Hard to Get (Killer of Kings Book 4)(2)

“Oh, it’s you … sorry, I don’t remember your name,” said the blonde.

“Riley.”

“Right, you live near the end of the block. I didn’t know you worked here. I’m Amanda, and Karen lives across the road from me.”

Riley smiled, brushing her hands over her apron to remove the excess flour. “It’s nice to meet you both. Can I help you with anything?”

Amanda looked at her friend before facing Riley again. “I’m having a block party this weekend for my tenth anniversary. I need a large cake, a hundred rolls, and some fancy treats,” she said. “You did get an invitation, didn’t you?”

She shook her head. It wasn’t a surprise. Riley didn’t exactly fit into the social circles of their urban-chic suburb. At twenty-eight she was younger than most in the neighborhood. Her naturally black hair had a few streaks of blue that always seemed to turn heads. She liked to be unique, embracing her creative side, and not caring what anyone else thought.

“It must have gotten lost in the mail.” Amanda tittered. Did she realize how transparent she was? Riley had always been a good judge of character, and these women were too shallow for her liking. “Karen, do you have any more invitations?”

Karen rooted around in her purse and then handed her a small white and gold envelope.

“Thank you,” Riley said, pocketing the invitation. She pulled out her notepad. “Let me get your order down before I forget.”

By the time she closed up for the evening, she was beat. Amanda expected a lot with only two days’ notice. Normally, Riley would refuse such a tight turnaround, but she wasn’t about to refuse a big order like that.

She drove home, listening to her favorite radio station with the windows open. Riley loved the longer days of summer. As she turned onto her street, she noticed her neighbor pulling out of his driveway. The craziest thought popped in her head. She tried to push it away, convincing herself only crazy stalkers followed people. But this was her chance to feed her curiosity. She’d only follow for a little while, no harm done.

Riley bit her lip as she passed her house, following a good distance behind her neighbor’s black SUV. When they got on the freeway, heading towards the city, she began to curse herself for being so stupid. Every time she decided to get off at the next exit, she argued with her conscience that she’d come this far and had to follow it through. The guy drove like a fucking maniac, weaving in and out of traffic, well above the posted speed limit. When he finally pulled off at an exit, she was relieved that they hadn’t traveled too far.

She stayed a safe distance behind. If he noticed her following, she’d have to face him every day of her life. It would be a disaster. He stopped at some sort of sports complex or community center, parking around back. She did the same a few minutes later. It was a sketchy neighborhood, with graffiti on just about every wall or dumpster. Riley swallowed hard as she exited her car. She could smell weed coming from a group of men behind the building, so she scurried down the path to the front as fast as she could without attracting attention.

Riley entered the large foyer of a bustling open gym, a boxing ring in the distance, and a lot of guys working out. The mix of pounding bass, metal clanging, and shouting left her in a daze as she tried to spot the mystery man through the glass wall.

“Can I help you?”

She turned around after hearing the deep voice, coming face to face with a severe scowl. The pissed-off man wore just shorts, boxing tape on his hands. Now that she took notice, there were nearly a dozen sketchy guys covered in ink loitering around the entrance. Riley was not prepared for this. A couple more men approached her, and she froze. She had no reason to be there, and suddenly wished she had just pulled into her driveway like she did every day after work.

Damn you, Nancy Drew!

“You don’t belong here,” said the man.

“I was just looking for someone.”

He crossed his arms over his chest as the other men surrounded her. “What’s his name?”

She couldn’t answer. Not only did she not know her neighbor’s name, but she’d suddenly lost her ability to speak.

“Maybe she came looking for a good time,” said another man from behind her.

“I don’t mind some extra cushion for the pushin’.”

Riley remembered the knife she always carried in her purse. She pulled back the zipper and began to casually root through all her junk. The asshole in front of her snatched her bag and tossed it to his friend.

“Hey!” she shouted.

She was too caged in to run or try to get her purse back. Her adrenaline spike made her dizzy. Why did her neighbor come here, to one of the worst areas of the city? It was riddled with gangs. There were stabbings and shootings reported every night on the evening news.

All of a sudden, the whole group of men backed away from her as if she was on fire. Their looks of malice were replaced with submissiveness. It didn’t make sense.

“Why are you following me?”

Riley whirled around, nearly toppling over when she saw her next-door neighbor standing at the entrance. He was even taller up close, well over six feet, his shoulders massive. His dark eyes held no hint of emotion, just the same blank slate she’d seen time and time again.

“I w-wasn’t,” she stuttered. Her fear morphed into a heady embarrassment. She looked like Ms. Desperado or maybe he thought she was a psychopath.