Free Glass Towers, Shattered (Glass Towers Trilogy) by Adler, Holt

Minions, as Simone calls them, are getting more brazen. I mean, here I am, running in broad daylight with a dog, and they attack me without care for who might be watching --not very bashful are they?
    I get back to the house and let myself in , once again not being aware of what is going on around me. The pain in my knees and hands is enough to have me sufficiently distracted. I reach up to hang Henry’s leash on its peg, when he starts growling and showing his teeth.
    The hair is standing up on my neck , as I turn around quickly. I scream and jump back a foot, when I see Bradley standing in the doorway to the mudroom.
    What the hell???
    “BRADLEY!” I yell “What the hell? You scared the living shit out of me! What are you doing here?” I demand, as my heart is beating out of my chest.
    He looks surprised, “Wha…well...I was worried about you. After I got your message last night, I tried to call you back, but I kept getting a recording saying the number wasn’t valid.”
    I am totally confused. “What number did you call? How did you find me here?”
    “I called Simone this morning to see if she knew anything. I also called your parents. Um you should call them, they are slightly worried.” I give him another dirty look.
    “Don’t get upset with me, I was worried. I called them back right after I got a hold of Simone. Just call them soon, okay?!”
    “Seriously , Bradley, why didn’t you call me on my new number? It should have been on your caller ID when I called you last night. Didn’t you think to check that?”
    “No, I don’t have your new number. It did not show on my cell phone, it only appeared as a blocked call. Simone wouldn’t give it to me, which by the way, I had to pry your whereabouts out of her. She is like a steel trap, but she did finally tell me all that has happened. You know, she really hates me. What have you told her?” He gives me this smarmy look.
    I snort, “Just the truth Bradley ; isn’t that enough?”
    “Okay, okay.” He looks down at my knees, “Say, what happened to you? Your knees are bleeding. Did you trip?”
    “No! I was pushed.” As the words come out of my mouth, I realize how badly my knees and palms hurt. Now that I think about it, my neck hurts also. I must have tweaked it when I fell.
    “Pushed? By whom? This beast here?” He motions to Henry, who is engrossed in sniffing Bradley’s left black loafer.
    “No! I was pushed by a man. He pushed me from behind, I lost my footing, and fell forward onto my knees. I am lucky that I had Henry with me. There is no telling what would have happened if he had not been there to protect me!”
    Bradley looks stressed and there’s something else in his eyes that I can’t put my finger on.
    “My God Dani, what the hell is going on? Did you get a good look at him? We should call the police and report this.” He turns and shuts the mudroom door behind him and reaches into his jacket, pulling out his phone. 
    “I did not get a good look at him. All I saw was someone in black running away, with Henry chasing after him. The only other thing I saw was a black SUV driving down the hill. Similar to the one I saw pulling away from my building last night. I assume it is the same creepers.” A nasty violent chill runs down my spine at top speed.
    He looks at me and shakes his head. “Oh Dani, what kind of mess are you embroiled in? It’s not like you to have so much drama!”
    He moves toward me as I put my hand out to stop him. “Look Bradley, I promised Harrison that I would not interact with you. He has one of his men coming here soon to keep an eye on things. I appreciate that you came to check on me, but I think you should go.”
    He steps back and looks at me with his wounded -puppy-dog look. He has used this look on me for years. It used to work on me back in the day. Not now, I am immune to his wiles.
    “Wow Dani, I thought you and Mr. Towers were on the outs? Last I heard he was engaged to that hot chick you