Page 16 of Savagely Scarred

Uneasiness seeps into my bones. I spin around and look frantically from face to face. My pulse quickens again—this time from fear. My eyes focus on every man I see for a split second before moving on to the next one.

But trying to find someone in a crowd in New York City is like playing an advanced version of Where’s Waldo? At least the people in the books don’t move.

Deciding to leave this area, I reach down and grab Sadie’s leash. I take off in a jog, and she keeps up the pace and stays by my side. We make our way down the path toward the edge of the park.

I flinch away when another runner passes me and brushes against my arm. Sadie glances up at me repeatedly. She can feel the shift in my mood. This is one she’s never experienced from me. Paranoia. Dread.

I need to get out of here. Now.

I pick up my pace, going into a full run. We weave around people as they block my escape. Once I pass a large group, I move back to the edge of the asphalt and my steps falter.

“Come here, princess.”

NO.

My eyes widen and my breath catches. I turn my head to the right toward the voice. Standing in the grass is a man holding his hand out. A little girl in pigtails runs up to him and takes it.

Relief floods my nervous system. But I don’t have time to register the feeling before slamming into a hard body. Strong hands grab my upper arms, preventing me from falling onto my ass. My eyes snap up to meet concerned green ones above me.

“Jesus, Liv,” Sage grunts and he stands me back up. “Didn’t you hear me calling your name?”

“No, sorry,” I pant and take out my ear buds.

Hopefully, he will just assume my music was too loud. When in reality, it was my pounding heart drowning him out.

“Well, I’m glad it was me and not some little kid. You would’ve taken them out,” he jests. “What were you looking at?”

“I thought I recognized someone,” I lie.

A little white lie—to save his sanity. I don’t need my unproven suspicion to add to his problems. Granted, I don’t know what they are, but they are bad enough to evoke nightmares.

I probably just built it up in my head anyway.

He wasn’t here. He didn’t find me.

Yet.

The past eight months have been a slow torture, constantly wondering if he will come for me again. While I have moved on in my life, there’s still a tiny seed of doubt. One that has slowly been sprouting, to bloom into unwanted anxiety.

Sage laces his fingers through mine, and we begin walking out of the park. He stops near the corner and waves his arm out.

“Pick your poison.” He gestures toward the food carts.

Excitement immediately replaces my worries and my mouth salivates. My dad used to take us to the food carts every week and I miss making those memories. Sergeant Health Nut doesn’t take me as often because ‘it’s bad for you.’

I order a footlong and he gets chicken on a stick. Half of which he will probably end up feeding to Sadie. We sit on an empty bench, and I take a huge bite of my hotdog.

He shakes his head. “You and your street meat. I could’ve found a secluded alley and given you mine instead.” He winks.

I choke on what was in my mouth and he laughs while giving Sadie a piece of chicken.

“You’d be choking like that too.”

“That was lame. And the hotdog is bigger,” I jab.

He leans toward me, his lips brushing against my ear. “You can barely take my eight. I think twelve inches would destroy you.”

A blush flows over my skin and I swallow the mouthful I had been chewing. He straightens back up and pops a piece of chicken into his mouth, smirking.