Free When an Alpha Purrs by Eve Langlais Page A

place with family. She’d go somewhere new, somewhere no one even knew her name.
    This time I’ll truly start over. Like she should have done in the first place.
    She should have known better. In her stupidity to escape quickly, she’d put her family in danger. It wouldn’t happen again.
    She’d leave as soon as she got her paycheck from the barbershop. Once she cashed it, she’d come back for the bag she’d packed and call a cab for the airport. She’d hop on a plane to the first cheap location she could find. And once she got there, she’d board another plane to further muddle her trail.
    The cowardice of running stung, but the fear of seeing her family hurt proved stronger than her shame.
    Since the fish shop would be open, her uncle an early riser, she took the inner set of stairs to go down, putting off the sight of the bloody message waiting on her exterior door. At the bottom of the steps, she paused and took several deep breaths. What would she say to her uncle? How to explain the vile note left on the door?
    Or could she duck out while he wasn’t looking?
    From the safety of the storage room, she peeked around the doorjamb that led into the store. Her uncle argued with the radio as the announcer relayed sports scores and news. When he crouched down to wipe out the inside of the glass display case, she darted by.
    “Morning, Kira,” he said, his voice muffled by the glass. “What happened to your door?”
    She didn’t reply, just flashed him a wan smile and didn’t stop. Her uncle deserved an answer, but she wasn’t sure she could tell him without bursting into tears. Being a nice guy, he would insist on helping, and that would make things worse because then he might get drawn into the drama that was her life.
    Best to run. She pushed open the portal to the sidewalk, only hyperventilating a little as trepidation suddenly filled her.
    What if Gregory is waiting for me? Barely a foot outside, she froze as she glanced around.
    The sidewalk proved bare of stalkers, just regular run-of-the-mill pedestrians. It all seemed so normal, so benign. The hand buried in her purse didn’t loosen its grip on her can of mace. She wouldn’t be caught unprepared.
    Steeling herself, she glanced at the door that spelled the end of her short-lived, new life. Only the nasty message wasn’t there.
    She blinked and looked again. Still nothing.
    Tacky, fresh paint met her fingers as she touched the pristine white surface of the door, and she could see her own reflection in the sparkling clean glass.
    A shadow loomed over her. “It might still need another coat.”
    She let out a sharp scream, as Arik seemed to melt out of nowhere. How a man his size could sneak up on her baffled.
    “Someone really should put a bell on you,” she muttered.
    “But then you’d know I was coming.”
    “What I’d like to know is what you’re doing here.”
    “I wanted to make sure you were all right. After your abrupt departure last night and the unpleasant incident of the graffiti, I was concerned.”
    If she were a Popsicle, she might have melted. As it was, her knees went a little weak. “That’s sweet, but as you can see, I’m fine, and I’m guessing I owe you thanks for getting my door painted.”
    He waved a hand. “No thanks necessary. The message offended me. So I took care of it.”
    “Well, whether you want any or not, thanks. It was nice of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to work.”
    “Busy day of appointments?” he asked. Leaving his car at the curb, he matched her steps as she took off up the sidewalk.
    “Not quite.”
    “In that case, why don’t we stop in for some breakfast at the coffee shop across from it?”
    “I can’t.”
    “Lunch?”
    She shook her head.
    “Dinner.” He stated, didn’t ask.
    She stopped and turned to face him. “Listen, Arik. You’re a nice guy and all, and last night was real fun, and if I were staying, I’d—”
    “What do you mean if you were staying?”
    Funny