Page 36 of What They'll Say About Us

The sounds got louder. It felt like someone was walking through the park, invisible in the canopy shadow of the trees.

"Are those footsteps?" Morgan whispered as we quickened our pace.

"Probably just a jogger," I said.

"Let's run." Morgan didn't wait for me to agree as she broke into a jog.

I ran alongside her, hearing the sound of something or someone getting louder. My heart was beating out of my chest, my breath coming fast, and Morgan was clearly feeling the same panic as she picked up the pace, leaving me struggling to keep up.

I'd broken my leg only three months ago, and while it was good for walking now, sprinting was a different story. But I had to keep up. I had no idea who was behind us, and what they might do if they caught up.

We had to get off this path, back to the lights, back to the parking area where there were people, where there was safety. Because I did not want to end up like Paige, and now I couldn't help but wonder if she'd felt this same kind of terror…

Chapter Ten

Finally, we broke out of the desolate section of the lakefront. As the streetlights got brighter, I looked over my shoulder and saw a dark figure behind us, but he was going the other direction, disappearing into the trees. Had he been following us? Or was he just on a circular run around the park?

We slowed our pace as we reached the parking lot, but we kept going until we reached the car, until we were inside with the doors locked.

"Did you see that man moving back toward the trees?" Morgan asked, her voice ragged and stressed.

"I did. But I don't know if he was following us or not. He could have been a jogger."

"Or he was following us, and once we got to the lights, he took off."

"Or that," I admitted. "But the important thing is that we're fine."

"You keep saying we're fine," Morgan muttered with annoyance. "As if your will alone is enough to make that true."

I couldn't argue with that. I was trying to think positively. But it was getting more difficult by the day. Fortunately, it only took us fifteen minutes to get back to our building, and we got inside without encountering any more problems.

As we entered the apartment, Morgan shut the door and turned the dead bolt.

Letting out a sigh, she said, "Now I feel better."

I tossed my bag on the coffee table and sat down on the couch, kicking off my high-heeled sandals and tucking my feet up underneath me.

Morgan went into the kitchen and poured two glasses of water from the pitcher in the fridge, then brought me back one as she got comfortable on the cozy armchair next to me.

I was thrilled to take a drink, my throat parched from both the run and the fear. "Thanks. You moved fast back there, Morgan. I thought Cassidy was the runner in our group."

"She convinced me to start running with her in the mornings. I'd forgotten how much I used to love running. I was happy to get back into it. I actually ran track in high school."

"I did not know that about you."

"I was pretty fast, but I wasn't good at hurdles. I've never liked jumping over obstacles. But I seem to be doing that more and more these days," she said with a dry note in her voice. "At least metaphorically."

I smiled. "I hear you. I'm more of a Pilates girl than a runner."

"You moved pretty well, considering you broke your leg a few months ago."

"It's not ready for sprinting, that's for sure." I took another drink, then set my glass on the coffee table. "We should post the video."

"Do you want to film an update from here, about how someone chased us down the path?"

"No. I don't want us to be accused of creating fake drama, and we don't really know what that was about." I paused to read an incoming text from Cassidy, which basically told us to check our emails. "Did you see this?"

"Looking at my email now," Morgan said as I opened the app on my phone.