The Board – Part 11
Aidan wasn’t expecting to see Cassidy outside his apartment. When their eyes met, she turned and walked away, but Aidan understood what she wanted without her having to utter a word. Keeping enough distance between them, he followed her to a coffee shop a few blocks north of his apartment complex. Before joining her at the table she selected in the back, Aidan scanned the place for familiar faces.
“I’m sure this breaks a rule or two,” Aidan joked as he slid into the chair across from her.
“Be on your guard, Aidan,” Cassidy whispered. “Something followed me into the subway last week. Now Victoria is missing. You don’t know enough to defend yourself.”
Aidan blew out a frustrated breath, more for show in front of Cassidy than for himself. Once his mission became clear, he was no longer afraid, no matter how ominous the board made everything seem.
“Can someone just be straight with me?” he asked, feigning annoyance.
Cassidy answered, “Horatio is going to be on all of us. If it’s not a board member, someone is working for a much more powerful being. Be on your guard. You are the newest, and you will be investigated first.”
Aidan eyed his coworker suspiciously before speaking.
“Why are you warning me? Why are you risking yourself?”
Cassidy rose from the table.
“Just…watch yourself, Aidan.”
***
Leonard loved and hated being lazy. While he enjoyed the downtime, flipping through the garbage on the television annoyed him. After landing on a cooking show, he settled into the couch, reclining so that pillows created a nest around his body. Within minutes he was dozing, but a loud thud from the back bedroom sent an adrenaline rush through his body.
Leonard slowly crept toward the back of his apartment, looking into every dark corner in case someone—or something—something was hiding. Before opening the door to the bedroom where the sound came from, he grabbed a knife from the block. Just in case.
The lamp light sent a shock of brightness around the bedroom as Leonard flicked it on. He wasn’t going to let whatever was lurking get the jump on him. The lights would scare it away and make it think twice about sneaking up on him. Or at least that’s what he hoped.
There was a shadow in the far corner, diagonal from the entryway in which Leonard was standing. No, it was more than a shadow. It was almost as if it was a real, tangible figure made of shadows. Slowly Leonard backed out of the bedroom, but the shadow creature was too fast.
The last thing Leonard felt was icy hands on his neck.
