Free The Darkness Beyond by Alexis Morgan Page A

besides her nightshirt.
    She opened the door far enough to talk to him. “I’m not exactly dressed, Cody. Give me a minute and then come on in.”
    He frowned. “Am I early?”
    Early? Oh, rats. No, of course he wasn’t early. She was forgetful. But rather than risk hurting his feelings, she lied.
    â€œI overslept, so I’m running late.”
    She wasn’t sure he believed her, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. After unhooking the chain, she took off down the hall.
    She called back, “Okay, Cody. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be ready. Help yourself to anything in the fridge.”
    Reggie was already in the shower when she remembered the papers that had fallen on the floor. It was too much to hope that Cody would ignore them. She didn’t care if he simply picked them up, but knowing him, he wouldn’t be able to resist taking a quick peek. It was the last thing either of them needed.
    She rinsed off and snagged a towel. After she yanked on her clothes, she twisted her hair up on top of her head. Back in her bedroom, she grabbed her shoes and hustled down the hall to the kitchen. She aimed for calm but doubted she could pull it off. Hopefully, Cody would just think she was frazzled from running late.
    Just as she’d expected, the papers were piled on the counter in a neat stack. Too neat. Just great. He’d read them, all right, or at least he’d started to. The only saving grace was that she hadn’t given him enough time to get far. With luck, he’d gotten bored and quit before it got interesting.
    But he had an odd expression on his face.
    â€œIs something wrong?”
    â€œNo, I was just curious. You didn’t mention having any plans last night, but I tried calling you and got no answer.”
    She so didn’t want to go there, but neither did she want to lie to her friend. “I went out for ice cream.”
    â€œDarn, you should’ve called. I would’ve kept you company.”
    She froze, caught between the need to get the Paladin report out of sight and keeping it low key while dealing with Cody’s jealousy. Finally, she settled for first picking up the stack of papers and stashing them in a nearby drawer as if they were no big deal.
    â€œThanks for picking these up for me. I knocked them off the counter when I went to answer the door. Did you want some cereal before we leave or wait and get something at Saturday’s Market? They’re bound to have something good.”
    Her attempt to distract Cody failed miserably.
    â€œD.J. came back last night, didn’t he?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared down the hall, toward her bedroom. “Is he still here?”
    Okay, the accusation in his voice had her feeling defensive. “Yes, D.J. did come back. Yes, we ate ice cream. No, he’s not still here. But even if he was, none of this is your business, Cody.”
    Cody took a step back but then held his ground. “Aw, come on, Reggie, I know that. There’s just something about that guy that seemed off, different somehow. What do you really know about him, anyway?”
    She couldn’t fault the kid’s instincts. There was definitely something different about D.J.—particularly his effect on her. There was no way she was going to discuss that with Cody. He was already upset about D.J.’s return visit.
    â€œAs I told you, the two of us met online. D.J.’s plans changed unexpectedly, and he had to leave town today. Last night was our only chance to get together.”
    That much was true and seemed to satisfy Cody. It certainly didn’t satisfy her, but at least one of them was happy about it. Cody’s good mood would last right up until he learned he’d been in the presence of the Knightwalker without knowing it. He might not forgive her for that little omission.
    Time to change the subject. She dug her canvas grocery bags out of the cabinet.