Annalise
Did she just slap him?
“Oh shit,” she gasped as a red mark appeared on his cheek, matching the sting in her hand.
He straightened, an imposing figure in the dark, easily twice her size and with muscles bigger wide than she was around. Annalise desperately hoped that he wasn’t the type to strike back, because she was in a world of hurt if that were the case.
“Why did you do that?” he asked, surprised and more than a little irritated.
“You put a hand on me,” she said firmly. “I didn’t give you permission to do that. Now go away and leave me alone. I haven’t done anything.”
He snorted, not going anywhere. Long hair down to his ears bounced as he made the derisive noise. It was a brilliant shade of white, visible even in the darkness. Just how old was this guy? He certainly moved well enough, though she was no speed demon.
“You were sneaking around in the dark, obviously trying not to be seen. That’s not very innocent-like.”
She looked away, unable to meet his gaze. “Fine. You caught me. Am I in trouble? What sort of punishment is there? What are you going to do to me now?”
Annalise hated this part. She hated getting in trouble when she hadn’t actually done anything wrong. But that was the way the world worked, wasn’t it? She was used to it. All she wanted now was for it to be over, so she could go back to her own life.
The big man looked confused, his handsome features becoming all screwed up. Annalise decided it wasn’t a good look on him. He went from being rather sexy, as far as she could tell in the dim light, to looking rather goofy and awkward. “What am I going to do to you?”
“Yes. You said it yourself. You caught me. What trouble am I in?”
His features became stern. “Well, that depends on what trouble you were going to cause.”
Annalise sighed. “Like I told you, I wasn’t trying to cause trouble.”
“And like I told you, that doesn’t match with the whole sneaking-around-in-the-dark part.”
She bit her lip. “That’s what you do when you aren’t invited somewhere. You sneak around.”
“A-ha! So you were sneaking around. Isn’t that the same as causing trouble?”
“No,” she said immediately, then thought about his question. “Because I wasn’t aiming to do anything bad. I just…needed to see someone.”
He had her now, and if he was security for the church or the occupants inside then there was no getting around him. They would be on watch and she would never get close again. Not with Tower of Testosterone guarding it. He’d easily seen her coming from a mile away, with that sort of height. His speed was impressive for a big man too. No, if she wanted in, she was probably going to have to reveal her purpose.
“Who is it you need to see?” he asked, sounding curious. Arms crossed, he looked down at her with interest.
Annalise thought about lying, or about blowing it all off and trying to just leave. She’d hoped to avoid any sort of publicity or attention. Being in the spotlight wasn’t her thing, and she was acutely aware of how intensely Big, Handsome and Elderly was looking at her. If she lied he would know, and that would just subject her to more of his scrutiny. Something that she didn’t want.
“Her name is Violet Walker.” She caved, telling him the truth. Maybe this way she could avoid any punishment from him for trespassing, or whatever other crime she may have committed.
“Violet? What do you need to see Violet about?” he rumbled, his voice intense and suspicious.
Despite all the questions, Annalise started to wonder about something. Although he’d chased after her and pulled her hood down, not once had he actually said she was in trouble. In fact, when she’d insinuated it, he’d been surprised. There were no restraints around her wrists, and he’d not tossed her into a cage. Nothing was holding her there.
“Nothing,” she said abruptly, backing away. “You know what, never mind.”
“Don’t start lying to me now.”
She’d expected frustration, irritation, anything like that. Annalise was used to being treated like that. What she hadn’t expected was the gentle encouragement.
“What?”
He smiled, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. He really was handsome for an older fellow. She wondered what he was like in his youth, before his hair had turned white.
“You obviously have a lot invested in this. Whoever Violet is to you, you really want to see her. Just tell me,” he coaxed. “I’m not going to laugh at you or judge you.”
Strangely enough, Annalise believed him when he said that. Something about his demeanor was relaxing her. It wasn’t enough to loosen her tongue, but she decided to at least stop lying to him, like he’d asked.
“My reasons are my own,” she said, speaking carefully to take the edge off the words. “It’s personal. I’m not really comfortable saying why, though I can assure you that I mean no harm to her. I just…need to know something.”
Penetrating eyes looked down at her for several heartbeats, and then several more. The air around them was eerily quiet, their rampage across the graveyard having silenced any animals and other nightlife nearby. She felt bad for that, but her initial instinct was and always would be to run whenever she was confronted by someone unknown. It was just better that way. She couldn’t get caught. She couldn’t go back.
“Well, come on then,” Big and Bulging rumbled, stretching his back and motioning toward the church.
Annalise didn’t move.
“Are you coming or not?”
“Coming where?” She wasn’t going to just blindly trust him, no matter how at ease he managed to put her. No man had earned that trust from her.
“To meet Violet.” He paused, several steps closer to the church. “Is that not what you wanted out of all this?’
Annalise hemmed and hawed to herself. It was why she’d come all the way out there, yes. She just hadn’t expected it to happen so abruptly. Was she truly prepared for what might happen upon meeting Violet?
He made an inquisitive gesture, impatient with her lack of response.
“I guess.” Annalise trailed along slowly after him as they headed for the side door to the church, which she was now noticing was propped open just a bit.
They were still a solid fifty feet away when she stopped. The huge man paused a half-step later, looking around, his eyes wide, staring off behind her as he searched for the reason she was no longer walking.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Annalise sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do this.”