CHAPTER ONE
THURSDAY
“Going somewhere?” asks a voice from out of the dark.
I clutch my market bag to my chest. “Shit!”
“Didn’t mean to scare you.”
The smile won’t sit straight on my face. Not that he can see it behind my mask. You would think going grocery shopping at nine at night in old jeans and an even older tee would be safe. Of all the times for the dude from across the street to acknowledge my existence.
I’m average height and weight, with my long brown hair up in a messy bun. And there he stands at well over six foot something, shoulders as wide as Montana, dark hair showing traces of gray and giving me daddy issues, along with a jawline sharp enough to make a runway model weep.Fuck.
Which reminds me.
“You forgot your mask,” I say.
“Sorry.” He grimaces. “Promise I haven’t had contact with anyone for days.”
“Me neither.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. One of the many benefits of working remote.”
Some tension in him eases at the news. Which is fair enough. “I didn’t think you’d been out,” he says. “But that’s good to hear.”
I lean my ample ass against my Prius and stare at him, bemused. Because what an odd thing to say. But most everyone is stuck at home now. He must be keeping an eye on the street out of boredom or something.
It’s rare for our neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, to be so quiet. However, traffic tonight is nonexistent. Besides theambulance speeding past with its siren wailing. The sound of someone coughing comes from the apartment building behind me. And the Thai restaurant on the corner is sadly closed. Probably due to staff shortages. Which sucks, because papaya salad would go a long way toward fixing what’s wrong with me. That being having just about run out of food. But the combination of seasonal allergies and some new strain of flu have made a mess of the city this week.
Hot Neighbor constantly turns his head, glancing up and down the street. Just checking things out, apparently. He’s much larger close up than I realized. Then he looks down at me, and I look up at him, and…yeah. This situation is giving me such a weird vibe. Though I do find beautiful people stressful to deal with in general.
And when I get nervous, I babble.
“The world is so discombobulated right now. Do you know, I tried to get groceries delivered but everywhere was booked out? I couldn’t find a single place. Most of their workers must be off sick. I know the government said to stay home as much as possible. But I’m sure you would agree that when a woman runs out of cake, drastic action must be taken. Some odds are just insurmountable, right? A step beyond what’s humanly possible to endure. Okay. I better go get this done before the shops close.” I reach for the car door. “Nice to meet you.”
“You didn’t tell me your name.”
“You didn’t tell me yours.”
He gives me this smile. The whole time we’ve been talking, he’s had a hand behind his back. I don’t even know why I notice, since it’s just the way he’s standing.
“Dean.”
“Astrid.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
“Thank you.” I open the door. “See you later, Dean.”
Guess I shouldn’t have turned my back on him. But then, I didn’t expect him to attack. Stupid me.
I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. His arms come swiftly around me from behind. My mask is pushed aside and something covers my mouth and nose. A cloth that’s been doused in some chemical. It smells sort of sweet.
I scratch and kick as my mind spins in dizzy circles. But it all happens so fast, and the world goes dark.
FRIDAY
