Sheep & Wolves

Chapter Nine

Dana adored her new apartment. It was a studio flat on the top floor of a twelve-story building. It wasn't in the greatest part of town, but it was a ten-minute walk to work and from twelve stories up, the view didn't seem so bad.

She still had a few of her belongings left at Marissa's from when she had been squatting at her place, and most of the things she had brought over were still in boxes, other than her bedding and some essentials. She hadn't unpacked because something about this place seemed so temporary. In her twenty-three years of life, she had never had her own space. She had grown up sharing a room with her younger brother and older sister in multiple foster homes. Since moving out, she had wandered from place to place, living temporarily with friends she met along the way until she felt it was time to move on.

She had never been happy feeling like she was stuck in one place, but she was starting to suspect that it may have been because she had never had her own home. She didn't feel like she was stuck when she was in this tiny apartment with its unfortunate view and three bolts on the front door (one of which she had installed herself upon moving in). Here, she felt free and wholesome, two things she used to assume were incompatible. Still, she could not convince herself that she could afford the luxury of unpacking. It would be too hard on her if she had to pack her things up again if she was forced to move out of this place.

She woke up at two in the afternoon, which was later than what was standard for her, even after nights when she didn't get home from work until seven in the morning.

She was considering going back to sleep again when she heard a knock at her door. She jolted upright, startled. Marissa was the only visitor she would expect to see and she was always practicing at the studio on Monday afternoons, so it couldn't have been her. Max was the only other person who knew where she lived. Briefly, she felt a swell of excitement clench in her stomach, before she realized she had just woken up and probably had horrible breath and bed hair. Her unsexy cat pajamas weren't doing her any favors either. Max had never seen her when she wasn't dressed like a stripper and she was worried how this could change his perception of her.

She clenched her jaw, annoyed with her feelings of insecurity, and walked to the door. She glanced through the peep hole to find Stan standing on the other side of the door, holding a bouquet of roses. He must of found her address through employee records. She couldn't help feeling both relieved and disappointed that it wasn't Max before she unlocked the three security bolts and opened the heavy door. Stan smiled as he saw her, but it was a nervous smile.

"Are you here to woo me?" she asked, grinning.

He laughed then cleared his throat awkwardly. "There were here when I walked up, actually." He handed the beautiful bouquet of different colored roses and her heart rate lurched with excitement until she saw the note that came with it.

Thank you for the kiss. Warm Regards, Lucas.

"How the hell does he know where I live?" she asked, showing the card to Stan. His face was an uneasy shade of red.

"I don't know if that's your biggest problem," he told her quietly. She felt her stomach grow queasy. How could this not be her biggest problem? He had to be tracking her down.

"Did you see him leaving when you walked up?" She asked, glancing past Stan as if Lucas would be hovering somewhere behind him.

"No," Stan said, bringing her disappointment and relief. "Listen. Nick, the guy who has taken over at the club? He's really dangerous."