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5

LIA

A week passed, and there was no sign of any random white roses popping up anywhere.

I was getting frustrated.

As soon as I told someone about a suspected stalker, all the clues that pointed to it suddenly disappeared.

I shivered when I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Not all the clues.

Someone was watching me. Again.

I glanced behind me from where I stood by the espresso machine I had been trying to clean. It was dark.

The glass windows that usually showcased a magazine-worthy backdrop of the woods were nowhere in sight. All I could see was my own reflection.

And I didn’t like what I saw of myself.

I looked terrified.

And angry.

I wiped a little harder on the counter than I should have. The coffee stain I had been working on was long gone, but my feelings of helplessness remained.

It was just me and one other worker left in here, and the last time I checked, she was in the back, getting the place ready to close.

I let out a frustrated groan and threw the towel down, heading out the doors before I could think about it.

The cool night air hit my skin the moment I left the safety of the shop and looked around in the dark. The moonlight wasn’t enough for me to see anything.

“What do you want?” I asked out loud.

No one answered me, not that I had expected it. Still, there was just something horrible about fighting off a ghost you couldn’t see.

My hands balled into fists, and I gritted my teeth.

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm my racing nerves, I pivoted, about to head back inside.

I froze when I heard the unmistakable sound of twigs snapping. I tensed and looked back out into the dark.

Not thinking anymore, I rushed over to where I had heard the sound, half expecting the monster to jump out at me.

I came to a stop, sensing nothing but trees, but I knew, just fucking knew , I wasn’t alone.

A sound came from behind me, startling me, and I turned around to see Melody, my coworker.

“Lia? What are you doing out here?”

I let out a small sigh, feeling the tension falling from my shoulders. “I thought I heard something,” I answered.

She shot me a soft smile. “Come on, let’s go back inside. It’s probably just a bear.”

“Maybe,” I said softly, letting her pull me back, even if I didn’t truly believe it was a bear or some wild animal I heard.

No, I heard a man.

Melody went back to her cleaning duties while I got everything ready for tomorrow’s morning shift, my mind moving at a thousand miles an hour.

My phone vibrated in my apron, drawing my thoughts, and I looked down to see Leo calling me. I made sure Melody wasn’t in hearing distance before I picked up.

“Hello?”

“Lia, how are you?”

“Good,” I answered evenly. “Did you find something?”

He let out a small sigh, the noise telling me the answer before he spoke. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. There is nothing indicating you might have a stalker.”

I blinked away the tears of frustration.

“Maybe my men missed something. We should go to the police and report it.”

“I don’t have any proof,” I said, knowing the police wouldn’t be able to do anything for me. And Leo couldn’t find anything. Either this guy was good, or… this was all in my head.

“Why don’t you move back home? Or stay with me?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t going to be driven out of my apartment over a feeling. I was almost angry just thinking about it.

“Maybe I’m wrong,” I said.

“Lia…”

I shook my head. “Thank you for looking into this for me. If your men can’t find anything, I think… maybe I’ve just been tired lately and imagining things.”

Which was plausible, considering Leo’s men were trained for these kinds of things. Perhaps I was just seeing things because I had been distracted lately. And maybe it really was some wild animal I heard outside just now, like Melody had suggested.

“I still don’t think you should live by yourself.” I almost forgot Leo was still on the other line.

“I’ll be fine,” I said with conviction. “But I’ll let you know if something else comes up.”

“Promise?”

I nodded, feeling my heart softening for the man I had thought of as my second dad. “I promise.”

He grunted through the line. “Good. And call me if you need anything.”

“I will,” I mumbled. “Talk to you later.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”

The line clicked, and I stood where I was, thinking over everything. I didn’t know how long I stood there, but it was long enough for Melody to finish up.

She frowned when she noticed me. “Are you still thinking about what happened outside?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, just some family stuff.”

She walked up to me and smiled, squeezing my hand a bit before helping me close up. We walked out of the coffee shop and to our cars. The world seemed awfully quiet then. Melody shifted from one foot to the other, trying to keep warm. “I’m going to head home. See you tomorrow, Lia.”

I waved at her, watching as she got in the car.

I knew I should get in my car and drive off, but there was a part of me that just wanted to stand there and have time stop for a moment.

I looked around the property, so unsure of what I was supposed to think now.

“It’s okay,” I whispered to the cold air. “Everything will be okay.”

And perhaps if I said that enough, it might actually be true.

Even I could hear my own na?veté in my thoughts. I licked my suddenly dry lips and looked around. My feet were already moving before I thought better of it, and I soon found myself standing by the edge of the woods. The trees were bare, and most of the dead leaves were on the ground. There was no way to be quiet while moving about. Right?

At least, it should be impossible for humans.

I stepped over to my left, the rustling of leaves following me. Then I moved to the right, careful not to make any noise.

It wasn’t possible.

The longer I stood out here, the more I was convinced there was no stalker.

I let out a small chuckle.

I was losing it.

There was no stalker.

Of course there wasn’t.

I turned, about to head back to my car, when everything in me froze. The feeling of eyes on me was like a white-hot sting slowly blossoming into a raging fire that would definitely burn me from the inside out.

And not just one set of eyes but the same set of eyes.

“Not real,” I said to myself. I half expected there to be an answer. Disappointment and relief warred inside me when there was no response.

I walked away, headed to my car, not looking back, even when my back continued to burn, feeling like there was a target painted there for all to see.

For him to see.