Unraveled

Two Years Later

“Ally, can you pick up lunch around the corner?”

Allyson Cameron closed the lid to her laptop and stood from her desk. She’d been at it all morning, riffling through sketches and pitches for one of the most sought after advertising companies in New York.

Garrison McNeal was both an incredible boss and an easy man to work for. Grabbing his lunch would be a piece of cake.

“Sure thing.” She pulled her coat from the rack on the way out, and made the quick trek to Café au Temp.

She’d worked for McNeal Advertising long enough for the employee behind the counter, Kate, to recognize her face and associate her with the company’s account.

“Hi Ally,” she greeted, handing a patron one of their beautifully crafted chef salads. “Having a good day?”

“So far,” Ally answered. “Mr. McNeal asked that I pick up an order.”

“Yea, James called it in a few minutes ago. It should be right up.”

“Fantastic. I’ll wait over there.” She motioned to her usual corner booth and left the counter with a smile.

On the other side of the window, a group of business people passed by with determined strides and smartphones glued to their ears. That seemed to be a standard in New York, walking and working at the same time, and she quietly wondered if she’d ever get used to it.

Over the last couple of years she’d adjusted to life in New York. She was no longer the quiet girl from Oklahoma that had dove head first into the city of sharks. Instead she was cool, confident and collected -- personality traits that had landed her the job at McNeal Advertising.

When she’d interviewed, it’d been made clear that they weren’t looking for some passive Polly to fill the position. She’d altered herself accordingly. Had she not, she never would’ve survived.

“Ally, order’s up.”

Ally slung her purse over her shoulder and moved toward the counter. There was a bag of food sitting on the other side.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Give my regards to the boss.”

She laughed at the comment and turned. Though strikingly pretty, Kate was barking up the wrong tree. Garrison McNeal was focused on business and didn’t have time for anything else.

She would know. She did his scheduling.

A smile was still pasted on her face when she stopped by the corner and waited for the pedestrian sign to appear. Across the road stood another group of people, ones waiting for the very same sign as Ally, but one of them in particular caught her eye.

She knew him, how she knew him she wasn’t sure, but he was staring at her dead on with a set of cyan colored eyes that she doubted she could’ve mistaken for another’s.

His mouth set into a thin line as he stared at her, the edges of his masculine jaw setting firmly. She couldn’t tell by his expression if he was mad or annoyed, but he turned and moved in the opposite direction, his movements fluid and graceful enough to miss the other New Yorkers joining the crowd.

She watched him as he walked, his black leather jacket skimming the waist of his dark blue jeans. He moved with determination in his step, and she followed him the length of the block before she lost sight of him completely.

Whoever he was, he was set on getting away.

And he’d managed to do it successfully.

“Here you go, sir.”

She entered into Garrison McNeal’s office a few minutes later with the food in hand. He was sitting behind his desk concentrated on the computer screen in front of him.

“Thank you.”

She nodded and sat the food neatly down on the corner. Papers were organized into carefully arranged stacks, and he pushed a few aside.

“Would you grab me a bottle of water from the fridge? Take one for yourself if you’d like.”

She turned and walked the length of the room, glancing out the floor to ceiling windows as she passed by. She loved the view from his office; the incomparable view of New York was utterly breathtaking.

“I’ve got the sketches sorted,” she commented as she pulled a couple of bottles from the mini-fridge. “I’ll bring them to you shortly.”

“Great. Are they categorized?”

“Of course.”

“And alphabetized?”

“Aren’t they always?”

He relaxed into his chair and crossed his arms. Though he was her boss, Ally was one of the first to admit that Garrison McNeal was quite the looker. He was tall, and athletic, with hazel eyes and honey colored skin. His dark hair was cropped and fashioned away from his face, a style that accentuated his hard features and sharp nose.

“Have I told you that you’re one of the best assistants in the city?”

“Yes.” She extended the bottle of water and smiled. “If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

He gave her an appreciative nod and she exited the office proudly. She knew she was good at her job, but to hear it from the source was a good reminder. The fact that her boss was who he was only made her ego inflate that much more.

“Someone looks like they’re on cloud nine,” James commented as she neared her desk. Mr. McNeal’s Junior Assistant was both annoyingly observant and gave blunt commentary of her wide range of expressions.

“Don’t you have something you should be doing?”

He gave her a mischievous smile. “Probably, but my supervisor has neglected to task me with any new assignments. I finished the others before she ran to grab the big man’s lunch, and I’ve been sorting my inbox emails ever since.”

Opps.

She pulled a stack of papers from her desk and handed them to him. “You can research these companies. I need their target demographics, previous and current advertisements, future projects, etc. The more you can find the better.”

“And that’ll teach me to keep my mouth shut,” James quipped in response. He reached for the desk phone as it let out a loud ring. “McNeal Advertising, this is James speaking.” He placed the receiver between his shoulder and his ear while he spilt the papers in half. “Thanks, Julie, I’ll send her down.”

Ally stared at him as he placed the phone back in its holder. “You have a delivery. I think it’s the package we were expecting to be here yesterday.”

Ally stood and nodded in understanding. “He’ll be happy. That’s a big account, and they weren’t thrilled that Fed-Ex lost the package in transit.” She moved toward the lobby with a perk in her step. She didn’t need the extra work, but if the boss was happy then so was everybody else.

When she reached the front, the figure standing inside the revolving glass doors froze her mid-stride.

What the hell.

She studied him, her brown eyes focused on the man who’d evaded her earlier. He wore the same black leather jacket and dark jeans, but his face was molded into one of confusion.

She took a step, fully expecting him to turn and run as he had earlier, but he remained in place.

“Ms. Cameron,” Julie called from the front desk, her voice as cheerful as always, but Ally politely excused herself and moved right on by.

“Who are you?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips as she stopped in front of him.

“You can see me,” was all he replied.

“Uh, yea.”

He shifted on his feet and glanced around the room. “Come with me.”

“No.”

He took hold of her arm, a pulse of electricity shooting though her from beneath his touch. The feeling stunned her into silence as he pulled her toward the door. Though speechless, she drug her feet as best she could.

“Quit fighting me,” he stated as he pulled her through the revolving doors and down the steps.

She stared at him, bewilderment mixing with disbelief. This man was crazy, stark raving mad, and dragging her down the middle of 5th St.

He pulled her into the first vacant alley they came across, but kept a lock on her arm.

“What is your name?”

Another pulse of energy shot through her and she stammered, “A-Ally-Allyson. W-who the hell are you?”

He pulled a loudly ringing phone from his pocket and crushed it to his ear. “What do you want,” he answered, positioning himself between Ally and the sidewalk.

She knew that voice.

She wasn’t sure where, or how, but she’d met this man before.

“I’m a little busy right now.” He glanced at her, his blue eyes scanning her face intently. “Interrogating…no…not yet. Stay on standby. I’ll let you know…keep me posted on the other event.” He pushed the end call button, but kept his phone in his hand. “What’s your last name?”

She shook her head defiantly. “You answer my question.”

“Don’t make me force it out of you,” he threatened.

“Cameron.”

He took a step back and frowned. “You’re not a demon.”

“The last time I checked, I’m a human.” She took another step, putting a bigger distance between them than he had. “Why don’t you just let me go and I won’t report this.”

“Report it to whom?”

She knew she was treading on thin ice, and it was cautiously that she answered, “I promise I won’t say anything. You haven’t done anything, and if you’re hoping for money then I can’t give you any. My purse is in my office. Please just let me go and we can forget this even happened.”

She didn’t identify the fear in her voice until she’d reached the end part of her statement, but he’d clearly picked up on it from the beginning.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he answered, his features softening almost indiscernibly. “I’m just trying to figure out who, or what, you are.”

“I’ve told you,” she stated. “I don’t have a different answer.” He leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets as she continued to slip away from him. She knew what she was doing was obvious, but he didn’t move in return. “Just let me go. Please.”

“I can’t.”

Before she knew what she was doing, she turned and ran.

Her heels pounded against the pavement as she sprinted in the other direction. She didn’t know if he’d followed her, she was focused on putting as much distance between them as she could. If she could lose him, she could go to the police.

Ally rounded the corner, nearly slipping as her heel caught a patch of water. She scrambled to catch her balance, falling face first into the center of a crowded street and right in front of a taxi moving toward her, and that’s when the man pushed her out of the way.

His body took the brunt force of the car, while the taxi barreled into and over them before sliding into the nearest street light. She heard the shouts of witnesses, and the echo of footsteps as people sprinted toward the car, but the male clinging to her with nothing more than oil and dirt splashed across his face was what captured her attention.

“We need to get out of here.”

The proximity of his face to hers was titillating to the senses, but he didn’t wait for a reply. He lifted her and hauled her out of the wreckage, never breaking stride as they literally disappeared from the scene.

***

Where am I?

Ally shifted, her head brushing against a fluffy pillow as she squinted against the almost blinding light. It was a dream; the whole thing was just a terribly realistic dream. She stretched beneath the covers, but quickly cowered at the sting of soreness vibrating through her body.

A figure moved into her vision, and she cursed as he came into full view.

“I’m happy to see you too,” he stated as he reached over her. His shaggy brown hair brushed the corners of his ears as he bent toward the monitor, and he quickly returned his stoic gaze to her. “Your vitals are good.”

“Vitals?” She glanced at the arm that was hooked to a machine and rested her head against the pillow. “Where am I?” The room around her wasn’t that of a hospital, it was far too cozy and way too nice to have been.

“You’re at The Cove.” He straightened and crossed his arms solemnly. “And before you ask, you were hit by a car. Well, technically, I was hit by a car. I brought you here for medical care. You have not been kidnapped, and it would do you no good to file a report.”

She frowned and crossed her arms against the hospital gown. “When can I go home?”

“As soon as we get you cleared medically, and I get cleared on a few things.” He wore a serious expression, but he no longer wore the jacket or the oil and dirt he had the last time she’d seen him. “I mean you no harm.”

She didn’t doubt his statement; after all he’d pushed her out of the way of a car. If he wanted to kill her he would’ve let her get hit.

“I need to ask you a few questions.”

“If this is legally binding, I want my lawyer.”

His mouth titled into a devastatingly handsome expression that she would’ve loved to have said didn’t affect her. “We don’t have lawyers, Allyson. We have trials and you’re either guilty or you’re not.”

“Who is the ‘we’ you’re referring to?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.” She motioned toward her surroundings with a sweep of her hand. “Unless you plan on letting me out of here anytime soon, I don’t see any reason why you can’t clue me in.”

“My questions first. If I deem your answers acceptable, we’ll go from there.”

She debated his offer, but knew there was no use arguing. He’d been hit full on by a taxi. She doubted he would do anything he didn’t want to, and she knew she couldn’t make him.”

“Fine,” she relented. “What do you want to know?”

He pulled out a chair and quietly took a seat. “What is your name?”

“I’ve told you,” she answered, “Allyson Cameron.”

“That’s your real name?”

“Should I have another?”

He looked at her skeptically, his golden brown eyebrows rising above his dark lashed eyes. “Some people use an alias.”

“I’m not one of them.”

“Fair enough.” He relaxed into the chair and studied her. “You have an accent.”

“How observant of you.”

He ignored the retort, but she could see the corner of his mouth tilt at her response. “Where are you from?”

“Oklahoma.”

“That’s where you were born?”

“Yes.”

“And when did you move to New York?”

“Two, almost three years ago.” That answer seemed to have a slight effect on him. “I’m sorry, but how many questions do you plan on asking me? Is this one of those all day interrogating sessions, or do I get pee and eating breaks too?”

Another crack in his tough exterior came at the unexpected response. “Is that your way of telling me you need to use our facilities?”

“That’s my way of saying that not all of us are superhuman.”

He laced his fingers together in the space between his thighs. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t. That car just voluntarily flipped over in the middle of the road, and I walked away with nothing more than a few bruises due to dumb luck.”

“You were never there.” He stood, his face set determinedly. “I’ll get some food delivered. Try not to get into trouble.”

“Are you done with your questions?”

“For now.”

“Then answer mine.”

He crossed over the threshold, but turned in the doorway. “My name is Zac. Eat, rest and do what you’re told. I’ll check on you in a little while.”

Ally watched him as he left, her eyes pinned to Zac with more questions than she knew to ask. Everything about him was mysterious, and usually that would’ve been enough to make her put up a wall.

But how was she supposed to put up a wall when he’d gone out of his way to save her life, especially when it’d been her own fear that had sent her running in the first place?

And that was the question she was left to ponder as she lied in the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Zac, the familiar stranger, just might be a mystery worth trying to break.