Free Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) by Karen Tjebben Page B

lid and shook a few into his hand. As he stared at her window, he brought his hand up to his mouth and slowly stuck his tongue into his palm where the Tic Tacs lay. As he tongued a Tic Tac, it stuck to the moisture on his tongue and he drew it into his mouth. He rolled the tiny mint across the top of his mouth with his tongue and then crushed it between his teeth. He repeated this process until his palm was empty.
    He glanced at his watch. He was running out of time, and she didn’t seem to be moving around much. He needed to take action. He hid among the privacy hedge that separated her property from the neighbors and made his way towards her patio.
    Every once in a while he heard Forrest bark, but it was nothing. The dog didn’t sense him. She was probably playing with him. She’d toss that tiny tennis ball, and he always returned it to her. Pacey imagined that it would be fun to play with her and the dog, but after a few rounds that ball would be soaked with dog spit. Pacey wasn’t sure that he would like that. The only moisture he wanted on his hands was hers. Just that thought caused his blood to pump faster. He needed to see her.
    He quickly ran from the hedge and climbed over the fence. Then he raced to the back of the house. He pressed his body against the bricks and skittered to the window. There was a tiny space between the window and the blinds. He could just make out her feet resting on the coffee table. He willed her to move, desiring even a glance of her features.
    But as he waited, he couldn’t get the image of the dumb oaf out of his head. He closed his eyes and tried desperately to imagine her face, but the only vision that came to him was of the brute’s hands and mouth on her.
    Did she enjoy it? Did she want to have sex with him?
    Rage overtook him. He’d been patient, waiting for the right time to declare his love for her, but the grains of hope that sustained his love for her were slowly slipping through the hourglass. The emotion that filled the void was desperation.
    He pressed his fingers into his temples and breathed deeply, trying to calm the storm that raged within him. He had to get a look at her, so he decided to do one last thing.

8
     
    Mike tossed his cash onto the table and stood. “I’m heading out,” he grunted.
    “We’ll miss your smiling face,” Cole said sarcastically. “But really, if you need help, just call.”
    The others nodded in agreement. Mike knew they meant it. They’d all been through dark times and came out stronger on the other side. They’d be there for him just like he’d always be there for them.
    “Thanks,” Mike said, his eyes sweeping the bar. Julia was taking orders from a group of guys at a table on the other side of the room. He headed towards the door and caught her eye. He gave her a head nod, and she smiled in return.
    He needed to get over his need for control. He couldn’t protect everyone. Maybe Cole would be good for her.
    Mike slid onto the driver’s seat of his truck and pulled out his phone. He tapped on the screen and it came to life. He pulled up Alisha’s address in the maps app. As the location came into view on the screen, he recognized the streets surrounding the area. It wasn’t far from where he lived. He started his truck and pulled onto the street. He decided to go home first. He needed to get changed.
    He walked into his condo and turned off his alarm. The beeping stopped, and he marched straight to his bedroom. He pulled his shirt off and undid the belt on his jeans. Unzipping the fly, he let them fall to the floor. He stepped out of the jeans and pulled open a drawer on his dresser. He found his tight fitting black pants and shirt and put them on. Then he grabbed his black ski mask. He needed to blend into the darkness.
    Mike pulled onto Alisha’s street and parked several houses down from hers. He looked around. Everything was quiet except for the taillights of a car turning off the street. It was late. Most of the