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My mind is racing in a million different directions, and I don’t know what to do right now, or what to think. If I brought this person right to Logan’s door, I don’t know how I’ll ever forgive myself.

My breathing grows erratic as I try to calm down, but it feels too hard to control until Logan pulls me into him and strokes my back. He’s whispering calming words of reassurance to me, but I’m freaking the fuck out.

Fuck, what about the noise?

The one on Friday night sounded like it came from right outside my window.

Were they lurking around trying to find a way in?

The sound I heard the next day while working was so loud it broke through my noise-cancelling headphones, and that’s never happened before.Was it so loud because they wereinsidemy house?

I can’t stop shaking. What if I missed something by not checking every room, every window, every inch of my house? Clearly, I’ve been downplaying the severity of this, but I had no reason to think they were truly watching me—stalking me, by the other emails they’d sent.

I feel so stupid. Someone’s been watching me and I’ve had no idea.

Logan’s hand comes up to cup my face now, and I force myself to focus on him. He has no idea why I’m panicking yet, so I unlock my phone and hand it to him. I haven’t even opened it yet, but the subject line was all I needed to see to know this has escalated. This isn’t just someone from an online fandom; this is someone who wants me to know they’re close.

“What the fuck,” he mutters and lowers my phone in front of us so we can read the email together.

“I never wanted you to leave, I just wanted you to know how perfect you are. Then he showed up, always trying to be a hero, but he’s not, Ryder. He doesn’t admire you or care about you to the depths I do. He doesn’t listen to you like I do. You’re all I hear; all I see. You deserve to be worshiped. I can give that to you.”

His grip on the phone tightens, and I can hear his breathing pick up. “This creep has some type of sick fixation on you.”

That email did nothing to loosen the panic in my chest. I wish I’d never read it. Every word rings through my head, and I wish I could unsee them.

Worshiped? You deserve to be worshiped?

Who says shit like that?

I try to focus on my anger over this situation instead of fear because I don’t want to break down.

“That’s it,” he snaps, standing abruptly. “I’m calling the cops. This fucker is stalking you.”

“Logan, they’re not going to do anything,” I voice my biggest concern. “It’s just an email. We don’t even have the name of who’s sending them. We don’t have anything helpfulthey could use.” I don’t know why I’m still trying to be reasonable in this situation when some anonymous personadmittedto watching me, but I hate the idea of going through a line of questioning and not being taken seriously.

“We need to at least make them aware of this situation. They can document it,” he counters firmly. “And that’s better than nothing. Maybe they can dig into it. We have to do something, Ryder. I can’t sit here and do nothing when I know someone is watching you. Watching you closely enough to know you left your fucking house. It makes things far more dangerous.”

I know he’s right, even if I’m not convinced it’ll help. I’m also scared for Logan because this person doesn’t like him being around me, and I could have just led them straight to his door.

If anything happens to Logan because of me, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

He doesn’t waste any time pulling out his phone and making the call. He’s pacing the room as he relays the details to the dispatcher. I stay rooted to the couch, staring at the email. The words are burned into my brain, and I can’t unsee them.

When Logan finally hangs up, he drops back down beside me, his hand resting on my knee, giving it a light squeeze. “They’re sending someone out to take a report.”

I nod, my throat still tight. “Thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he says. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Ryder. I don’t know who the fuck this person thinks they are, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. And we’re not leaving this apartment. Okay? Get ready to be real sick of me.”

The sincerity in his eyes is almost too much. I look away,trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out,” he says, giving my knee another squeeze.

I try to give him a small smile, but inside, I feel like I’m cracking wide open.

9

LOGAN