Page 21 of Twisted Steel

Then he leaves, and my apartment feels too quiet after he is gone.Too small.Too exposed.I lock the door.Chain it.Check the windows.Check the bedroom latch and curse when I realize he’s right.It doesn’t close properly.

I stand there in my bedroom, staring at the useless lock, skin prickling.

Outside, an engine starts.Steel’s bike.It idles for a moment, then fades into the night.I tell myself I’m glad he’s gone, I tell myself men like him are the reason women like me end up patching holes in bodies, and I tell myself the strange hollow feeling in my chest is exhaustion.

Almost an hour later my phone buzzes with an unknown number.My pulse kicks as I open the message.

Unknown:The window gets fixed tomorrow.Sleep with the bedroom door locked tonight.

I stare at the screen.No signature because there’s no need for one, I know who it is.I should block him, but instead, I save his number.I should throw the phone across the room.I should absolutely not type back, but my thumbs move anyway.

Me:Stop giving orders.

Three dots appear, disappear, and appear again.

Steel:Stop making me worry.

My breath catches.I hate him.I hate the way those five words settle low in my chest, warm and dangerous.I type one word before I can think better of it.

Me:Gargoyle.

His reply comes almost instantly.

Steel:Paramedic.

I laugh.Just once.Small.Stupid.Real.Then something taps against my bedroom window.I freeze, and the phone slips in my hand.Another tap.Soft and deliberate.My blood turns to ice.For one endless second, I can’t move.The black card on my kitchen counter might as well be screaming.Not that I need it now that I have his number.

I grab my phone.This time, I don’t text.I call.

Chapter Four

Wrong Window

Steel

Harper calls at 3:17 AM.