Before the Moon Rises by Catherine Bybee

of the pack.
    Ritter had plagued him and his like for years. Now,
    Gorman had a chance of evening the score. Turning the
    blonde in front of him would give him the leverage he needed
    to take the title which was rightfully his.
    His cell phone rang from the seat next to him, after
    checking the caller ID, he answered. "Talk!" he ordered.
    "They are leaving his place now."
    "They?"
    "Yeah, Ritter is with her."
    Gorman let out a curse then mumbled, "Follow them. If
    they come within a mile of here, call me. And don't let them
    see you." He hung up and sat back.
    All he had to do now was wait.
    "What is this?" Max held a piece of paper in his hand and
    waved it in front of Janet's face.
    "A grocery list," she told him.
    "Aren't you going to come in the store with me?"
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    Before the Moon Rises
    by Catherine Bybee
    "No, I want you to drop me off at my dad's so I can take
    care of things there."
    "That shouldn't take very long." He glared at the list as if it
    were a foreign concept. He had grumbled about the grocery
    store stop ever since they left his house.
    "You don't know my dad. When he calls and says he needs
    me to look after his cat, it's really his code way of asking...
    Can you come over and help me pick up around the house?"
    "Oh, I see. How long could that take?"
    "Long enough for you to pick up a few things at the store."
    Janet saw his lip drop into a pout. Damn, it was such a cute
    pout. "The store is right around the corner, and the list is
    really small. The sooner we're finished, the sooner we can get
    back to your place." Janet slid her hand over his upper thigh.
    "You don't play fair."
    Lightly tracing the outside of his groin with her fingers she
    said, "I didn't hear you complaining."
    Max lowered his sunglasses and put his car in gear. "Let's
    get this done."
    Max walked around her father's house, inspected every
    room before he deemed it safe for her to enter.
    "I'll be fine," Janet tried to convince him while pushing him
    out the door.
    He glanced around at the busy neighborhood. "I don't
    know."
    "You're trying to get out of going to the store."
    "Well... I tell you what, I'll help you here, and you help me
    at the store."
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    Before the Moon Rises
    by Catherine Bybee
    Shaking her head, Janet gave up and put Max to work
    cleaning out the litter box. If he wasn't going to cooperate
    she would give him the dirty work.
    She hated to admit it, but cleaning up her widowed
    father's house did go faster with help.
    Within a half an hour, they were pushing a cart around the
    market. The store was an anomaly Max didn't understand.
    The produce department had him picking up every vegetable
    and looking at it as if it came from the moon. Having pity on
    him, Janet gave him a job. "I'll pick out the vegetables. You
    take a look at the meat department and find some steaks."
    "Now we're talking." Happily, he scurried off to much safer
    territory.
    He rushed away, past a very attractive brunette, who
    made a point of smiling his way and flipping her hair. A smile
    brushed Janet's lips when Max ignored the other women's
    flirtatious gestures.
    Surrendering to the happiness that bubbled inside her, she
    continued to shop with a spring in her step.
    After fondling a few apples and bagging three pounds of
    grapes, Janet worked her way to the back of the store where
    the organic vegetables were kept.
    An employee barged through the swinging doors, which
    lead to the stock room almost knocking Janet over in his
    haste. Frightened eyes stared her way with a rushed apology.
    "I'm sorry, oh God. I'm sorry."
    "It's okay," Janet told him, straightening her shirt.
    "Oh, shit!" The kid turned back to the employee only area,
    then back to her again. Janet noticed the shake in his hands.
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    Before the Moon Rises
    by Catherine Bybee
    "Are you okay?"
    "Yes, no. Listen, can you please run to the front of the
    store and tell someone to call 911. There's a guy back here
    who isn't breathing." The kid's eyes bugged out their