With blatant sarcasm, I asked, "Unless it's raining in the hallway?"
"Hey, you never know."
It was then that I realized something. "Wait a minute. You knew exactly what I meant, didn't you?"
"Maybe."
"So…you're just giving me a hard time?"
"Trust me," he said, his tone growing a shade darker. "You could be dealing with a lot worse than me."
He was right. I could. In fact, it was a small miracle that all he'd done was give me a hard time. If this truly was his house, he'd have plenty of ways to make me miserable beyond simple teasing.
But if he thought I was going to show him anything he hadn't seen already, he had another thing coming. "I don't care," I insisted. "Just give me some privacy, alright?"
He still didn't budge.
I sighed. "Please?"
"First, tell me your name."
"Why?" I felt myself swallow. "So you can call the police?"
"Your name," he repeated. "Firstandlast."
Arden Weathers.That was my name. Still, I refused to say it because the last thing I needed now was more trouble. I tried to think.What if I gave him a fake name? Would that do the trick?
Probably not.But hey, it was worth a shot, right?
"Fine," I said. "It's Clara Cooper."
His posture stiffened. "What?"
I felt my eyebrows furrow. Obviously, something had changed, and not for the better.Did he know that I was lying?
Maybe.I bit my lip.But maybe not.
Pushing my luck, I said the name again, this time with more bravado. "Clara Cooper."
His only reply was a single world, spoken almost too low to make out. "Fuck."
Now it wasmyturn to stiffen. It wasn't just the profanity. It was something in his voice, something new and ominous.
Either he knew that I was lying, or some girl named Clara Cooper had really done a number on him. Either way, thiswasn'tgood.
I held my breath and waited.
Finally, the guy turned – but not toward the open doorway. Instead, he reached toward the sink behind him. While I watched in new confusion, he gave the faucet a hard twist.
As water gushed into the sink, I asked, "Why'd you dothat?"
A moment later, I had my answer in the form of icy water shooting from the shower head and pelting my naked skin. With a little yelp, I hollered out, "Hey! What the hell?"
When the guy spoke again, his voice was so cold, it made the water feel warm in comparison. "See you in the hall, 'Clara.'"
All modesty forgotten, I jerked back and fumbled for the shower handle. Desperately, I twisted until the icy water stopped running.
I looked outward just in time to see the stranger leaving through the open bathroom doorway. He didn't even bother to shut the door behind him.
