Hormones, Hexes, & Exes by J. C. Blake

Author:J. C. Blake [Blake, J. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Redbegga Publishing
Published: 2020-07-15T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

The car had to be collected from the hidden space in the pub’s carpark and, as I made my way there, the sensation of being watched became intense. Efforts to shrug it off failed, and the morning took another peculiar turn as I walked across the town’s bridge and back towards the pub. The water beneath was slow-flowing and narrow, cleaving this side of town from the other as it eased its way to a wider river. Only one other person was walking on the bridge, a woman, shopping bag already filled with fresh produce from the fruit and vegetable shop in the precinct behind us. The frilled greenery of carrot tops and celery poked out from her eco-friendly canvas shopper. Two men approached from the other side, one seemed nonchalant in blue jeans and leather jacket, the other walked with a hurried intensity. Both seemed to have their focus trained on me but I put this down to paranoia and shifted my gaze to the murky river and the massive brick building that dominated the bank, a leftover from an industrial phase in the town, an old bicycle factory now converted into trendy apartments.

From behind came a sharp tack, tack, tack on the pavement. A quick check showed it to be a black dog, the tack, tack, the noise of its claws on the tarmac. The dog was of medium size with a long and glossy coat, the breed not dissimilar in shape to a border Collie, although I had never seen one with such a dark coat before. Stray dogs were an unusual sight in the town, and with no evidence of a collar, and no sign of an owner, I increased my pace.

In the next moment, the dog sprang into action. It bounded forward with hackles raised and teeth bared, its gaze focused on me. It made no sound and was almost immediately in front of me. Hands held out in defence, I took a step back and came up against a barrier that ruined any chance of escape. The man behind me yelped as I stood on his foot, and I squealed as the dog bounded forward. Fear rippled through me but instead of sinking its teeth into my throat, the dog shot past, sprinting towards another target. Heart pounding, I gasped for breath, stumbling as I attempted to untangle myself from the man I had walked into. His arms circled my waist, a massive bunch of flowers held at my middle, and we teetered forward, locked together as my feet rested on his. Despite my efforts, I remained in the stranger’s embrace, uncomfortably aware of his grip around my generous middle. On the other side of the bridge, the dog had found another walker to harass.

In the seconds that followed, he released me, and I leant up against the iron barriers for support. The man towered above me and watched my every reaction. His smile was huge and completely inappropriate for the drama that had just unfolded.

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