Page 5 of Shadowing Charlotte

Chapter five

Charlotte

I stretched beneath my satin sheets, rolling over and letting out a soft groan. I could tell it was late from the way the light filled my bedroom. Lifting my phone, I glanced at the clock. Fuck, it was nearly noon.

I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and froze.

My lips parted as I sucked in a gasp. At the foot of my bed was the darkest red rose I'd ever seen, a card attached with a ribbon.

My heart jumped into the base of my throat, and my pulse raced as I glanced around the room.

The window was still closed, the door to my bedroom still cracked the way I had left it.

My hands trembled as I crawled across the bed and lifted the flower, turning the card around to read it.

Thanks for the show.

I couldn't breathe, my throat tightening as if someone was squeezing the air from me. I was right; he had been watching. The realization terrified and thrilled me in equal measure. How had he managed to get into the house?

I moved on autopilot, tiptoeing through the hallway and into the kitchen.

The house was wrapped in a cloak of silence, but some part of me questioned whether I was truly alone.

The sliding glass door that led to the backyard was still cracked open; a second rose lay on the floor just inside the threshold with another card.

You should really remember to lock your doors, Princess.

I should have been horrified. I should have locked the door and called the police. Instead, I stared at the card, grinning, and dug through my unpacked boxes to find a vase for the roses .

When the flowers had been put into water, I returned to the bedroom and tucked the cards into the drawer of my bedside table. What kind of lunatic kept mementos from their stalker? Me, apparently.

Feeling energized after the full night's sleep, I dressed in leggings and a sports bra, tying my running shoes and pulling my hair up into a ponytail.

My credit card and ID slid into my phone case, and I tucked it into the pocket of my leggings.

Adjusting my headphones over my ears, I opened my workout playlist and set the automatic lock as I closed the door.

Running was one of the things I did whenever I felt out of control.

It helped to clear my mind and give me something simple to focus on.

Breathe in, breathe out, don't think, just keep moving.

Drinking had been my vice before, but I'd cut back on that since the night of the quarry, when I'd found my way home in the stranger's car.

I'd been luckier than most. I could have been kidnapped or killed.

Instead, I'd been saved from being taken advantage of and driven home.

A stalker and a gentleman, who would have thought?

My thoughts focused on him as I ran, remembering all the times I felt his eyes on me.

He'd been there for so long; he'd become a part of my life.

When my friend Becca had stopped speaking to me, apologizing for her drunken antics and then blocking my number, I knew he was somehow responsible. Some kind of creepy, guardian angel.

I ran until my lungs felt like they might burst, pausing at the intersection that led to the main street.

Across the road was a juice shop, where I suddenly decided to get a smoothie for breakfast. I wasn't a breakfast person; never had been, but it was almost noon, and I needed to put something in my stomach.

The sound met my ears before I saw it, that low, familiar rumble.

At first, I thought I was being paranoid, but then I caught sight of the black Camaro.

A coincidence… I reasoned with myself. But the sticker was still on the back window.

The stupid sticker I'd gotten for Daddy for his birthday that said, "I'm her favorite. "

The car sped past, and I wracked my brain and trying to remember if I'd caught the buyer's name that day. It had been more than two years since then. Fuck, he might have even sold it in that time. Still, it didn't feel like a coincidence, it felt more like a twist of fate.

I was still dwelling on the idea when I entered the smoothie shop, ordering a "peachy pie", whatever the fuck that was, and taking a seat. Watching out the window, I began to search for him, wondering if he'd parked around the back of the shop, or if my imagination was simply playing tricks on me.

When a shadow leaned against the wall outside, hood up, I knew it was him.

There was no explanation, I just instinctively knew.

I watched him light a cigarette and take a deep drag.

Yuck. There was a reason everyone had switched to vapes in recent years.

Cigarettes were horrible for you. I smirked to myself, making a split-second decision, and made my way back to the counter.

"Can I add something to my order?" I asked.