I didn't sleep.
Not even a little.
Every sound felt louder.
Every shadow felt wrong.
Every time my phone buzzed, my heart jumped straight into my throat.
MISSED YOU.
Two words.
That was all it took to rip open a door I'd slammed shut years ago.
THE PROTECT CYPRIANA SQUAD
By morning, the apartment looked like a war room.
Cash stood at the counter, aggressively making pancakes he was not flipping correctly.
Maverick leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp, watching every window like a trained soldier.
Paige had her laptop open.
Harper had color-coded notes.
Cailee had snacks and emotional support energy.
Kate stood near me, quiet but alert.
Mychael… was somehow filming but also taking this seriously for once.
Cash slammed a pancake onto a plate.
"Okay. New rule," he announced.
"No one lets Cypriana walk anywhere alone."
"I can walk," I muttered.
Maverick didn't even look at me. "No. You can walk with us."
Paige nodded. "Protect Cypriana Squad. PCS."
Harper wrote it down. "Official acronym. Approved."
Cailee saluted me. "We ride at dawn."
Kate sighed. "I can't believe this is real."
I hugged my hoodie tighter around myself.
THE DM
My phone buzzed.
Everyone froze.
Slowly, I looked down.
Unknown Account
No profile picture.
No posts.
Private.
Message:
LA suits you.
My blood went ice-cold.
"Guys," I whispered.
They all leaned in.
Cash's face darkened.
Maverick straightened immediately.
"Block it," Cash said instantly.
"No," Maverick said at the same time. "Don't."
Kate looked between them.
"If we block it, we lose information."
Harper nodded.
"Agreed. This person wants attention."
Cailee whispered, "I hate this so much."
Another message popped up.
You always did run when things got complicated.
My chest tightened.
My hands started shaking.
Cash noticed immediately and gently took my phone.
"That's enough," he said softly.
But Maverick was already staring at the screen, jaw tight.
"He knows her," Maverick said. "This isn't random."
FLASHBACK — BEFORE LA
I hadn't thought about him in a long time.
Or at least… I told myself I hadn't.
Back then, everything felt smaller.
The town.
The rooms.
The choices.
He was older.
Charming.
Everyone liked him.
Everyone except me — eventually.
At first, he made me feel special.
Seen.
Chosen.
Then it became control.
Who I talked to.
What I wore.
Where I went.
"You don't need anyone else," he'd say.
"I'm enough."
When I left, I didn't tell him.
I just… disappeared.
And now—
He'd found me.
BACK TO THE PRESENT
"I didn't tell anyone because I thought it was over," I admitted quietly.
The room was silent.
Paige's eyes softened.
Harper stopped writing.
Cailee squeezed my hand.
Kate spoke gently.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Cash crouched in front of me, voice low.
"Hey. Look at me."
I did.
"You're not that girl anymore. And whoever this guy is?"
He shook his head.
"He doesn't get access to you now."
Maverick added, calm but deadly serious:
"And if he thinks he does… he's wrong."
Something in his voice made me believe him completely.
THE FIRST REAL CLUE
That afternoon, Mychael came back from grabbing coffee.
His face was pale.
"Uh," he said slowly.
"This might be nothing. Or it might be everything."
He held up his phone.
A photo.
Taken outside the building.
A man in a hoodie.
Back turned.
Tall.
But the timestamp?
Thirty minutes ago.
Kate swore.
Cash clenched his fists.
Maverick stepped closer to me instinctively.
"He's here," I whispered.
THE GIRLS SNAP INTO ACTION
Paige slammed her laptop shut.
"Nope. Absolutely not. We are not doing horror movie logic."
Harper nodded.
"We tell security. We stay together."
Cailee looked at me fiercely.
"You're not alone. Ever."
Kate squared her shoulders.
"I should've told you sooner," she said.
"But I won't let him near you now."
Cash cracked his knuckles.
"Good. Because if he shows up again?"
Maverick finished the sentence.
"He won't like how this ends."
ONE LAST MESSAGE
My phone buzzed again.
Everyone looked at it like it was a bomb.
The message read:
You brought a lot of people into this, Cypriana.
Then—
Hope they're ready.
The room went deadly quiet.
I swallowed hard.
"I didn't mean to—"
Cash cut me off immediately.
"No. Don't."
He stood, fierce and steady.
"You didn't cause this. He did."
Maverick stepped closer, his shoulder brushing mine.
"And whatever he thinks he's starting?"
He looked toward the door.
"It ends here."
The sun dipped below the LA skyline.
The city buzzed on, unaware.
But inside our apartment—
The game had begun.
And this time?
I wasn't running.