“Would you like to go inside?” Hunter asks.
I glance at Hunter, and he’s smiling. I’ve never seen him smile. It lights up his face. His hair is longer on top and lightened by the sun. But it’s his eyes that draw me in. Hisdeep-blue eyes. I could get lost in those. Wait, what am I doing? Stop it. This is Hunter, the asshole. He’s only being nice because Maria probably made him do this.
“Yes.” Clinton steps toward the entrance.
Hunter motions for me to go next. He really is hot. I suppress a smile because no, I shouldn’t admit that. But I will admit I’m very happy he’s here.
I unlock the door, and we all enter. Instead of the smell of car oil, as I expected, we are hit with a strong aroma of bleach. Odd for a building that has been abandoned so long.
Clinton walks to the middle of the room and spins around, taking it all in. “It’s about the same as it was years ago.”
“You’re familiar with the place?” I ask.
“I used to live in this town. I’ve been in here before. Many years ago. And I’d like to make an offer.
Wait, this is what Bob warned me about. He hasn’t looked around at all.
“Don’t you want to look around and make sure the property is in good condition?”
Clinton checks his phone. “No, I actually have to go. I have another meeting. But why don’t you two check it out and let me know if you find any issues?”
Well, that’s odd.
“Before you go, I need to get some information so I can draw up the paperwork.” I pull a pad of paper and a pen from my bag.
“I’ve done this before. You need my offer, my terms, I know. I’ll email that to you once I’m back in my office.Thank you for your time.” Clinton walks out the door, throws it open, and leaves us standing in the middle of the large space.
“Well, that was strange,” I say.
Hunter steps up next to me. “You mean because he made a quick decision?”
“Yeah, my boss told me he makes rash decisions and then rescinds the offer. Bob told me I had to ensure he looked at every aspect of this building.”
“Your boss wanted you to keep him here?” Hunter asks.
I turn and see something unexpected—concern in Hunter’s eyes. “Yes. And I’ve never been asked to check the place out like that.”
“Shit,” Hunter says. “Run!”
He grabs my hand and pulls me out the door. We just get through it when a loud blast comes from behind us. The pressure propels us forward and onto the ground. I manage to get onto my hands and knees, and then am scooped up by Hunter, who picks me up like I weigh next to nothing. He runs us farther from the building.
He runs us past my car and then sets me down. I’m still trying to process what happened and the fact that I felt that electric jolt again, just like when we first met and shook hands. I thought it was my imagination last time. But now I know it wasn’t.
“Are you injured?” he asks.
I shake my head and stare at the building. There’s a second blast, and that’s when I see something large flying our way. “Watch out! Behind you!” I yell at him and try to push him down, but he’s too big and doesn’t budge in time.
Everything goes dark as we fall to the ground. I can’t see anything. It’s as if it went from midday to the middle of the night in an instant.
Hunter groans. “What was that?”
Fortunately, I’m still clutching my bag, and I find my phone. I turn on the flashlight app and hold it up. Hunter is on the ground in front of me. It smells dank. Aiming the light overhead, we see why. There is moss right above us.
“Part of the roof was flying at us.” I hold my phone and examine our situation. “It looks like we are under it now.”
Hunter coughs. “Do you see a way out?”
I get on my hands and knees. The clearance is low, and I can’t stand up. I aim my phone outward. Slowly, I move in a circle, checking for any exit. “No.”
