Protector by Tressa Messenger Read Free Book Online Page B

years and even prompted her to get a hand gun license when she turned twenty-one, especially while living in the city.  At the time she thought of him as being over protective but she is happy now that she listened, although she hasn’t shot a gun since.
    She looks at the clock for what seems like the hundredth time and sees it is finally time to go out.  She checks herself over one last time and steps out into the sleeping night feeling very much like GI Jane heading out on a stealth mission. 
    She walks around her dimly lit block.  She sticks close to the shadows in hopes that if she does see something, it won’t see her. 
    Her heart leaps with every little sound, making her head swim with paranoia.  The night songs of crickets, frogs and bats are all enhanced with this acute awareness, making even the smallest sound pound in her ears.  Occasionally, she will hear a dog bark in the distance and very rarely does she hear the sound of a vehicle on a distant road.  Her spine tingles with fear and anticipation and for good reason.  Something is out here and she has to find it. 
    About a mile away from her apartment she turns down the alley beside Mr. Chow’s restaurant to cut through over to Neuse Road.  As soon as she crosses from the darkened street into the even darker mouth of the alley, she hears a strange noise.  She’s not sure if it was her or if something is deeper in the alley.  She stands there frozen, barely breathing, having an internal debate if she really wants to hear the sound again or not.
    “This is not the time for fear.  There’s no way I can turn back now ,” she chastises herself for being afraid.
    “It’s probably just a stray cat or dog anyway,” she says, trying to convince her nerves to stop trembling.
    Then she hears it again.  There’s no mistaking it, the sound is real.  Animal or not , she has to check it out.  She has been preparing for this very moment all week. 
    She takes a deep quiet breath and slowly moves towards the sound in the alley.  She already has her holster unbuckled on her hip and she reaches down to rest her hand on the handle of the gun, just in case she needs it quickly.   
    With one slow steady step, she is close enough to see past the dumpsters.  She sees a form of what looks like a man.  He is kneeling down with his head bent close to the ground.  It appears she has walked upon a homeless man eating his dinner.  The alley is really dark but her eyes are starting to adjust more.  Staring at the figure she is certain it’s a man wearing dark clothes. 
    She takes one step back to leave this poor creature to his feast of whatever Mr. Chow threw out earlier before closing, then another step, but suddenly freezes when his head shoots up. 
    “Crap!” Anna-Marie curses under her breath.
    The man lifts his head up as if he is sniffing the air, then flicks his head around like an animal as he searches for his intruder, until his gaze zeros in on her.  Time seems to have stopped.  Anna-Marie can’t take her eyes off of this man and his unwavering eyes.  She desperately wants to apologize and leave as quickly as she can, but the words won’t come out.  Anna-Marie can only stand there frozen in time. 
    He stands up and in a blink of an eye is mere inches in front of her.  His breath in her face is so hot and vile.  Bile rises in Anna-Marie’s throat from his stench, which causes her to choke.  He doesn’t have the stench of a typical homeless man, who will normally reek of filth and trash.  This man smells of something totally different, something she’s never experienced before. 
    As her eyes become fully adjusted to the darkness, she can even begin to see his face more clearly.  He has dark hair, no doubt from the buildup of dirt and grease, almost as much as the grimy clothes hanging off of his massive body, and cold lifeless eyes, which make his sharp features appear even more sinister.  From a distance, he seemed to be the