Page 99 of Finding Lexie
Lexie frowned. She didn’t like that anyone thought that way, but especially someone who worked for Food For All. Too often the people they met had been discriminated against and had many strikes against them. Some had been in prison and were trying to get back on their feet, others were alcoholics or addicted to drugs. And while Lexie was aware that not everyone had good intentions, she still preferred to give people the benefit of the doubt.
They reached the doors to her building and Magnus turned to her. She saw he had some blood on his knuckles. “You should get that cleaned up.” For some reason, she didn’t offer to let him come up to her apartment to do it.
“I will,” he said. “Look. I am sorry about that man scaring you. But there are many like him who would want to hurt a pretty woman like yourself.”
“He was an anomaly,” she insisted stubbornly.
“Like him?” Magnus asked, turning and using his head to gesture across the street.
Lexie looked where he’d indicated and saw an alleyway. She was about to ask what he was talking about when she saw movement. A man stood up and stared at her.
“I believe that is…Theo?” Magnus said. “You told me about him in our correspondence. You said he scared you.”
“It was just that once. Things got intense in the fight,” Lexie said a little nervously.
“Then why is he watching your apartment complex? Lurking in the dark, following you?”
Lexie didn’t have an answer to that. She wanted to protest, saying Theo was probably just staying in the alley for the night. That it was a coincidence he was there. But the truth was, she didn’t know that for a fact. He had a tendency to leave before her in the afternoons, and she had no idea where he went or what he did at night. He was usually one of the first people there in the mornings for breakfast. Sometimes he stayed all day and other times he left right after he ate.
“He is not right mentally,” Magnus said gently. “It is not good that he is here. He watches you. I saw it today. And you told me earlier that he’s always waiting in the morning for Food For All to open, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re usually the first one to enter the building. He could overpower you when you get there. You need to be careful, Lexie.”
Lexie nodded and pressed her lips together in agitation. For the first time in months, she didn’t feel safe. She’d had no problems walking around Galkayo by herself. She’d roamed the streets of Berlin and New York on her own. She’d even lived in East Saint Louis for a time and had made friends with the people she’d interacted with on a daily basis.
And not once had she ever felt as nervous as she was right now. She hated the feeling. She needed to get inside. “I will. Thanks for walking me home,” she told Magnus.
“It was my pleasure. You will be there in the morning, like usual?” he asked.
“Yes. Why?”
“Natalie has given me a key, so I can come and go as needed to make sure I have enough time to finish the audit. I’ll think I’ll also go in early, to keep an eye on you.”
Lexie nodded, feeling only slightly relieved. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”
“Goodbye. Until tomorrow.”
Lexie let out a relieved breath when the doors closed behind her. She reassured herself that Theo didn’t know what apartment she lived in. Besides, Midas would be there soon. She was fine. Safe.
But the goose bumps that rose on the back of her neck belied her positive thoughts.
* * *
Midas tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator rose to Lexie’s floor. He’d hated not being able to pick her up earlier. The meeting with the commander was important, but he’d wanted to be there to see how her meeting with Magnus had gone. She’d been looking forward to it for weeks now.
The elevator opened and he strode down the hall toward her door. He’d texted Lexie to let her know he was on his way up. Most of the time she met him at the door and had it open before he even got there. But for some reason that wasn’t the case today. Midas knocked, concerned about the change in their routine.
He was even less happy when he got his first look at Lex, when she finally opened the door.
There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked stressed way the fuck out. He didn’t get much time to examine her before she threw herself into his arms.
Midas walked them into her apartment and locked the door behind him before he took her shoulders in his hands and backed her up so he could look into her eyes.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. I’m just glad to see you.”
