I stepped out into the humid Texas night, the cafe's neon sign flickering behind me like a dying heartbeat. The air was thick, carrying the scent of fried grease and distant rain, but my skin prickled from more than the breeze. That shadow across the street...tall,broad shouldered, unmoving...had my pulse hammering in my ears.
I'd seen my share of creeps in this town, but this guy? He radiated something darker, hungrier, like a predator who'd been stalking his meal all day. Part of me screamed to lock the door and head home, but the bigger part, the one that throbbed between my legs from Rick's rough send-off, whispered to go play.
I lit a cigarette, the flame illuminating my face just enough to draw him out. Sure enough, he crossed the street slow, boots scraping the gravel, his silhoue
