Page 60 of Allure

So when I read yet another report about a mugging at New Age Grocery, I know it’s time for me to step things up.

I don’t dare tell anyone about this, but I start to hang out at the grocery store when it’s dark to see if the mugger will go after me again.

I’ll head inside the grocery store and buy a single item and head to my car, taking my time, not looking around, trying to seem as oblivious as can be, an easy target, prey.

Sometimes, I’ll get into my car, put my phone up to my ear, and pretend I’m talking to someone to have an excuse to go back inside and give the guy another chance at coming after me.

If he's here.

I also start to jot down the makes and models of the cars and their license plates to see if there are any repeats. It’s way too dark for me to be able to tell their color, but the license plates alone are a great way to distinguish between them.

On all accounts, this is a huge failure. No dice. No signs of the mugger as far as I can tell, and there aren’t any cars that seem to come here more often than any others. I’ve even started to log the time and start to spend hours there until I begin to realize that sooner or later, people are going to get suspicious of me or at least of my car. I mean, no one is going to think I’m the mugger, but still, my hanging around the scene of a crime? Multiple crimes? Probably not a good look.

And even more so, I’m starting to feel worthless. This isn’t helping any. All of this time could be spent working on my studies or else trying to work on the self-defense class. I’m putting my life on hold trying to nab this mugger, and the police are already on the case.

And the one night that I don’t go to the grocery store, when I spend it getting caught up on homework and then watching videos before hanging out with my friends and masquerading as a normal college girl?

Yeah, you guessed it. The next morning, there’s a report that there had been another mugging.

What are the odds? Unless the mugger did notice my lurking around. Hmm. Maybe he thinks I'm an undercover cop. If that's the case, then my being there is helping to stop him. How long is it going to take before someone fights back and is shot for it? Eventually, it's going to happen. It's bound to.

This isn’t my fight, I tell myself as I wearily climb into bed much later than I should every night.

But every night after dinner, I pretend I’m going to the library to get work done, claiming I don’t want to disturb Dawn and the others, and I find myself right back at New Age Grocery.

It’s not healthy, this obsession, but that’s my MO. That’s what I do. I get fixated on things. Just look at me and my goal against my father. Hell, just look at me and karate.

Finally, not quite two weeks into my one-woman crusade against the mugger, Dawn corners me after my classes on a Monday.

“You aren’t really going to the library, are you?” she asks softly. “I’m not judging you. I don’t care where you’re going. I just… Are you with Declan all this time?”

I burst out laughing. "No, I'm not with Declan. I haven't been with him since that one night. Things have been… I guess cordial would be a good word to describe it. I think he might be hoping I'll make the next move, but I told you. Once and done. Never again."

“How’s everything coming for the self-defense class then?”

“That’s… been pushed to the back burner,” I admit.

“So you aren’t working on that, and you aren’t working on your classes… I’m not prying. I’m just being a friend here, but… do you mind if I ask what’ve you’ve been up to?”

I hesitate. If I were in her shoes, I would be worried, too, and I can’t exactly say I’ve been there for her like I wanted to with going to the fitness center. That’s one ball I haven’t been able to juggle since I took on this crusade.

“I’m just trying to work through something,” I finally mutter.

“Do you want to talk about it? It’s fine if you don’t, but I want you to know that you have someone in your corner, okay?”

I grin. It’s maybe my first smile in a week. “Thank you,” I say softly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

That night, I don’t go to the grocery store.

There’s no mugging there.

But there is. Mugging at the next shopping center over from there.

Same guy? Highly likely, in my opinion.

But I try to tell myself that this isn’t my fault, that I can’t help what’s happening. I’m just a college freshman. How am I supposed to handle this all by myself?

Who could I ask for help, though? Not Dawn or Eliza or Kaylie. I won’t dare endanger them, not when all of the targets have been women.

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