Take It Down. Kira Sinclair

don’t think so.” Giving him her back, she strode away.

      Outside the bar, the salt-tinged air began to clear her head. It was a beautiful night, the slivered moon just barely gilding the silky sand and the crystal-clear water.

      What she wouldn’t give to have a paintbrush in her hand right now. To capture the beauty of this place forever.

      The loud music and bright lights of the bar faded, leaving her feeling alone in the tropical paradise. If she’d been here for any other reason, she might have enjoyed the sense of peace that stole over her. It was an unexpected gift at the end of a rather trying day.

      Stopping in the middle of the deserted path, she closed her eyes and breathed in the perfectly warm air.

      A burst of laughter from behind galvanized her into motion again.

      The sandals she’d thrown on only because they matched her sundress clicked loudly against the concrete path. So loudly that it took her a minute to pick up the sound of the second pair of footsteps following behind her. They were quiet and, if her own overprotective father hadn’t trained her, she probably never would have picked up on them. But, living in Atlanta, her daddy had made sure she was always aware of her surroundings and could defend herself.

      Her sluggish brain reacted a little slower than she would have liked, but it took her only a few moments to assess the situation. She was alone on a dark path, surrounded by thick landscaping and plenty of nooks and crannies that could be used to pull her into the shadows.

      The parade of men she’d grown increasingly harsher with as the night had gone on marched through her brain. Crap, she should have been nicer.