Bane of My Existence

Chapter 3

"He seems to know Carissa," Sabrina pressed. "If he knows her, he might know something about you."

"Everybody knows Carissa. She's always on the News, but there's nothing about me on the Internet. I don't have any social media. It's impossible for him to find me."

Sabrina huffed, not the least bit impressed with her argument--but only because she couldn't think of a rebuttal. "You know where my baseball bat is if you need it."

Kinsey did indeed, but she wasn't planning on carrying a bat around with her all the time.

"Why do you think they reacted like that?" she wondered. She was glad they had dropped the subject of her safety, but other questions had since formed in her mind. "What do they want with my sister?"

Sabrina drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, lips pursed, clearly with an opinion but was choosing to keep quiet.

"What is it?"

They turned off the main road for the University District. There were mostly apartment buildings with only one townhouse complex in the district. The university butted up against the river that divided the west and east sides of Wensworth, sitting on the east bank, but the district stretched to the north and south bridges. Since the area consisted of mostly apartment buildings, the city filled the spaces in between with cute parks. During the summer time, one could frequently find students studying on the benches or grass, soaking up as much of the sun as possible.

Sabrina relented with a sigh. "They're probably into her. You and Carissa won the genetic lottery. You're both genius and gorgeous. The only difference? Money. She could buy a boat the size of Manhattan if she wanted to."

Kinsey pinched her chin in thought. "But they seemed angry when I said her name."

She shrugged as she pulled into her parking stall. "If I've learned one thing about the paranormal world, the angrier they seem, the more turned on they are."

Kinsey wasn't an expert on men and certainly not on shifters, but that didn't seem accurate. When she stepped out of the car and opened her mouth to question her friend's sources, Sabrina held up her hand, silencing her.

"It's just a fact known amongst paranormal authors."

Kinsey still doubted how these facts came to be known, but at this point, she was just glad to be home. All she wanted to do was snuggle up on the couch and sleep the night away. She needed to be at her best for tomorrow.

Sabrina unlocked the main entry door with her fob and held it open for Kinsey. This building was one of the newer ones in the district, but it clung to the whole industrial charm of the city. Kinsey could only dream of affording a place like this in the same area. She swore whenever a building went up, all the units sold within the day. Sabrina had to fight tooth and nail for her apartment, which, unfortunately given the circumstances, was only a one bedroom. Kinsey had been sleeping on the couch for the past month. It wasn't an uncomfortable couch, but Kinsey longed for a night she could spend in a bed.

Sabrina flicked the lights on in her fourth floor apartment and relaxed when the door shut. "I'm going to have a shower. Will you be okay?"

Kinsey nodded, already heading for the couch. Sabrina looked at her, meeting her gaze, and checking twice to make sure she was truly fine before turning for the bathroom. Kinsey stripped out of her long sleeved shirt and leggings and settled into flannel bottoms and a t-shirt one size too big for her. Her head barely hit the pillow when she fell asleep.

Sabrina was still asleep when Kinsey woke up to get ready for her brunch with Carissa.

She tiptoed around the apartment, plucking her clothes out of her suitcase and dipping into the bathroom for a much needed shower. She ran out of time to make coffee and pack a small snack for later, before she had to run out the door, locking it behind her with Sabrina's spare key. Kinsey's Mazda 6 was waiting for her in Visitor Parking. She started it up and headed for the southern bridge. Luckily, traffic was on her side. No one was on the street this early on a Saturday morning. Unfortunately, that gave her nerves the opportunity to twist at her stomach.