Mr. Dangerous by Alexis Gold Page B

on Calvin’s shoulder to pull him aside.
     
    “What’s up, Sis?” he asked as if he didn’t already know.
     
    “Is there something going on between you and Abby?” she whispered, holding back her wishful smile.
     
    “What? No. Why?” he said rather faster than usual.
     
    “You guys have just really seemed to hit it off. I mean, she is pretty cute.”
     
    “Are you kidding me? She’s beautiful!” He caught himself. “That doesn’t mean I automatically have to like the girl. She’s just very nice to me, and most people usually don’t really give me the time of day.”
     
    “Hey,” she placed a hand on his shoulder, “I think it’s great. You guys would be sweet together and I like that she treats you well. You should go for it. Just don’t be a jerk and break her heart because that would be very awkward with her living in my apartment, okay?”
     
    He laughed. “Got it. By the way, when am I going to meet Mason? It’s been over a month and you still haven’t introduced me to your boyfriend.”
     
    “You may not be able to meet him at all. He acted strange today and suddenly left. I don’t know where he is or if he’s coming back.”
     
    “Wow,” Calvin shook his head. “It sounds like he’s being a real jerk.”
     
    “I’ll be okay. Hey, I’m going to take the garbage out, okay?” she yelled loud enough for Abby to hear, then winked at Calvin – motioning him to talk with his blooming romance. She quickly grabbed several garbage bags compiled from the cans and walked them through the kitchen toward the back door.
     
    A crisp breeze whipped at her face as she opened the door to the dumpsters. The smell of garbage burned at her nostrils, causing her to scrunch her face in a grimace. A gentle glow of moonlight created a sparkling shimmer that added a faux sense of beauty to the large dumpsters swarming with flies. She shoved the bags of garbage into the opening, then rested her back on the foundation of the building – allowing Abby and Calvin to have ample time to talk inside without worrying about her being around.
     
    She felt her bottom lip quivered slightly, as she had not yet been alone since Mason left that morning. Her heart felt as though the life was being sucked from it, shriveling it into nothingness. How could he have left in that way? They had a wonderful relationship that was finally lasting. She had never loved someone the way she loved him, burning with the intensity and brightness of the sun. He lit up her world and made her smile, making her think she had finally found the one. She gritted her teeth and kicked the dumpster. Hard.
     
    “Ouch!” she yelped and bent down to grab her toe when she saw red paint at her feet. That’s strange , she thought as she began to follow the trail. Splatters of bright red paint formed a line directly behind the dumpsters toward the wall – with the rest hidden just out of sight. Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, she turned on the flashlight to illuminate the path in front of her to better follow the trail to the source.
     
    As she rounded the corner, she rolled her eyes, assuming that an annoying teenager must have vandalized her building with graffiti. When she viewed the wall, however, her heart pumped violently and her mouth gaped open in horror.
     
    Written messily with bright red spray paint, ugly letters spelled out the warning: “You’re next.” Below the terrifying sentiment was a pile of matches symbolizing a frightening threat. Letting out a shocked gasp, she walked quickly backwards, causing her to trip and fall to the ground. As she quickly hopped back to her feet, she brushed off the scrapes on her hands and looked over toward the door where a sudden warm, oaky scent was permeating from the inside of The Morning Bell.
     
    Acting fast, she bolted into the door and screamed at what she saw. A murky fog of thick smoke spread like poison throughout the diner. The smoke immediately seeped deep into her