by the summer insect cantata going on all around her. She heard nothing unusual. Still, the hair began to prickle on her arms and down her neck. She did a quick three hundred and sixty degree check of her surroundings. She looked at the feeds from the webcams, nothing moving.
Rainey fought off the thoughts that it was her own paranoia again. Something was not right; she could feel it and she had learned to respect that primal instinct. She peered into the shadows cast by the boxwoods. There. There, something was moving. She blinked her eyes and sat up, so her face was closer to the windshield. Her left hand automatically checked that the Glock was there and ready in its holster. Again, she saw the low crawling shadow creeping down the hedge. He was coming closer.
Rainey’s left hand went to the door handle. She had disabled the interior light so the car would not glow when she opened the door. Her right hand took the keys out of the ignition and slowly dropped them into her front pocket. Gradually she opened the door and stood up. All the while, her eyes never left the shadow. She did not shut the door, but stepped around it, steadily moving toward her target. She removed the Glock from the holster and held it down at her side. If she went directly at him, she would have to cross under a streetlight.
Rainey decided to come up behind the moving mass. She walked down the street a few paces and then turned, crossing over to the Wilson’s neighbor’s yard, avoiding the direct light from the streetlamp. While she accomplished this, her eyes lost contact with the shadow. She crept closer to where she had last seen him. He was not there. Rainey looked down the boxwoods. The darkness swallowed her, as she inched her way down the shrub line. She told herself to take deep, slow breaths, but her breathing quickened with every step. She felt her scalp crawling and the chill bumps forming on her arms. She could almost smell him.
Rainey crouched down, listening. The only sound she heard was her own heart beating in her ears. She had to calm down. She took several deep breaths and listened again. She heard a faint sound, back by the street. There were footsteps coming closer, running down the brick sidewalk. He had not seen her. He was coming right at her. Her breathing quickened again as she moved, now using the shadows, inching closer to the sidewalk. She crouched again and waited for the right moment. When she could hear his heavy breathing, just steps from her hiding place, she sprang up, stepping onto the walkway, in front of her prey.
“Jesus, God! You scared the shit out of me.”
It was JW, dressed in sweats with the hood pulled up over his head. He was sweating profusely, as he grabbed his knees and tried to catch his breath.
“What the hell are you doing out here, in the middle of the night?” Rainey snapped, the adrenaline coursing through her body, causing her hand to shake a little, as she re-holstered her pistol.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he said, followed by more heavy breathing. “I went for a run.” He finally stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. “Why did you jump out of the bushes like that? You could have killed me.”
“I wouldn’t have shot you,” Rainey said, defensively.
“No, but I could have had a heart attack,” JW shot back.
The adrenaline rush was subsiding. She tried to sound calmer, “I saw something moving by the hedge. I was checking it out and then you came running down the street. I thought you were him.”
JW looked around, “Did you see a man?”
Rainey shook her head, “No, more of a shadow. I didn’t get close enough to see clearly.”
JW had finally gathered himself. “Rainey, you can’t be jumping out of bushes brandishing a weapon. Suppose it had been a neighbor or some kid out for a run?”
“I didn’t aim it at you,” Rainey said, thinking no way was she going to be out here unarmed.
“Well, I’ll give you that, but I don’t want to
Rainey fought off the thoughts that it was her own paranoia again. Something was not right; she could feel it and she had learned to respect that primal instinct. She peered into the shadows cast by the boxwoods. There. There, something was moving. She blinked her eyes and sat up, so her face was closer to the windshield. Her left hand automatically checked that the Glock was there and ready in its holster. Again, she saw the low crawling shadow creeping down the hedge. He was coming closer.
Rainey’s left hand went to the door handle. She had disabled the interior light so the car would not glow when she opened the door. Her right hand took the keys out of the ignition and slowly dropped them into her front pocket. Gradually she opened the door and stood up. All the while, her eyes never left the shadow. She did not shut the door, but stepped around it, steadily moving toward her target. She removed the Glock from the holster and held it down at her side. If she went directly at him, she would have to cross under a streetlight.
Rainey decided to come up behind the moving mass. She walked down the street a few paces and then turned, crossing over to the Wilson’s neighbor’s yard, avoiding the direct light from the streetlamp. While she accomplished this, her eyes lost contact with the shadow. She crept closer to where she had last seen him. He was not there. Rainey looked down the boxwoods. The darkness swallowed her, as she inched her way down the shrub line. She told herself to take deep, slow breaths, but her breathing quickened with every step. She felt her scalp crawling and the chill bumps forming on her arms. She could almost smell him.
Rainey crouched down, listening. The only sound she heard was her own heart beating in her ears. She had to calm down. She took several deep breaths and listened again. She heard a faint sound, back by the street. There were footsteps coming closer, running down the brick sidewalk. He had not seen her. He was coming right at her. Her breathing quickened again as she moved, now using the shadows, inching closer to the sidewalk. She crouched again and waited for the right moment. When she could hear his heavy breathing, just steps from her hiding place, she sprang up, stepping onto the walkway, in front of her prey.
“Jesus, God! You scared the shit out of me.”
It was JW, dressed in sweats with the hood pulled up over his head. He was sweating profusely, as he grabbed his knees and tried to catch his breath.
“What the hell are you doing out here, in the middle of the night?” Rainey snapped, the adrenaline coursing through her body, causing her hand to shake a little, as she re-holstered her pistol.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he said, followed by more heavy breathing. “I went for a run.” He finally stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. “Why did you jump out of the bushes like that? You could have killed me.”
“I wouldn’t have shot you,” Rainey said, defensively.
“No, but I could have had a heart attack,” JW shot back.
The adrenaline rush was subsiding. She tried to sound calmer, “I saw something moving by the hedge. I was checking it out and then you came running down the street. I thought you were him.”
JW looked around, “Did you see a man?”
Rainey shook her head, “No, more of a shadow. I didn’t get close enough to see clearly.”
JW had finally gathered himself. “Rainey, you can’t be jumping out of bushes brandishing a weapon. Suppose it had been a neighbor or some kid out for a run?”
“I didn’t aim it at you,” Rainey said, thinking no way was she going to be out here unarmed.
“Well, I’ll give you that, but I don’t want to
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