Page 36 of Merciless Obsession

I grabbed my purse to get my wallet. “No, I got it. Look Inaya, no more side parties alone, okay? I want to get who took my sister but not at the expense of your life.”

Inaya stared at me but didn’t agree and I knew she wouldn’t. Inaya was a risk taker. It took a lot to put fear in her.

“I’m gonna call you later. Right now I need to head home.” I tossed some money on the table.

“Okay. Be careful!” she called out behind me.

I checked my phone screen again. It had been four days since I laid eyes on Ezra. Outside of his text about watching me, and the notes and roses still being left on my door, I hadn’t heard from him. Now he popped up at my house unannounced while I was gone. I could only imagine what he wanted.

____

It took me fifteen minutes to get from the restaurant to my house. When I stepped inside, Ezra was sitting on my couch with his shoes kicked off, in a suit like he just got off work, and his feet kicked up, reading the book I had sitting on the coffee table

“Excuse you!” I slammed the door shut to gain his attention.

He closed the book and lowered it to his lap. A smile split his face when he looked at me. I noticed he must have seen his barber since the last time I saw him. The sides were tapered into a fade and the top cut low, almost just as faded.

“Happy to see me. Bumblebee?” He moved the book to the side and stood loosening his tie. “It’s been too long, I know. That’s my fault. I’ve been swamped with my current caseload.”

I narrowed my eyes as he stepped closer to me. “What are you doing here, Ezra? And how the hell did you get in my house and deactivate my alarm?” The only way to do either was if you knew the passcodes. For the lock, if you didn’t know the passcode, you could use the physical key, or the app if you had it, to lock or unlock the deadbolt. As for the alarm, it was the same, either you knew the passcode or you had to have the app to turn off the alarm. There was no way he would know my passcode for my alarm but it was possible he copied my key.

“Now, now Bumblebee, why trouble yourself with minor details. Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Why would I be happy to see the man who’s stalking me!”

He smirked. “Stalking is such a strong word. I like to call it keeping track of my toy. I got to make sure you’re safe.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Why wouldn’t I be safe?”

He shrugged. “You never know who’s lurking around.”

My mind went to the note that was left on my car. For a second I considered it to be Ezra but quickly dismissed it. The note left me feeling wary and unsettled. I didn’t get that with the ones Ezra’s left, not even when I didn’t know it was him.

I jumped when Ezra’s hand landed on my chin. “Something’s bothering you, Bumblebee. I’ve been told I’m a great listener.”

“Why does it matter?” I pulled away from him.

“If something’s bothering you, that means it’s bothering me too. I don’t mind handling any problem you might have.” His eyes darkened.

I blinked quickly and swallowed thickly. “I’m fine. I’m just confused on why you’re here.” I looked around my living room then went to my couch and set my purse on the coffee table. “And I hope you didn’t lose my place!” I glanced at my book.

“I told you it’s been too many days since I saw you, so here I am.”

I spun around and crossed my arms over my chest. “You’ve been watching me.”

“That’s not the same thing. You know this wouldn’t be an issue if you were still at my house.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I brought you something,” he mentioned and walked past me. I watched him as he grabbed a white grocery bag I didn’t notice off my coffee table and dug inside.

I was surprised to see him pull out a bag of suckers. He opened the bag and pulled one out, unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth. “I saw you had mostly cherry in your desk drawer so I figured that was your favorite flavor.” He stepped toward me.

I didn’t bother to comment about him going through my things. The stuff I wanted to keep protected was locked up anyway.

“Are you gonna tell me where you were watching me from? I didn’t see any cars outside my house that night.”

He pulled the sucker out of his mouth and grinned, licking his lips. “Now, now. I can’t tell you all my secrets yet, Bumblebee.”