I stared at him. "What?"
"Yeah." He dug into his pocket and pulled out my car keys. He held them out toward me. "Here."
I shook my head. "I don't understand."
"Yeah. Whatever." He stood as if ending a business meeting that had gone badly. "Besides, I've gotta go someplace too."
I got to my feet. "Where?"
"Downstairs." He looked toward the door. "There's something I've gotta check on."
"Fine," I said. "I'm coming with you."
"Suit yourself." He gave me a hard look. "Long as you take off your clothes."
I stared at him. "What?"
"You heard me."
"What the hell? I'm not getting undressed just to go downstairs."
"Alright. Then you're not coming downstairs." He made a scoffing sound. "What's the big deal anyway? It's not like I haven't seen it all before." His voice had a nasty edge I'd never heard before.
"What's the hell's wrong with you?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said. "But seriously, what's the big deal?"
"Do I really have to spell it out?"
He gave me a hard look. "Apparently."
"Well, for starters, it's weird. And you're acting funny.That'sthe big deal."
"If you say so."
I looked at whathewas wearing. Jeans and a black T-shirt. It looked like plenty of clothes to me. "Are you getting undressed too?" I asked.
"You want me to?" He gave me a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just say the word, baby, because youknowI'd do anything for you."
The words were right, but the tone was off.
I glanced at the door, and then back at him. His face was white, his fists were clenched, and the muscles in his neck were corded so tight they looked like knots about to come loose.
Still, his voice was eerily calm as he said, "It's your choice, Chloe."
It didn't sound like much of a choice to me. My gaze narrowed. "What's down there, anyway?"
"Looks like you'll never know."
"This doesn't make any sense," I said.
"Yeah," he said, "but when you see it, you'll understand."
"See what?"
"Look," he said, "We can go around like this all night. But it's not gonna change anything. The ball's in your court. You wanna go down there? That's the price."
I should've refused. I would've refused. But whatever was wrong with him, I needed to know. This wasn't him. This wasn't the guy I'd fallen for, the guy who woke me with kisses and played fetch with Chucky.
