“I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” I said, as firmly as possible. Then I reached for the landline and lifted it halfway to my ear.

He gestured in mock surrender, smirking. I thought I saw a flash of metal in the back of his jaw when he laughed. “I’m joking! Sorry, bad joke. Sorry, sorry.” He held his hands up. “No harm done.”

I stared at him silently, not lowering the phone, and hoping he couldn’t see my hand shaking or the way my knuckles were stretched and white, holding on to the phone as tightly as I could. It had been a while since someone made an offensive comment like that, and I didn’t find it funny, at all. After the longest few seconds of my life, he retreated, walking backward, keeping his eyes on me as he moved toward the front door.

Those icy blue eyes and taut pale skin were much more threatening now that he had been so inappropriate.

Just before he backed out of the door, the man smiled again, like he had a thought pop into his head.

“You’re Fischer’s daughter, right?” An alarm sounded in my head. Who was this guy?

“What?” I managed.

The bell on the door chimed when he leaned his back against the door frame.

“You look just like him.”

I was stunned into silence. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Please, please leave, I silently begged him. He turned around and hovered in the doorway. And in that moment, just as the door was slowly pulling closed, Kael appeared on the sidewalk. I thought I was going to pass out at the sight of him there.

Kael was illuminated under the streetlights. I wasn’t alone anymore.

“Martin?” The man knew Kael’s name. I don’t know why this web just kept surprising me.

Kael’s eyes searched my face.

“Are you okay?” he asked me, as he walked directly toward me, ignoring the man.

I nodded, confused, but felt my heart slow; the effect Kael had on me hadn’t diminished one bit. It was such a relief to have him here. Not only because of what had just happened, but because I wanted to see him. I knew I wanted to see him. I felt the air disappear from my lungs. They burned and my heart sped as I looked at him. His eyes took me in slowly before they darted around the lobby and he stepped inside. The man, Nielson, had taken off by the time I looked past Kael a moment later.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He was dressed in all black, except for his typical stark-white sneakers. His hair was freshly buzzed and he was undeniably handsome, as always.

“You texted me. Did you not want me to come?” He took a step toward me.