No matter how he made his presence known, Silas knew he would’ve surprised her. Still, it was better than staying quiet and having someone (maybe Rae, maybe someone else) catch him in the act of watching her and accusing him of spying or some shit like that.
Moonlight made it almost impossible to judge her expression, but he could see that her gaze was pointed in his direction. He scrutinized her for a moment. If Rae Alghren — Zimmerman. Whatever. — was the murderer, he’d eat his cane. Maybe she did have legitimate reasons to go on a killing spree, but that didn’t mean she was capable of it. Not Rae. Not the tender-hearted woman who just wanted to help people, despite having recently lost her boyfriend.
Silas gave a light chuckle at her words. “Yeah. I can say I’ve made a couple a’those bad idea things in my day. Still make ‘em, actually.” With his free hand, he reached up to rub the back of his neck.
When she stepped toward him, it caught him by surprise. He took an involuntary step backward, wincing when the movement jarred his leg. The friendly hand she extended toward him would’ve been welcome under any normal circumstances. Right now, however, it concerned him. “Are you serious?” He asked, speaking around the cigarette propped between his lips. “You’re walking up to a stranger in the dead of night and wanting him to shake your hand? Good way to get yourself killed, you know?”
He extended his empty left hand, not to shake hers, but to show that he was unarmed. “I’m not gonna hurt ya,” he assured her, even if she wasn’t showing how afraid she was. “Unofficial security. And yeah, name’s Silas.”
That was when he remembered the lit cigarette in his mouth and the realization struck that he was more than likely blowing smoke in her face. He took the cigarette from his mouth and held it down at his side. “Sorry,” he mumbled.