Dragon's Second Chance Romance - Riley Storm Page 0,7

as her eyes dragged past him, it all seemed to crumble. By the time he glanced over his shoulder, whatever it was she’d seen, if anything, was gone, and Claire was already getting out of her seat.

“I’m sorry Pietro,” she said, shaking her head, long red hair bouncing wildly with the movement. “I’m sorry. I need to go now. I can’t do this.”

Claire hurried out of the door, shoulders hunched.

Staring at her suddenly vacated seat, Pietro saw the shadows move in his peripheral vision. Looking up, he saw Kal fixing him with a look and then glancing past Pietro to where Claire had departed.

Pietro shook his head in response to the unspoken question of why she’d left so suddenly.

“What did I do wrong this time?” he asked to nobody in particular.

Kal just grunted.

Chapter Five

Claire

She pushed out the front door, looking around wildly.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she hissed to herself, pulling her shirt tighter around her and hurrying for home.

Where the hell did he go?

The streets were empty of the short, wiry little man that she’d seen looking in the window. A man that Claire knew well from her time with Pete. Although Jones wasn’t as vicious as her ex-boyfriend, he was a nasty little creep, the perfect person for the job that Pete had clearly assigned him.

I should have known I was going to be followed. Idiot. That’s just like Pete, not trusting me if I’m out of his sight for more than a second!

Her steps took her down the street and around the corner toward the park near the center of town. From there, she took the residential streets that were just on the outskirts of the commercial heart of Five Peaks.

Claire’s parents had done well for themselves in the small town of her birth, and they lived in an area that showed it. The big, old, whitewashed slatted house with its picket fence and rear garage wasn’t huge, but it was more than big enough. It also bespoke of age, and her father had kept it in top shape. He wasn’t a hands-on man himself, but he believed in keeping up appearances and did not hesitate to pay for proper maintenance.

She couldn’t wait until the house was in sight. Once she was inside, in the separate downstairs area that was the ‘guest’ house where she was currently staying, she’d finally have some privacy from Pete.

Hopefully. Unless he’s gone insane enough to break in.

A swooping noise overhead caused Claire to duck at the unexpected sound and its closeness.

“What the hell?” she yelped, startled out of her personal thoughts by the interruption.

Looking around wildly, she could see no sign of whatever bird had gone on by.

“Did an owl just mistake me for dinner?” she muttered uneasily, her steps slowing as she looked all around her. There was nothing unusual to be seen.

A chill slowly spread down her spine as she continued walking. It didn’t go away, only getting worse. First, there had been Pete’s unexpected appearance, then Jones shamelessly creeping on her through the window. Finally, the drive-by-owling—is that even a word?—had left Claire uneasy.

Just get home, she thought to herself. Once she was there, at her parents’ place, everything would be okay. She would be safe. No more surprises, nothing that would—

Pete stepped out from around a pickup truck in the driveway ahead of her.

“P-Pete,” she stammered. “What are you doing here?”

Shaking his bald head—the baldness wasn’t by choice, she could still see his heavily receding hairline—Pete glared at her. “What am I doing? No, Claire. The question is, what are you doing?”

“Going home,” she said stubbornly, moving to try and get around Pete.

He moved to block her. She’d known it was likely a futile move, but the try was necessary. There was always a slim chance that he would let her go without issue.

“Oh, of course. I’m sure. Alone?” Pete said in a knowing tone.

Jones had already reported to him what he saw. For Pete to be here, waiting for her, meant that he’d been out and about as well.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” she snapped. “Sending Jones to follow me while you wait in the shadows to jump and what? Scare the crap out of me for no reason? You already uttered your threat, Pete. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here to protect what’s mine,” Pete said frostily.

“Pete, I was out having a drink, trying to forget all the crap that you’re putting me through. Besides, you do not own me. I’m not a