Someone on TV that had hit the wall, but bounced back on cable.

Rerun money.

She drew in smoke and tapped the ash out the window. The man must have noticed because he looked straight at her and flashed a dazzling smile. She couldn’t tell the color of his eyes in the darkness, but she could see the spark. Before she could wave back he turned and crossed the lot, legging it toward the Cock-a-doodle-do.

He wasn’t a doctor, she thought. And he didn’t look like any lawyer she had ever seen before. Maybe not even a real actor. But he was hot. Totally hot.

She checked the time again, but didn’t care anymore. Reaching for her iPhone, she fitted her earbuds in place and toggled through the menu. Late this afternoon she had downloaded the title track from the End Brothers new CD, U All In? When she found it, she hit PLAY, heard 187’s voice and slipped the device into her pocket. Then she waved the smoke away from her face and got out of the car to finish her cigarette. Maybe she’d even smoke another one without worrying about what the smell was doing to the car.

U all in, pretty woman.

U all in, little darl’n.

That’s right baby, u all in,

’Cause u cheated on your daddy,

And now u done.

She listened as 187’s brother, XYZ, began to chant—thinking about their rise to the top of the hip-hop charts. She took a last drag on the cigarette, rubbing the head against the Dumpster and tossing the butt in. Then she reached into her purse for a piece of gum and tossed the wrapper into the Dumpster as well.

And that’s when she saw him.

The man who wasn’t Santa Claus. The man who probably wasn’t a doctor, or a lawyer, or even an actor living off rerun money. The hot man with short blond hair who got out of that fucking red SUV singing “Jingle Bells.”

He was hiding in the shadows, staring at her. And he was close. He must have snuck around the row of cars when she turned her back. She could see the color of his eyes now, a vibrant blue, ice-cold and vicious. Even worse, he was holding something in his hand and pointing it at her. At first she thought it might be a squirt gun. But when he pulled the trigger, two barbs shot through the air right at her. She could see them clinging to her sweater. They looked like fish hooks, with two sets of wires running between her body and the gun. She could feel the fear. The confusion and panic freezing her in place. Her heart pounding as she scanned the parking lot and looked toward the Cock-a-doodle-do for help.

They were alone. All alone. Everyone was eating dessert.

The man started laughing at her, and then something flashed through her body. The jolt.