Out of the Shadows (2 page)

But that wasn’t her task. Today, what precious free time she had was usurped by a monotonous game of I-Spy. Honestly, a trained monkey could sit in Heaven’s spot and no one would know the difference. Or care. If she hadn’t been halfafraid Terrence might kill her, she would have been happily tucked into bed at that very moment. Why was the library even open so late at night?

A man approached Lori’s table. Heaven shifted forward on the balls of her feet, memorizing everything about him.

Mid-twenties. Red hair, glasses. Thin build, not quite six foot. Dressed conservatively. Probably the librarian–or a nerd trying to hit on Lori, not that she currently looked her best.

“Lori, I know I said I’d keep the library open for you a little longer, but it’s getting late. I’m supposed to close at nine–ten if there are stragglers. It’s almost midnight.” When Lori didn’t move, he prodded her shoulder. “Lori? You may not have class in the morning, but I do.”

Lori blinked, as though only now hearing his voice. She glanced up over her shoulder. “What? Oh, sure Andrew. Sorry.” Her voice held none of its usual kick. In fact, she sounded…defeated.

Shit, shit, shit. Heaven needed to get out of there quick if she didn’t want to be trapped inside for the night. She’d done that once. Since her abilities didn’t extend to disabling alarm systems–especially from inside the building–it hadn’t been fun. But how was she supposed to sneak past the pair of them without being noticed?

Floor-to-ceiling shelves were godsends. Heaven slowly crept backward, though she kept her ear peeled for more conversation. Just how well did this Andrew know Lori? Could he be considered of interest to Terrence? Heaven was reluctant to implicate anyone without proof. She had no idea what sort of action Terrence might take. For now, she would hold her tongue.

With the shuffling sounds of a book closing to shield her footsteps, Heaven marched the length of the bookcase and peeked around into the next aisle. Lori and Andrew still stood by the table. Lori had straightened, towering over Andrew in her heeled boots. He put a hand on the goth’s shoulder.

Interesting.

Heaven skipped to the next bookcase, counted to five, and dashed for the next one. Andrew’s voice echoed down through the tense silence as Heaven continued her escape.

“Lori, are you feeling okay? You haven’t been yourself lately.”

“I’m fine,” Lori answered, but her voice sounded weary.

The door to the library stood open, hailing Heaven’s success. But she didn’t want to leave without knowing all the facts. Lori and Andrew had a history. What was it? How much did he know about her?

“Did you and Terrence have a…falling out?”

Andrew knew enough at least to know Lori had had a boyfriend. Maybe there wasn’t anything between them. Or was that a hopeful hint in his voice?

“Don’t mention his name again.”

Heaven was unprepared for Lori’s snarl. She jumped, nearly knocking over the book trolley she hid behind. She steadied it at the last minute. When she peeked around the side, she didn’t see Lori or Andrew. They were still deep in the library. Without waiting to hear more, Heaven lunged out the library doors.

A short antechamber met her, followed by the crisp, cold night air. She tugged her sweater closer to her, wishing for a jacket. Winter was well on its way. Trying to ignore the chill as best she could, she balled her hands in her sweater sleeves and searched for an inconspicuous place to wait for Lori to emerge. Nothing. The nearest building was fifty yards away. She had no choice but to slowly stroll away, hoping Lori would be quick to catch up to her.

Heaven pulled the hood over her head, as much for warmth as to disguise herself. Had it been so cold when she’d snuck into the library? Her foray into the warm building had stolen her tolerance. Already, the icy air seeped through her sweater into her bones and she started shivering. Not pleasant, but she couldn’t very well carry around a mini-heater.

Loose pebbles from the pavement crunched beneath her shoes. She dawdled as much as she could, but heard no sounds besides her footsteps and the pant of her breath. Did Lori intend to leave, after all? Just what was she doing with Andrew? Maybe it had been too soon to leave.

Curiosity overwhelmed her. She darted a quick glance over her shoulder, hoping to spot Lori’s tall, slim form. Instead, the flicker of a lighter illuminated a figure at the side of the building. The brief flash disappeared too soon for Heaven to ID the person. The glowing embers of a cigarette flared and died, just enough to let Heaven know she hadn’t imagined it. Why was someone waiting at the side of the building, outside of the halo cast by the front lights?

She couldn’t stand and gawp. That would be suspicious. Forcing herself to turn, she closed her mouth and quickened her pace. When she reached the nearest building, she melted into the deep shadows. In case the dark figure had followed her movement, she ducked and pretended to tie her shoe.

A cigarette. She sneered at such a rookie move. It was laughable! If the figure hadn’t lit up, she never would have found him. Actually, she should have thought to claim his spot for herself. Now she was glad she hadn’t. Wouldn’t that have made for an awkward moment?

Two figures emerged from the library, easily recognizable to Heaven as Lori and the shorter but equally spindly Andrew. She tensed. The pair parted without touching. Andrew gestured toward another building, likely asking Lori to accompany him. With her back turned to him, Lori said something–Heaven couldn’t hear what–and continued in the direction she’d chosen.

While they spoke, albeit briefly, the figure to the side of the library stood still. As Lori began to move, Heaven fastened her gaze on him. His cigarette blazed as he took one last drag. The glow soared in an arc when he flicked the bud away. It grew dark before he even ground his heel against it.

He detached from the wall, confirming Heaven’s suspicions. He was here for something, after all. In fact, he performed the same task as she did; to follow Lori.

Had Terrence sent him too? Just how many people did he need for one job? But she didn’t want to jump to conclusions in this case. If this man hadn’t been hired by Terrence, he might be a danger to her.

She held her breath as he passed beneath the light of the library. At least her assumption of his gender had been correct. His stocky, broad-shouldered form marked him as a man, unless he was some sort of steroid-popping female bodybuilder. Heaven pressed her lips together to stifle her snort. She didn’t have time to indulge in ridiculous thoughts like those.

Without Lori or some other tall marker around, she couldn’t measure his height. His shoulders were hunched against the cold, making it even more difficult. From this distance, he could be any age from fifteen to ninety. The collar of his jacket was turned up, shielding against the cold and blending seamlessly with his dark hair. Unfortunately, the limit of what Heaven could learn about him at this distance fast approached.

She counted to three, then stepped away from the building. Her toes had started to lose feeling from inactivity. Wiggling them as she walked, she scanned the campus for Lori.

Great. Her job had just gotten even more complicated. Now not only did she have to keep Lori in sight, but she also had to stay hidden from this newcomer. She sighed. Why couldn’t Terrence have left her alone?

Far ahead, Lori stood at the bus stop.
Please, please, please let my luck hold out
. Delay the bus for two minutes more…

But she wasn’t that lucky. The monstrous vehicle pulled to a stop. When it slid open its doors, Lori disappeared into the interior. The doors started to close, but the man in front of her held up his hand.

She was too far away to do the same, and Lori would recognize her even if she did. Heaven wanted to howl in frustration as the doors closed behind the man and her target. He stepped through the light of the street lamp too quickly for her to even catch a clear glimpse of his face. As the bus started to move, he took a seat. All Heaven saw of his profile was a strong chin and an aquiline nose.

She dashed to the curb. Thankfully, a cab turned the corner. After hailing it, she slid in and ordered, “Follow the bus.” The driver glanced at the rear view mirror only once before he complied. If he thought she was crazy, he hid it well.

Heaven trained her eyes on the window. Each time the bus slowed, she waited to see whether Lori stepped off. She rubbed her hands together, savoring the warmth of the cab after the chill outdoor air. All too soon, she noticed Lori’s form, followed by the goth chick’s mysterious watcher. Heaven paid the cab driver and stepped out.

There went tonight’s tips…

She swore under her breath as Lori stepped past a bouncer into a club called Underground. The man behind her calmly strode past, but Heaven didn’t doubt for a second he would circle back. Unlike him, she wouldn’t be able to gain entrance to the club. Instead, she jaywalked across the street and took up a post eying the club entrance.

Goths lined up along the sidewalk as the night deepened. Guys wearing more makeup than drag queens and girls who wouldn’t look out of place at a funeral procession. Heaven shifted every few minutes to keep her circulation flowing. She even prowled the block once or twice. During one pass, she noticed the
Help Wanted
sign on the door to the club and a plan started to unfold. She would need a fake ID, but with her connections, that shouldn’t pose much of a problem.

Right now, she just wanted to go home. She leaned against the building across from Underground and sighed.

“Why are you here?”

Heaven jumped at the smooth, masculine voice. She scowled at Terrence when he blocked her line of sight. Her heart pumped double-time. She tried not to show how he intimidated her. Best not to give him any bigger advantage than he already held.

Stepping to the side so she could keep her eye on the door, she spat, “I’m following your girlfriend, remember?”

“Lori is inside.”

“Yeah, and in case you haven’t heard about the legal drinking age in this country, I’m a little under age.” Not to mention in her understated jeans and sweatshirt, she would stand out like a clown in a fashion show. “They wouldn’t let me in.”

Terrence sneered. His severe good looks twisted into something ugly. And utterly terrifying. “I thought you were proficient at this. You can’t sneak around to the back?”

“And get tossed out on my ass? Then Lori would know I’d followed her. Not too smart there, Terr-bear, are you?”

As he stiffened, Heaven thought,
Why the hell am I baiting him?
This late at night, on the shadowed sidewalk, he could crush her and no one would ever know. Heck, he could sink his stupid fangs into her neck and half the patrons of the club would be implicated. She shrank back, pressing against the cold brick of the building behind her.

“What did you call me?”

Holding up her hands, she squeaked, “Look–” She cleared her throat. “Look, I’m not gonna lie. Tailing Lori is no picnic, but give me a day or two and I’ll get into the club. In the meantime, if you have enough time to check up on me, why don’t you watch her yourself?”

“I believe I hired you for that.”

Hired? Heaven nearly choked on her tongue. “Hired” implied he would pay her, but she doubted she would see a penny from this. Blackmailed was closer to the mark.

She glanced up into Terrence’s stone cold eyes. Time to test him. “Well I’m not the only one in that position, now am I? Since you’re already doling out your precious money, why don’t you let me off the hook? Your guy’s good, I’ll give you that. I didn’t even catch his face. If he hadn’t made a rookie smoking mistake, I never would have known he was there.”

“Him?” Terrence waited for her to elaborate. When she didn’t, he said, “What are you talking about?”

Heaven stood straighter. “You mean you didn’t hire two of us to watch Lori?”

Terrence’s stiff expression told her all she needed to know. She hoped he wouldn’t take the bad news out on the messenger.

“Well, then you might be interested to know I’m not the only one following her.”

Menacing emotions flickered over Terrence’s face, but he seemed to realize even intimidation wouldn’t prompt her to tell him something she didn’t know. “Where is he now?”

Did he really have to ask? Maybe he was more dimwitted than she’d thought. Shrugging her shoulders, Heaven tried to keep a nonchalant air. “My bet? Inside the club with your little girlfriend. He isn’t under age, after all.”

Terrence’s hands curled into fists. For a minute, memories flashed across her eyes.

She hunched her shoulders away from him, ready for a strike.