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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

After her bath, Vera headed into the den, trying to shake the weird feeling that had hit after leaving the bar. What was up with her? She’d had a great time with her friends, but something had felt off. Maybe it was just her missing Ben.

The movie didn’t totally take her mind off the weirdness, but exhaustion hit, and she was ready for bed. After making sure the place was locked up, she headed to her room and read for twenty minutes before turning off the lights.

The house was almost too quiet without Ben there. The other nights, she hadn’t had issues sleeping. Something just felt odd, like the sounds from outside weren’t normal, though she knew she was making that up.

After a few minutes of tossing and turning, she got up and headed to the kitchen for something that would help her sleep. She poured some milk into a mug and put it into the microwave when she swore she heard something outside.

Her stomach twisted tight, and she flipped on the lights in the back and looked out the window. She didn’t see anything, but still, she felt odd.

She decided to send Thario a note, asking if Logan had traveled. Her phone rang almost immediately, and she answered when she saw it was Thario calling.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

She felt bad texting him so late. “Um, I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, and if you’re worried about something, I’d rather wake up and make sure you’re okay.”

“It’s probably nothing, but I feel weird. Like I’m being watched.”

“Have you checked outside?”

“Well, I thought I heard something out back and checked there. Let me go look out front.”

“Turn off all the lights inside first.”

“Okay.”

“Try to not disturb the blinds as you peek out.”

“Okay.” She felt like a broken record but worry and fear had her muscles tight. She didn’t want someone spying on her. If it was Logan, she would freak out. Hell, if it wasn’t Logan, she would freaking die. There was no way she could have picked up a second stalker, and if she had, it would mean she had shit luck.

“Are you looking out the window?” Thario’s question made her move faster to the window.

“Sorry. I’m scared and moving slow.”

“I’m looking for information about him. I’ve had alerts set up for him, and I’ve been checking. I don’t think he went anywhere. I can’t find…” Thario trailed off as she glanced out the window.

At first, she saw nothing. There were cars parked on the street, but there were always cars parked on the street. It didn’t seem like anyone was in the cars. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just as she was about to tell Thario she saw nothing, she swore someone moved out from behind one of the cars in front of her neighbor’s house. Before she could utter a word, Thario spoke.

“Shit. It looks like he might have flown out on a private jet with one of his dad’s friends. He could be in California.”

“Someone is outside. They are moving toward the house.”

“Oh, crap. I’m calling the police. Go hide.”

Vera couldn’t believe Logan was here, and they hadn’t caught his movements. She didn’t blame Thario. Who would have thought he would fly out here on a private jet? As far as she knew, he’d never been on a private jet before.

She raced into the bedroom, trying to come up with a place to hide. Maybe she should run outside, but she had no place to go. All her friends lived blocks away. She hadn’t made friends with the neighbors since moving in, and she regretted it. She would die here in this house, all because Logan couldn’t accept that she had ended their relationship almost a year ago.