I lost them in the dark backyard, stopped and tried to listen over my labored breathing, hoping I’d hear a noise that told me which direction they’d gone.
I heard nothing.
I stayed there a long time.
I still heard nothing.
Frak!
It hit me I was in someone’s backyard after midnight and I shouldn’t be. It also hit me that Chace was chasing after some kid and not only had I lost him but he’d lost me. Therefore it hit me I had no idea what to do.
I gave it some time just in case Chace came back, hopefully with the kid so we could get him warm, fed (he was dumpster diving!) and talk to him but Chace didn’t come back.
So I quickly retraced our steps (avoiding the fence and belatedly noticing it opened at the drive and taking that route which I should have taken earlier). I went back jogging just in case Chace had the same thought as me and was headed the same way. I also did it scanning, hoping I’d catch sight of one, the other or better yet, both.
I didn’t.
What I did was go to the bottom of the stairs that led up to my apartment in the back alley, paced and waited.
I did this for about ten minutes. I had my iPod and my earphones detangled from my clothing and shoved in the back pocket of my jeans by the time I saw Chace round the corner of the side alley and prowl toward me.
Believe it or not, men could prowl. I knew this by the way he was doing it.
He was five feet away when he ordered low, angry and confusingly, “Ass up the stairs.”
“What?” I asked.
“Get your ass up the stairs, open your door, in your apartment.”
That seemed like a good idea since it would be warm up there so I turned, raced up the stairs, dug out my keys, yanked off my mittens and opened the door.
I went in and Chace followed me.
He also slammed my door.
I tossed my mittens across the room to a chair, turned to him and my first thought when I took him in fully was, Uh-oh.
“You chased him again,” he remarked quietly.
“I, uh… didn’t think.”
“Kid’s terrified outta his mind and not only did you chase him, you shouted at him.”
I pressed my lips together.
“In the dark,” Chace went on.
I shrugged my shoulders up and kept them there.
“In an alley,” Chace continued.
I made no move or noise.
“In the cold,” Chace kept going.
I dropped my shoulders and unpressed my lips but slid the bottom one slightly to the side so I could bite the end.
“After midnight,” Chace (hopefully) finished.