Chapter 64: Close Encounter

The autumn chill bit through Nathan's coat as he huddled in the shadow of an old oak tree, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the converted warehouse across the street. 1542 Maple Street loomed before him, its brick-long graying with sprawling vines and large industrial windows. Somewhere within those walls was Olivia, unknowing of the man who had once possessed her heart, now skulking in the darkness. Nathan shifted his weight and wew down, cringing as his foot crisped on a leaf that had fallen to the ground. He'd stood in the same place for almost two hours, ignoring the curious looks of those who passed by him and the multiplying numbness in his extremities. Every opening door and every car that passed set his heart racing, only to plunge again as Olivia failed to appear. Just as he was about to turn his back on it all, admit defeat, and face another night of questions, the big door at the front of the building swung open. Nathan's breath caught in his throat as a familiar figure s