It only took a second for Ruby to realize what she had done. In her rush to climb into her warm, lump-free bed, she’d left the leftovers in her car. Ruby slammed the fridge and snatched up her phone. She checked the weather app, and when she saw the temperature hadn’t risen above freezing, Ruby grabbed her coat and left in search of food, no doubt frozen but still edible.

As soon as Ruby stepped outside, she hunched against the chill, and zipping up her thigh-length parka, she hurried to her car. As she stepped around the side of the building, Ruby stopped. It was darker than usual, and noticing that one of the overhead lights was out, Ruby made a mental note to call the property management company. She made her way to her car and retrieved her frozen dinner, and after dropping her keys into her pocket, Ruby turned to leave.

“What’s you doing, honey?”

Ruby jerked to a stop. A few feet away was a man standing in the shadows, and Ruby’s heart began to pound. “Um…I was…uh…I was just getting my dinner out of my car.”

“Thaz funny. I’m lookin’ for dinner, too,” he said, taking a step closer. “And you’re exactly what I like to see on a menu.”

Ruby shoved her hand in the pocket of her coat, fumbling to find the panic button on her car’s key fob, but the stranger grabbed her arm in a vise-like grip. Ruby yelped, and then a second later, the man seemed to grow taller. The next thing Ruby knew, he was flying through the air across the alley, and when he hit a utility pole, he fell to the ground in a heap.

“Are you all right?”

Ruby’s hand flew to her chest, and then she saw Bennett Archer standing only a few feet away. “What? Wait. Um…what just…what just happened? Did you…did you…”

“Take a breath,” Bennett said quietly. “You’re safe, and he’s out cold.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t,” Bennett said, opening a nearby trash can to toss in a bag. “I was taking out the rubbish.”

Ruby looked over at the man lying in a heap. “Kind of literally—huh?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Bennett said, glancing in the same direction. “Let me go check on him.”