Dark Daze Read Online Free

sleep again. No. She refused to
believe in disembodied eyes sucking the light from a room. “It must
have been overactive imagination.”
    “What?” Mandy waddled up beside her.
    “Huh? Oh, nothing important.”
    “I have to say, I’m amazed you let me buy
this for you.” Mandy pressed a bag into Brie’s hand. “I thought for
sure you’d tackle me on the way to the register.”
    “You should never tackle a pregnant woman.”
The world slowed to a halt, and she fought not to show how freaked
out she felt. “Though I should give you a swift kick in the
butt.”
    “So, you let me buy it…Does this mean you
will go out with him?”
    Brie put a palm to her throbbing temple.
“You’re the bane of my existence, Mand, you know that right?”
    “I knew you’d give in.” Mandy beamed at her
and hooked her elbow in Brie’s. “You’re gonna love him.
Really.”
    Brie’s hand seemed to move of its own will.
She bit her lip as it slid her i-com from her purse.



Chapter Two
 
    Ian Connor turned into the parking spot in
front of the pet store and pushed the ignition button. Buster, whom
he’d named after Buster Keaton because of his ingenuity, and
because he was just a funny dog, stared at the door release button
before Ian even touched it.
    Buster didn’t realize his status as an
animal. He could open doors, even the sliding glass variety, if
they weren’t locked. He turned on the treadmill, if he wanted to
walk. And though Buster rarely ran off, he knew his mind, and if
Buster decided he had to be somewhere else, he would keep running
and nothing would stop him. But he always came home again.
    Ian opened the door, and Buster bounded in
one long jump over the driver seat and to the ground below.
    The German Shepherd mutt excelled when it
came to jumping. Buster sprang through the snow like a jackrabbit
and would bound up the steepest slope like it was flat land. He
could leap so high, and so far, Ian had toyed with the idea of
entering him into a competition.
    Ian walked into the pet store and Buster
darted past him, straight to Ian’s best friend, and the owner of
Pet World, who tossed him a treat.
    “Hey Buster.” Paul patted the dog’s head then
glanced up, pushing unruly dark bangs out of his eyes. “How are
you, Ian? How’s work?”
    “Everything’s great.”
    “How was the date last weekend?”
    “Very, very wrong for me.” Ian grimaced.
“Don’t ever set me up again.”
    Paul laughed, a deep belly laugh. “I guessed
she wasn’t right for you.”
    “You can say that again.” Ian wanted to find
a woman. He really did. For him though, alone was better.
    “She’s hot though, isn’t she?”
    Ian smiled. “Oh yeah, almost melted my pants
off, but nothing upstairs. Sorry man, I prefer a little brains in
my woman. Either way, I think I’m destined to be alone.” There was
less chance of being caught and far less to lose if he stayed on
his own. Besides, it would be nearly impossible to find someone who
would understand what he’d done—what he’d become. The right woman
for him couldn’t possibly exist, could she?
    Paul shook his head and tugged the usual bag
of dog food from the shelf and the treats he always included for
Buster. “Sometimes I don’t understand you, Ian. You just don’t make
sense.”
    “Yeah, well.” Ian shrugged, but Buster
distracted him before he could continue. A huge doggy smile split
his face as he careened around the counter chasing a fly, which
buzzed through the shop.
    The sound of the bell drew Ian’s attention. A
family entered and went straight to the over-sized fish tanks along
the wall. Buster trotted over to sit by Ian’s side, glancing
forlornly at the fly buzzing nearby, like a child looking at a fun
playmate from whom he was restricted. Buster had taken so well to
his training, Ian had often wished there were doggy IQ tests.
Buster would have topped the charts.
    “It’s okay, boy.” Paul gave the dog another
treat.
    “Well, Ian. I do have