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out the blinds. The headlights blinded her momentarily, but she watched as the truck backed out of her driveway. She kept watching until his truck was gone from sight.
    When it was gone, she sighed. Kicking off her shoes on her way to her room, she left them where they fell. She wanted to think about what had happened, to relive every moment. Instead, she collapsed on her bed and fell sound asleep.

Chapter Five
    This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.
    He eased the car to the side of the wide street and parked it. He started to roll down his window, but realized he wouldn’t be able to hear their conservation from this distance. Quietly, he slipped from the car and edged closer.
    He listened carefully. Their conversation could give him the information he needed to prove his point. Dean shouldn’t have a woman. After all the pain he’d caused, he shouldn’t have any happiness. It wasn’t fair.
    In the end, he wouldn’t need their words to prove his point. He watched Dean kiss the woman. The woman flung herself at him. Dean eagerly returned her kisses. The sight made him sick to his stomach.
    The plan would have to be adjusted. This affair made it clear his original plan wasn’t enough. Dean deserved worse. So much worse.
    He waited until Dean’s truck was out of sight and the woman’s face moved from the window. He also waited for the woman across the street to close her blinds. He hadn’t been the only one watching Dean and his woman.
    Meticulously surveying the rest of the neighborhood, he decided the residents were sleeping soundly or at least away from their windows. In a peaceful neighborhood like this, it was typical for the resident to draw their curtains before bed. And, if he couldn’t see in, they couldn’t see out.
    Hastily, he walked right up to the woman’s front door. Based on what she’d told Dean, he found her spare key and just as quickly snuck away again.
    As he walked along one of the fenced yards, a dog slammed itself against the boards of the fence, startling him. The dog snarled and barked. He hated fucking dogs. Nasty things. The noise this one made rendered it a liability. He’d have to figure out how to get rid of it if he planned on staking out this woman again.
    Slipping into the stolen car, he left the neighborhood unobserved.

Chapter Six
    Payten jumped when she heard the phone ring. She had only been awake a few minutes, long enough to go to the bathroom and decide to brush her teeth before going back to bed. She spit the toothpaste out of her mouth and moved into her room to grab the phone.
    “Hello?”
    There was no answer.
    “Hello?”
    She hung up the phone, puzzled. It was after two in the morning. If someone bothered calling at that time, it should be for an emergency. If it were an emergency, though, why would they hang up?
    She walked back to the bathroom, finished brushing her teeth, and went to bed. She fell asleep thinking that she should get caller ID on her phone.
    • • •
    Dean lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. It was dark in his room, but it wasn’t like there was anything to see on the ceiling. He simply couldn’t sleep.
    He turned his head to look at the clock. It was a little after two. Closing times were usually a little before two. Luke drifted and picked up odd jobs at bars along his way to wherever. Luke would still be awake.
    He rolled out of bed and headed for the living room. He grabbed the phone off the coffee table and sank into his favorite leather chair. Kicking his feet up on the footrest, he dialed Luke’s cell phone.
    “Yeah?” he answered.
    “It’s Dean.”
    “Hey.” His voice warmed. It was a slight change, but they had been friends so long he caught it. “What’s up?”
    “Not much,” Dean lied. “Just called to chat.”
    “You call to chat at noon. It’s two in the morning. I repeat, what’s up?”
    “No small talk?” he asked even as he felt himself grin.
    “Fuck, no.” Dean could almost hear the horror in his