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That shut him up.
CHAPTER 40
Stefania
Iwas curled up on the sofa, feeling like shit. Maybe sitting in the dark, with just the flickering light of the TV, throwing freaky shadows on the walls, was a bad idea. It felt like someone was watching me, and it gave me the heebie jeebies. A quick look around the room let me know everything was as it should be. Patti was sound asleep in her bed, blissfully unaware of my growing paranoia.
Being alone right now was a bad idea, but there was no way I could reach out to my brother. He had enough going on with Lucy and Sophie. Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair, trying to calm myself down. Then I heard it - a light tapping on my window. What the fuck? My heart leaped. My apartment was on the first floor, but it was more like a half floor, pretty close to the ground. Someonecouldclimb up the side of my building and tap on my window. With my skin prickling, I crept over, pulling the curtain aside just a tiny bit, enough for me to see out. I could have crumpled to the ground with relief. The thin branch of the tree that stood in our front courtyard grazed my window as it swayed in the breeze.
“You’re going crazy,” I whispered to myself. Even though there was no threat, there was too much adrenaline pumping through my system for me to sit still. I needed to get out of there. Grabbing Patti, I dashed across the hall and knocked on Scarlett’s door, desperately hoping she was home. Relief washed through me when, moments later, the door opened. Clearly surprised to see me, Scarlett said, “Hi!” Then she gave me a closer look. “You look upset. What’s up?”
“Yeah, I am upset. And more than a little freaked out. It’s probably nothing, but I’m not sure and I can’t take the chance. I want to call Grayson, but that’s a bad idea and I’m sorry it’s so late. I’ll just go back to mine. I’m totally overreacting.”
She stood back, pulling the door wide. “Sounds like we need some tea.”
Thank fuck.Stepping into the living room, I took in the cozy room. It was all warm, earthy tones with lots of plants and snuggly blankets. So different to my place, which was full of vintage furniture and band posters.
Scarlett made the tea while I sat on the couch, settling Patti in my lap. For no reason whatsoever, I checked my phone. No new messages. The way I sighed with relief was pathetic, but I put the phone down, determined not to look at it again.
My heart rate settled while I waited, so by the time Scarlett came out with two mugs of steaming tea, I was feeling better. Maybe I’d be able to string some coherent sentences together now. I’d already thought about whether I should even tell her about the hacker, but since no one had told me not to, I figured I was in the clear.
“Spill.” Her face was impassive, but she was observing me as she sat down across from me, taking a sip of her tea.
I let it all out. From meeting Grayson, to starting a relationship with him, to how shit everything was now that the hacker had gone after him. How crap it felt to not be able to see him anymore. How isolated I felt, since I didn’t want to draw the hacker’s attention to anyone close to me. The only relief I had from the chaos was the regular practice sessions with the band. I’d figured that the hacker knew about them and, actually, it would bemoresuspicious if I stopped working all together.
Scarlett listened intently, her eyes wide with shock. When I’d finally finished, she said, “Holy fuck, Stef. This is awful. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”
“Yeah, thanks. I’m feeling pretty shit about it, not gonna lie.” It felt better to talk to someone about it, at least.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
I shrugged. “Fucked if I know.”
There didn’t seem to be much to say after that, so we sat in the quiet of Scarlett’s lounge room, sipping tea. Very fucking soothing. Until I needed a distraction.
“So anyway, how did your hot date go last week?”
Scarlett pulled a face.
“Like that, huh?”
“It was the worst. He spent the entire night talking about his ex. So boring.”
“That’s shit.”
“Yeah.”
More peaceful quiet followed, then just when I was thinking about heading back to mine, my phone pinged. Hope flared in my chest - it could be Grayson!
From hope to fear in a goddamn nanosecond.
Unknown Number:I know what you’re up to,Stef. And I think it’s time we had a little chat.
Cold sweat broke out on my forehead and I shoved to my feet, feeling like I might throw up. With my hands shaking, I handed Patti to Scarlett.
“Stef? What is it?”
“It’s him.” I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes from the screen, trying to make sense of the message.