Page 14 of Protector Unmatched

7

Pearce’s hackles had gone up the moment Daphne invited him to her place. Something was up. No woman in her right mind invited a complete stranger to her home mere minutes after meeting him—even if he’d helped her out of an embarrassing situation. A situation he’d caused by swiping her wallet from her messenger bag while she was freezer-diving. He’d been invisible while doing so. Moments later, he’d ducked behind a display, made sure neither a camera nor a shopper saw him, and made himself visible again. His charade had worked. Too well, in fact.

While Daphne’s wallet was burning a hole in the inside pocket of his jacket, he couldn’t get past the fact that Daphne didn’t act like a normal woman. What did she have up her sleeve? Was she some skilled assassin and therefore not afraid of inviting a stranger to her home? Well, he’d be on his guard, not giving her a chance to get the drop on him. He had things up his sleeve too: invisibility and the ability to walk through walls. Besides, he was bigger and stronger than Daphne. And he was armed, though at the moment, he wondered whether it was a good thing to carry a dagger forged in the Dark Days with him. Maybe that was how she would obtain the weapon with which to kill him in the first place, by stealing it from him.

It was too late to change it now. Daphne was already unlocking the door to her second-floor apartment.

“Sorry, it’s a bit messy,” she said, and flipped the light switch before entering.

Pearce hesitated for just a moment while he quickly assessed his surroundings, which he could clearly see from the door. It was a one-bedroom apartment. There were only two doors inside, one that stood open and led into a tiny bathroom, and one that was closed and presumably led into the bedroom. Slowly, he crossed the threshold. The large room he stood in doubled as living room, kitchen, dining room, and foyer. In one corner, a computer station was set up. The furniture looked worn, yet comfortable. On the wall behind the sofa hung a psychedelic print.

“Would you shut the door, please?” She looked over her shoulder and met his gaze. “Or have you changed your mind?”

He pulled himself together. “Sorry, just admiring your decorating touch.” Yeah, that was smooth. He pulled the door shut and took a few steps into the apartment.

“Very funny,” she commented, and pointed to the print. “If you’re referring to this, that’s only there because the landlord won’t fix the plaster that’s been peeling off the wall. Had to cover it with something. And the store downstairs had a sale.” She shrugged.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” Pearce said, and placed the grocery bag on the kitchen counter. “I have to confess something.”

Daphne suddenly froze as if she expected bad news. The silence that hung between them seemed to charge the air in the room with electricity.

“I… uh, I’m not used to being invited into the home of a beautiful woman. Particularly not after just meeting her.” It was partially true.

“Oh.”

When he saw her hesitant expression, he decided to add a joke. “I mean, you’re not just gonna have your way with me, are you?”

Something flashed in her eyes. “Have my way with you?”

“Yeah, you know, tear my clothes off and all that.” He forced a smile, then a chuckle. “I mean, I’m just a computer geek. I don’t go out on dates much.” That was true. He’d worked far too much in the last few months.

Her face lit up. “You work with computers?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

“Get out! Really?” He’d figured that much when he’d found out where she worked, though he hadn’t done a thorough background check on her yet.

She nodded. “That’s a coincidence.”

He smiled at her. “Sure is.”

“And you can feel at ease,” Daphne added. “I’m not a nymphomaniac who invited you to tear your clothes off. I just wanted to thank you for helping me out in the supermarket.” She opened the fridge. “So you want that beer?”

“Absolutely.” He accepted the beer and winked at her. “And just so you know, it’s not that I’d say no to you.”

Daphne rolled her eyes, but then chuckled and took a beer for herself. “I’ll make a mental note in case the urge overcomes me.”

The situation was defused—however, it didn’t mean he could relax now, because he knew exactly what Daphne was doing. She was spinning her web like a spider ensnaring her prey. But he could be patient too. And vigilant.

Minutes later, they both sat on the couch and chowed down on their dinner, washing it down with bottles of beer. If he didn’t know that Daphne would one day kill him, he would have found the whole situation perfect: a perfect date with a woman who had similar interests, a woman whose company he enjoyed.

Pearce kept the conversation light, made a few jokes they both laughed at, and finished his sandwich. He leaned back on the sofa and looked at Daphne, who was emptying her bottle.

“Hmm, I needed that,” she said, and started cleaning up.

He rose too and took his plate to the kitchen. “I suppose that’s my cue to take a hike.” Even though he didn’t want to leave yet.