the pavement in an easy jog, her sandals slapping until they came to a stop in front of a heavy metal door. There were no signs on it or near it, no clues as to what lay on the other side. They could have been walking into one of the secret pop up restaurants she’d been reading about, a deli, or a strip club. Hell, it could be a secret sex club because she’d read about those too.

With a mysterious waggle of his eyebrows, Landon pulled open the door and ushered her inside.

chapter 4

There were no stripper poles on the other side of the door. No doorman expecting a secret password for tiny plates of trendy food. It was a kitchen, warm and bustling, the savory aromas of meat and onions permeating the air.

A heavyset man with a spatula in his hand and a pencil behind one ear, raised his free hand in salute and called out, "El Mago!"

"El Mago!" "El Mago!" Two other men in matching white coats echoed in unison.

Landon had just enough time to bump fists with the three cooks before a round Hispanic woman with a grey bun on the very top of her head, waddled in and enveloped him in a rocking hug.

"Ohmijito, we have missed you," she crooned. "Where have you been?"

"Playing ball, Paola. You know that. We’re right in the middle of the season."

"Oh yes,si, si,thebeisbolteam. Thee Mavens."

"The Mavericks," Landon corrected with a chuckle, giving the old lady another affectionate side squeeze. "Paola, this is my friend Katie."

"Uh co-worker," Katie corrected, holding her hand out.

Paola took it and sandwiched it between her own instead of shaking it. "Ahhh,Catalina.This one is special,mijo. She’ll keep you in line; I can tell. My niece, her name isCatalina, so it must be a sign."

Landon gave Katie a playfully assessing look as if re-sizing her up through Paola’s eyes. But he didn’t correct the old woman’s assumptions.

"No, actually, this is a um, work meeting. I work for the Mavericks," Katie reiterated because apparently Landon wasn’t going to. Paola seemed sweet enough, but TMZ got their stories from somewhere.

---