Midnight Hero Read Online Free Page B

snatched the paper and scooped up the lethargic arachnid. Her gaze traveled around the deserted room. “Watch the store for me? I’ll be right back.”
    â€œYeah, if Franken-Spider doesn’t eat you.”
    Bailey carefully balanced the newspaper as she strode down the mall’s quiet corridor and out the main doors. Dark clouds overhead wept icy drizzle, a dreary reflection of her sorrow.
    A barrel-chested man with salt-and-pepper hair lounged outside under the entryway, smoking. He was turned aside so she couldn’t see his face, but she felt his eyes watching from the shadows.
    As she gently dumped the spider beneath the sheltered bushesbeside the building, he took a drag on his cigarette. “Most women have screaming fits over anything that big and ugly.” His speech bore a hint of the Bronx.
    The spider scurried under a leaf. Bailey empathized with the arachnid’s relief at being returned to her environment, away from threatening predators. The spider would burrow under the dirt, safe from the storm. A pointed lesson from nature. Don’t wander from where you belong. Adventure often has a lethal ending. “She’s a wolf spider. They live in underground burrows and eat damaging insects. There’s no reason to kill her simply because she got lost and wandered into the wrong territory.”
    His broad shoulders covered by a black wool peacoat hunched against the cold. “A smart babe with a soft heart.” He laughed, but the deep, graveled bark wasn’t humorous. “You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago.”
    Bailey sensed his gaze assessing her, a hawk watching his prey. The back of her neck prickled and she shivered. Chill or warning? Mom had always forbidden her to talk to strangers. Of course, Mom was paranoid. Still, it was good advice. Without another word, she spun on her heel and hurried inside.
    Syrone Spencer, the hulking security guard, stood by the one-hour photo booth. People would never guess the intimidating man was an avid chess player. A week after Con had started dating Bailey, Syrone had shown up at the bookstore at closing. Under the guise of a chess match, Syrone had checked him out as expertly and thoroughly as any wary father. Con had passed muster, and the two men had become close friends over the past six months. He and Con often amused themselves with competitive matches while he waited for her to close up the bookstore.
    Con. Nothing in her life was untouched by memories of him. She’d have to live with the throbbing echoes forever. Just penance for hurting him.
    Syrone’s ebony face broke into a smile as she approached. “Hey, Bailey. What’s up?”
    â€œHey, big guy. Not much, it’s slow.” She hesitated. Maybe the man outside was simply indulging a nicotine fit. The mall was a public place, frequented by all kinds. Maybe the menace she’d felt wasn’t real. Her traumatic morning had thrown her off balance. However, her creep radar was usually right on target. “There’s a guy smoking outside the main entrance. Black peacoat, gray-streaked hair. He seemed…spooky. Out of place.”
    Syrone’s expression grew serious. “I’m all over it.”
    â€œI feel safer knowing you’re on the job. Be careful, okay?”
    Syrone nodded. “I’m always careful. I’ve got a beautiful wife and four munchkins who depend on me.”
    She hurried back to the bookstore, where Nan leaned against the counter. The store’s cheerful warmth did nothing to ease the chill that had seeped into Bailey’s bones. She shivered again.
    Nan pointed to the picture tucked on the far side of the cash register. “You take that?”
    Bailey glanced at the snapshot of Con and his three brothers, and sorrow slammed into her. “Yes, Christmas Day.” Christmas at the O’Rourkes’ was an event. Unlike the quiet holidays spent alone with her mom, the