Page 13 of Theirs

“Newsflash, MacKenna,” I say, pulling my keys from my bag, sliding the brass knuckle keychain over my tiny fingers. “I walk around here all the time by myself... even at night.”

He stares at me, and I take off for the dimly lit breezeway that leads to my apartment. When I get to the stairs, I make it halfway up to my floor before I hear his footsteps following me. He doesn’t say a word as I come to a stop in front of my studio. I stick the key in and unlock the door, but I don’t open it because he’s looking over my shoulder. He plugs his nose at the pungent smell of one of my neighbors smoking weed.

“Do you have a roommate?” he asks.

I scoff. “That sounds like a question that I shouldn’t answer for a stranger.”

“Pretty sure you said many things you shouldn’t say to a stranger while sitting at my banquet table,” he retorts. “I just want to make sure you’ve got someone here to look out for you.”

“Just me,” I say, shrugging. “And Mr. Snuffy the cat. But just so you know, I sleep with a knife next to my bed, so don’t try anything or I’ll stab you. And Mr. Snuffy is half Maine coon, so he’s a big guy, and he’ll bite you until puss comes out of the teeth marks.”

MacKenna looms over me, both of us staring at each other, he looks disgusted with me. I, however, want to run my hand over his trimmed red beard.

I cock my head and squint my eyes. “Why did you even bid on me? You seem disgusted by my presence. The only way you could be more disgusted with me is if you went by the name of Alexander White.”

Something in MacKenna’s rock hard gaze softens, but he quickly recovers.

“I’m not disgusted by you,” he says, taking a step back. “And neither is Alexander. I—”

“You what?” I ask, taking two brave steps toward him, coming toe-to-toe.

He grinds his teeth. “I think you just need to learn some manners, and I think some discipline would do you some good, little girl.”

I laugh in his face, but only because I laugh when I get nervous, which makes his scowl deepen. I slip into my apartment while he’s caught off guard, and slam the door in his face. Making sure he hears me lock all three deadbolts.

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