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LIA

I looked around the coffee shop in disbelief. We were lying in one of the booths. I was in Mael’s shirt, and he was in nothing but his boxer briefs. It was late, probably sometime after midnight, and we were still here.

“I can’t believe we did it here,” I said, turning back to look at him.

He was smiling mischievously. I slapped his chest. He was damn lucky I had access to the security camera and would be able to delete the footage of us fucking.

It would be well within the owner’s rights to press charges should they ever catch wind of this.

“I could get in trouble.”

“Get in trouble with the owner?” he asked, and for some reason, he sounded way too amused by this.

“Not funny,” I said.

“Hmm.” He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing the back of it. “I wouldn’t have come here had you not texted me this morning.”

I looked down at his chest, unable to meet his eyes.

“What was that about?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to tell him the truth—the whole truth—but as soon as I caught sight of his eyes, I lost my nerve.

Would he still be with me if he knew just how complicated my life was at the moment? Something told me he would, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him.

“I guess I was just scared,” I answered.

The look in his eyes told me he didn’t believe me, but—and I didn’t know how I knew this—something told me he wasn’t going to push me for the answer.

Instead, he pulled me into him until my face was pressed up against his strong chest, and I could hear his heartbeat. It was surprisingly slow.

“Don’t do that again,” he said gruffly, his voice making his chest vibrate, allowing me to hear every note of desperation.

I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly. “I won’t.”

And I planned on keeping my promise, no matter what.

* * *

I drove to Leo’s house a few days later, determined to be the one to take control of this situation.

I wasn’t going to let my fear rule me. I was going to end this once and for all.

At least that was what I was feeling on my drive there.

It didn’t matter that I still didn’t know who he was or why he was so obsessed with me. It didn't matter that he had already proven capable enough to access my apartment without breaking in.

I had to believe that Leo was more capable than him—that he could protect me and put a stop to this.

Perhaps I should go to Dad as well, but I didn’t want him to worry. Not now.

I arrived at Leo’s house without incident, and I was about to pull into the driveway when I realized another car had just gotten there.

A familiar car.

I frowned, driving past the house.

What the hell?

I circled the block, turning my headlights off, and then parked across the street from Leo’s house and watched the scene unfold.

Victoria killed the engine of her car and got out just as the front door opened and Leo stood there, watching her. The porch light was on, providing enough light for me to see what was going on, even if I couldn’t see their facial expressions clearly.

But it was enough.

I heard the slam of the car door shutting as Victoria ran to Leo.

And he…

He opened his arms wide and caught her, lifting her up into his arms and kissing her.

When they pulled away, Victoria said something to Leo and laughed. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I could imagine Victoria’s laugh in my mind, a sound I had become almost as familiar with as my own.

And I didn’t know what to think anymore.

What was happening? And how long had this been going on?

Leo wrapped his arms around Victoria’s waist and led her inside the house, closing the door behind them and leaving me sitting in my car, staring at the empty porch.

I didn’t know how long I had stayed like that. Long after the porch light had turned off, I was just sitting in my car in the dark.

I drove home on autopilot and parked in my assigned parking spot. I got out of the car but hesitated just as I walked to the front door of my apartment building.

The thought of going back inside…

I closed my eyes briefly. I could call Mael and ask to spend the night with him, but I had spent the last three nights with him. I needed to go home eventually.

I just fucking hated the thought of going now.

When did my life become such a mess?

I had felt optimistic these past few days, thinking that at least I had some sort of plan to put a stop to my stalker. That was now pushed to the back burner. I walked away from my apartment building, pulling out my phone as I did. It didn’t take me long to find his contact information.

I saved Officer Stevens’s number on my phone a week ago, figuring it was better to have it than not. Now, I was going to call him.

I pressed the call button and brought it up to my ear.

The call never went through.

It took me a moment to realize what was happening, but when I did, I was nothing more than a tangle of emotions.

Anger, confusion, fear . But mostly anger.

The number you dialed is no longer in service.

What. The. Fuck?

Did the bastard give me a false number?

No, the number was on his official police card.

How could it be a false number?

What was going on?

I walked dazedly around on the streets near my apartment, not knowing what to think anymore.

I wasn’t even sure how long I had been wandering around or what time it was. I knew it was late. The crowds seemed to have dispersed, and the remaining people left out on the street were rowdy or drunk or both. It wasn’t smart to be out here alone. Still, I forged on.

Why was the number no longer in service?

I tried calling again, so sure it was a mistake the first time I called, even if I didn’t know how it could be a mistake.

The number you dialed is no longer in service.

I let out a frustrated groan and hung up the phone, trying hard not to lose it right then and there.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I turned to the voice coming from my right to find a man standing close to me, a sleazy smile on his face.

He was an unassuming man with an average height and average build. Brown hair, brown eyes, and fair, unblemished skin.

He should be nonthreatening, but I didn’t get that vibe from him. Instead, my stomach hollowed, my instincts blaring at me to get away from him.

I took a step back. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, shooting me a smile full of teeth.

“Yes,” I said curtly, turning around and making my way back to my apartment.

“I was just trying to be nice,” the man said sourly. I didn’t turn around to acknowledge him.

I was only a block away from my place when I realized something was wrong.

I turned around and found the man just a few yards away from me. He stopped when I stopped.

Was he…

Was he following me?

I walked away, looking behind me a few minutes later. And he was right there.

Our eyes met, and he smiled, waving at me.

Disgust made my stomach roll.

Was there something about me that just pulled all the creeps in my direction?

I shook my head and glared at him, walking away. I knew he was following me. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

I closed my eyes.

What was happening?

A part of me thought I should try to lose him and not go back to my apartment.

But a look at my phone told me it was just hitting midnight.

And if there was one thing my stalker was, it was punctual.

I hoped.

I was throwing a Hail Mary, praying the villain in my story would be my hero.

The man unabashedly followed me into the apartment building. I glanced back at him incredulously, and he looked back at me without shame.

My heart beat furiously in my chest, my palms growing sweaty from the fear, and I felt lightheaded.

I was taking a gamble.

We got to my front door. I snuck a peek back at him, still standing casually close to me, his arms down by his side, looking relaxed. He grinned when he caught my eye. I quickly looked away and unlocked my door, even as a small part of me started to doubt myself. What if I was wrong?

What if this was the one night my stalker wasn’t here?

But I hadn’t been home the past few days, which meant he hadn’t seen me in a while.

Surely he missed me?

I knew something was wrong with me when I started wishing my stalker had missed me.

I pushed open the door, and the man drew closer, his body pressed up against me. I shuddered, trying to keep the nausea at bay, especially when I caught a whiff of his BO mingling with the stench of alcohol and something else. Something pungent and strong.

I gagged when he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Go ahead and scream,” he said softly, close to my ear. “I like it when they scream.”

So I did as he asked. I screamed as he pushed me into my dark apartment.

For a moment, nothing happened, and I was afraid I might have made a mistake, and now I was trapped inside my apartment with the man.

But then, my bedroom door slammed open, and my stalker stood there, his shadow a formidable sight, especially in the dark. He was deadly calm as he took in the scene. The man who had followed me froze, and I knew without looking back that he was afraid. Even without a clear view, it was obvious that my stalker was bigger than him, meaner than him, and that was all that counted.

“You have five seconds to let her go,” he said, menace dripping from every word.

“What the fuck?—”

The man never got a chance to say anything else. My stalker pounced. He pulled the man away from me, silencing his scream with his palm. I jumped when the man was thrown against my hallway wall. He let out a groan and fell to the ground. My stalker grabbed him by the nape of his neck and pulled him up, then turned to me.

For a long second, we didn’t move. Didn’t say anything. I knew my stalker was looking at me, his eyes a soft caress moving over my skin, warming me.

My heart thudded, but this time, it wasn’t in fear or disgust but something else. Something much more dangerous.

Then my stalker pushed the man out of my apartment, closing the door behind him and encasing my space in utter silence. I fell to the ground on shaky legs, looking around.

What was happening to me?