You Belong to Me – 50

 

 

The rest of the week went by, and it was finally Saturday night. Scott had called every evening as promised, even though he and Corey saw each other during the day at the shelter. The stalker, much to Corey’s relief, hadn’t contacted him again. Not that it meant the man had suddenly decided to give up. Corey knew, and Scott agreed, that he was undoubtedly trying to ramp up the tension by keeping quiet before striking again.

 

“What to wear.” Corey stared at the clothes in his closet as if choosing the right pants and shirt was a life-altering decision. For God’s sake, this isn’t a date. It’s just going to supper with… an interesting man. Stop right now! It’s going to supper as part of trying to catch a killer. Scott will be more concerned with watching the other people at the restaurant than with paying attention to me, since he’s trying to spot the stalker if he shows up.

 

He finally decided on black slacks and a pale green shirt over a black turtleneck and began getting dressed.

 

Scott said it could take a few times for him to pick up on the fact he’s seen the same person everywhere we’ve been. That idea didn’t exactly bother him. It meant he could keep on going out with Scott. Like that means a damned thing in his book. That idea did bother him on some level. I’m… I like him, which is stupid. This is a job for him, and that’s it. Besides, I barely know him.

 

Still, that didn’t stop Corey from taking great pains to be certain his hair was combed perfectly and that he did look good in what he was wearing.

 

Finally he went into the living room where he paced, waiting for Scott to pick him up.

* * * *

Scott glanced in the mirror—on the way get his jacket and go pick up Corey—and shook his head in amusement. “You’d think I was going out on a date, not a job,” he told his image. He was wearing dark slacks and a blue shirt under a V-necked navy blue sweater. He grinned. Definitely not the look I’ve been sporting at the shelter but perfect for “Reed Scott.”

 

And to impress Corey that I can look normal? Not that he hasn’t seen me in decent clothes before. And why do I give a damn? This is just another job. Sure, he’s a nice guy, something I don’t run into too often in the grand scheme of things. But, yeah, it’s just a job.

 

Somehow thinking that didn’t stop the small wave of anticipation that welled up at the thought that he’d be with Corey, as himself more or less, in just a few more minutes.

 

Yeah, and all the time we’re together, I’ll be watching for the man who’s stalking him. Trying to decide if someone who’s at the restaurant is a person I’ve seen before when I’ve been guarding Corey, or looking for any tells that someone is too interested in him, and not in a good way. That won’t give me much of a chance to get to know him better.

 

Not that I want to.

 

“Like hell I don’t,” he muttered, grabbing his jacket and heading out.