"For what?" I asked.
"When you find it, I'll show you."
Sure he would."But what if I can't find one."
"Then look harder."
Beyond curious, I pushed myself off the couch and headed toward my bedroom. It was where I kept my notebook computer and other assorted supplies. If I had a pencil – which I highly doubted – that's where I'd find it.
As I left the living room, he said, "And remember, no lights, okay?"
I hadn't needed the reminder. Still, I couldn’t help but think that he'd just given me an impossible task. Instead of finding a needle in a haystack, I'd be searching for a pencil in the darkness.
I never found it.
And why?
It was because I'd barely begun my search when I heard the unmistakable sound of the front door swinging open, followed by a quick slam and a sudden yelp of the human variety.
With a gasp, I whirled toward the sound.What the hell?
Chapter 9
Becka
I rushed from my bedroom only to stop in mid-motion at the sight of Jack holding Nicky by his throat. Nicky's back was pressed up against the front door while Jack held him in place, using one steady hand.
Nicky was sputtering something that I couldn’t quite catch.
I dove for the nearest light switch and flicked on the lights as I called out, "What's going on?"
As my eyes adjusted to the light, Jack turned to me and asked, "You find the pencil?"
I was still blinking. "What?"
"The pencil," he said. "Did you find it?"
"No."
"Then keep looking."
I felt my gaze narrow. "You don't even need it, do you?"
His gaze shifted to Nicky. "Hey, you never know."
Okay, I didn't even want to speculate what he meant by that.But forget the pencil.I strode forward. "What are you doing, anyway?"
"Talking to your roommate."
If this was Jack's idea of a conversation, I hardly knew what to say. "You are not."
Against the door, Nicky was still babbling, which I was actually glad to hear. If nothing else, it meant that he was still breathing.That was good, right?
When Nicky saw me looking, he squeaked, "Call the police!"
Yeah, right.
It's not like I was glad to see him getting assaulted, but I wasn't that kind of person – the kind who'd accept help, only to stab the helper in the back the moment things got sticky.
