Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
Confused, I glanced down. I’d been twisting my fingers, popping my knuckles, and rubbing my fingers together. I was fidgeting like crazy, and I hadn’t even realized it.
“All right, listen, I know you aren’t used to being in one spot for very long. This whole neighbor lady thing is making you antsy as all hell. We need you here, but I don’t want you going stir crazy.” He pulled a manila envelope from his desk and handed it to me. “Here’s a new job that came in this morning. Some tech billionaire needs a bodyguard for some R&D trip in Europe. His usual team will be with his wife and kids on a trip to Jamaica. It should get you away for a couple of weeks. Let you get some distance and some perspective. Sound good?”
I let out a deep sigh. I really hadn’t understood how stressed I was, or how caged in I felt until he gave me the out. I was grateful. I couldn’t wait to get home and pack. I took the envelope and left, barely saying bye to the guys as I went.
Not wasting any time, I started packing as soon as I was home. I was zipping up my garment bag of suits when the doorbell rang. Glancing over my shoulder, my eyes narrowed as I looked down the hallway to the front door. I had a sneaking suspicion who was at the door.
A few strides later, I yanked open the door. My suspicions were confirmed by the new neighbor standing on my porch.
Her name is Harley, I reminded myself. She looked nervous as hell.
Before I could say anything, she started speaking. “Listen, I know this is weird, but I wanted to clear the air. This is not what I’d imagined when we moved out here. We sort of… left some things unsaid earlier. I want you to know that I am, in no way, a stalker or whatever you think. This wasn’t a plan, or a plot, or whatever, Mr…”
I blinked, realizing I now knew her name, but she didn’t know mine. “Sorry, yeah. I’m Tate, Tate Mills.”
Harley nodded and flashed me a tight smile. “Mr. Mills. My late husband’s partner offered the house to me out of the blue because…” She paused, and I could see her mind racing. She must have been running from the Ortiz guy, but she didn’t have a clue that I knew that.
She gathered her thoughts and finished. “Because we needed a change of pace. An adventure, maybe.”
I grinned and nodded. My suspicions were fading. This lady did not seem like she was hiding anything, or being shady. Could it really be some mind-boggling improbable accident? As hard as it was to believe, it was looking more and more like it was a possibility.
“So, I want you to know that my daughters and I won’t cause you any problems, we’ll stay out of your way.”
The tension that had been building in me since the moment I’d looked up and saw her standing on her lawn had almost totally faded. “It’s fine, really. Sorry I was such a dick earlier. We’re all good.”
She visibly relaxed and smiled. “Great. Nice to meet you, uh, again.”
“Right. Listen, I’ve got a business trip to pack for and a flight to catch.”
She held up her hands and turned toward the steps. “Got it. Well, we’ll see you when you get back. Have a safe trip.”
“Thanks,” I said and watched her go down my steps.
My heart suddenly sped up. In an instant, it felt like I had just gotten done sprinting a mile. Dizzy, I stepped back inside and closed the door. I leaned against it and gasped for breath. I pressed a hand against my chest as sweat ran down my forehead. What the hell? I slid down to the ground and took several deep breaths. It took a few minutes, but the feeling slowly faded.
I stood and went back to packing my bag. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. It made me even more
determined to get the hell out of this town for a few weeks. After zipping up my big suitcase, I packed the backpack I usually took along, then threw it all in the back of the car. I pulled away and forced myself not to look at Harley’s house as I left for my assignment.
FOUR
HARLEY
After three weeks, it seemed like the girls had finally settled in. The only real excitement we’d had was meeting our new neighbor. Thankfully, the girls had been smart enough not to ask about that. Honestly, I was surprised they hadn’t. Our little showdown on the front lawn had to have seemed really strange to them. Why wouldn’t it? Some stranger had confronted their mother in front of their house a few days after we moved in. It hadn’t helped that it had been obvious that we knew each other.
Tate hadn’t been around for almost two weeks. He’d said he had a trip, but two weeks seemed excessive. It was hard to talk myself out of the idea that he was staying away, so he didn’t have to see us.
One of our other neighbors, Mrs. Rose, introduced herself a few days after he left and informed me that he worked for some type of security firm. That tidbit of info would have been welcome in most situations. Knowing your neighbor was paid to protect people could come in handy. At least, that would have been the case if it didn’t seem like he despised you.
That night, I had a hard time going to sleep. Too much to think about, too much drama, too much… everything. I decided to try and lull myself to sleep by reading. I had several books in
a pile and figured it was a good time to get to work on them. I pulled one out I’d had my eye on for a few weeks, put on a robe, and got started.
The girls were asleep, and it was nearly halfway through a novel when there was a knock at the door downstairs. I sat up, almost dropping my book. The clock on my bedside showed that it was just past two in the morning. Who the hell was knocking on my door this late?
I stood and walked to my bedroom window. Tate’s truck wasn’t there, so it couldn’t be him knocking for some reason. Glancing down, I saw the strangest thing I’d ever seen. There was a bright red sports car sitting on the curb by my house.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
Another set of knocks came, this time louder. I put on my slippers and headed down to see what was going on before this visitor woke the girls up. Hurrying down the stairs, I could see the silhouette of a slender body through the frosted windows beside my front door. A quick glance through the peephole caused me even more confusion.
On my porch was a young woman, maybe twenty-one at the oldest. She was gorgeous and familiar in a way I couldn’t quite place. She was also wearing a long Burberry trench coat that looked like it was two sizes too big for her. There was no one else near the porch that I could see. Maybe she was in trouble?
I let out a frustrated sigh and unlocked the deadbolt and lock and swung the door open. The girl had been turned away from the house when I opened the door. Before I could say anything she started speaking.
“Are you still gonna say no to me, Tate?” In one fluid motion, she spun to face me while spreading her coat open, revealing a tight, toned, and tanned naked body.
My eyes bugged out and my jaw dropped. The girl had a half second of realization before she slammed her arms back