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To get rid of him she blurted, "Well, it was nice to meet you." Fumbling with her keys in preparation to activate the remote locking system, she gave him an impersonal smile.
"I'll see you into your car, just to make sure you're okay. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
His quiet words sent a spurt of adrenaline through her veins, those disturbingly bleak eyes sliding over her body, making her feel exposed. Shivering in the balmy May evening, she tried to ignore the inner voice whispering warnings in her head. Until now she'd never noticed how poorly lit the parking lot was, but tonight the ribbon of forest that edged the ballpark transformed into a sinister place of swaying branches and deep shadows where danger might lurk, where a rapist or killer might drag their prey.
Get a grip, Bailey. Stop letting your imagination run away with you.
As fast as she could, she lugged the gear over to her truck and loaded it in back. When she finished he was still standing there, expressionless but for the weird glow in his eyes. Was he planning on trying anything? Her pulse jolted. Maybe she should have kept a hold on one of those bats, just in case. She almost dove for the driver's side, scrambled into the cab.
When she looked up he was standing next to her door. Christa barely stifled the gasp that rose in her throat. She hadn't even seen him move. Breath freezing in her lungs, she had to force herself not to cringe from him. Don't let him sense your fear. He'll feed off it.
Pasting on a friendly smile, she started the ignition, trying to seem unaffected by his nearness. What did she have to do to make him leave her alone? She didn't want tobe rude in case it made him angry. There was no telling what he'd do if he were mad, and besides, it wasn't in her to be impolite. Firm but kind, she decided, willing herself to stay calm. I'm not interested, so leave me alone. Just go away.
"It was nice to meet you, finally," he said, watching her with that eerily intent gaze. "I'll see you next game."
Great. Either he wasn't getting her signals of disinterest, or worse, he chose to ignore them.
"Drive carefully," he added, stepping back from the truck. His mercurial eyes seemed to glitter at her in the darkness. "Most accidents happen at night when you're close to home."
Her heart leapt. Was he threatening her? Swallowing the lump of fear trying to lodge in her throat, she pretended she hadn't heard him over the rumble of the engine and sped off. Turning out of the parking lot, she took a last glance in her side mirror and found him standing there, perfectly still, watching her drive away.
