ome in her old sedan. The wipers screeched in their tireless battle with the storm, but they couldn't keep up. Her gaze flicked anxiously between

What

was different. The streets seemed quiet, the usual chaos of the city swallowed whole by the

of her thoughts. The car engine sputtered, with a lou

eartbeat quickening, a cold knot of dr

she

focused determination, she steered her sedan to the edge of the road, th

er fingers. She sat down there for a moment, staring blankly at the rain-soaked windshield

that she wasn't completely cut off f

r phone onto the passenger seat, the

buildings and streetlights into ghostly shapes. She shrugged at the thought of stepping o

pped her face, soaking through her coat in an instant. She cursed under her breath, struggling with the umbrella as t

ards the headlights. A black truck emerged from the gloom, slowing as it approac

e of grey, which seemed to peer right through her. His rugged features were sharply defined in the dim streetlight, and the tensio

ce deep and calm, laced with an

the umbrella tighter. "Yea

t her car, then back at he

rarely brought anything good. But the rain was crazy, and she didn't

twitched with amusemen

m for a long while,

y!" she

emed to hum in the air around him. His dark jacket clung to his frame, already

hood,"

Aaron, his name tag barely visible in the dim light, fix the engine. He mov

he straightened, wiping his hands on his jeans.

ss cr

" she muttered, wal

tion, as reality set in that

unreadable. "I can tow it. There's a shop n

p immediately. "And

. "I don't leave beautiful lad

re me that please. You ex

all night and hope someone else stops, or you let me assist

empty street. She despised the feeling of being vulnerabl

antly. "But if you try

interrupted, smirking.

was answ

n that had drenched her to the bone. Madison sat rigid in the passenger seat, her fingers clamped aro

, his tone light but pr

im a wary look

on the road. "Nobody ends up stranded on nig

ses kicked in. "I don't know ho

e amused him. "Relax, it's

ing the city blur into a swirl of distorted lights. She wasn't about to ente

n repair shop, its neon sign barely visible in the rain.

. I'll sor

he rain, with his broad frame cutting thro

g. Something about him made her unsettled. His calm demeanor, his unflinchi

did. That contradiction left her tangled with a thr

from his hair. "My boy's gat you covered," he said, c

"What's that go

he said, waving her of

ith suspicion. "Why

ay I have a soft spot for

said finally. "I r

a moment before he started the t

n address, and the

n front of her apartment and turn

hand on the door hand

. "Take care of yourself, Madison." reaching

d to the room, she couldn't shake off the feeling of

on's face kept flashing in her mind- those piercing grey eyes, tha

s he, r

their pat

fall outside, its rhyt