Page 10 of The Right Sign

The one with the logo of the car behind us.

My eyes whip down. Back up. Down again.

I glance at Henry, who is now aware of the tuxedo guy. His eyebrow jumps and fear traces a line in his forehead.

We both turn to look at each other.

A thin, foreboding feeling winds through my stomach.

The man with the key is still giving me his undivided attention, and if I wasn’t about to hyperventilate from the fact that—

(a) Henry just destroyed an expensive car and,

(b) This guy is now a main witness,

I’d probably smile and flirt a bit just to see if, by any miracle, this gorgeous stranger is deaf.

But we’re not in a dream world.

We’re in a nightmare.

One that gets ten times worse when Dream Boat finally takes his eyes off me and looks at the car.

His eyes widen and then narrow in quick succession. He walks over urgently and presses the fob. The lights blink once and then die completely.

I slip my hearing aids back in and realize the noise is gone.

At first, I feel relief.

And then my stomach drops to my toes.

The truth hits me like a bowling ball to the chest.

Tuxedo Guy can control the alarm.

That means…

Henry destroyed the wrong car.

The handsome stranger assesses the damage and turns cold in a snap. His jawline tightens, sharpening to granite. He pierces Henry with a look that sends a shiver down my spine. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt fearful of anything, but right now, with Henry on the opposite end of a gorgeous pair of spear-like eyeballs, panic creeps in.

I nudge my best friend in the back and sign covertly, “Go.”

“No.”

“Think of your grandmother. She needs you.”

Henry’s eyes tighten in conflict.

“I’ll handle this. Go. Hurry.”

He takes a hesitant step backward, still unsure.

I make a shooing gesture.

Finally, he starts jogging and flees across the lot.

Tuxedo Guy starts to chase him, but I block his path. He could easily mow me down, but he stops as if he doesn’t want to hurt me. Aggravatedly, he points in Henry’s direction.