Nicole’s body stiffened as she watched Leo, her eyes darting around for anything that could double as a weapon.
Her hands were bunched into fists, her nails digging into her palms, as if ready to defend herself if it came to that.
Her breathing was shallow and controlled, but her heart was another story altogether, racing, thundering against her chest like some warning drum.
She had seen enough in her life, either on TV or in reality, in whispered cautionary tales, to understand that when a man shows up uninvited in the dead of night, trouble is usually not very far behind.
"What do you want?" Her voice was sharp, her tone designed to slice through any pretense. She stepped back instinctively, angling herself closer to a discarded plank she had spotted earlier.
Her body was tense,
