Page 15 of Rune
Why had my ultra-safety-conscious sister let someone she didn’t know inside?
I needed to get her out of the house.
This was my problem, not hers. If someone was going to be horribly tortured and killed, it needed to be me, not her.
“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
Worse. It was so much worse. I was seeing the man I’d almost killed. In my living room. With my sweet little sister bringing him hot beverages. And my so-called protection dog rolling onto her back and begging for more belly rubs.
“What is he…” I started, but my throat was too tight to squeeze out any other sounds.
“Oh, Rune?” Sofia asked, smile huge.
Oh, God.
Oh, how had I screwed this all up so epically?
“I let him in. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
Why,why, had I given her his name?
Dammit.
Rune’s gaze had been on me since I’d walked in, but now he shot me a lazy grin. Like this was all so amusing.
“Been talking to little sis about me, huh?”
“What were you going to tell me?” Sofia asked.
“Oh, um. Chip wants us to plant a vegetable garden. Actually, can you, uh, do me a favor? Can you run down to Church Street and help him? He rode his mower down there to get the starterplants. He’s not going to be able to bring them back on that thing.”
“Stubborn old man,” Sofia said, shaking her head. But she was already getting her shoes on. Good. That was good. She’d be safe out there. Then if this guy needed to kill me, then, well, so be it. But she’d be okay.
“Thanks, Sof,” I said as she brushed past me.
“Come on, Hamster. Let’s take a walk.” That was the magic word for the dog, who rolled over, fell off the couch, then lurched to her feet with her ass about to fall off from wiggling so hard as she got her leash attached. “Maybe I’ll even get that garden started,” she told me with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. “So you guys can have some privacy.”
Before I could respond to that, she was gone.
And we were alone.
I stood there for a moment, listening to Sofia coo at Hamster as they moved across the porch, down the steps, her voice growing thinner as she got further away.
For a second, there was nothing but silence. But my thundering heartbeat, and my jittery nerves.
I wasn’t even conscious of the decision to move.
But one second, I was standing two feet inside the door.
The next, I was making a mad dash toward the kitchen.
To, I don’t know, grab a knife or something.
But Rune was prepared for me to run.
He shot up off the couch cushion, snagged me around the waist with one arm, and dragged me back with him.
I landed with my ass half on his thigh and struggled enough to drop down at his side instead. There was no use trying to get away. His one arm was stronger than my whole body. It pinched around me too tightly, making me try to shrink smaller to ease the ache.
