I locked the apartment door behind me and rested my back against it, trying to breathe normally. The silence inside my place felt louder than the city outside. It was supposed to be comforting the warm vanilla scent of my candles, the soft glow of the lamps, the neat little living room I'd organized earlier. But none of it felt safe tonight. Not after everything.
I dropped my bag on the couch and moved to the window to open it for fresh air. My hands were still trembling from the close walk with Elias. He had a way of speaking that stayed in my mind long after his voice was gone. Firm. Quiet. A little too observant. A little too… dangerous.
Maybe that's why, when I felt that strange pressure on the back of my neck likesomeone was staring at me again,I didn't want to believe it.
But the feeling wouldn't go away.
Slowly, I pushed the curtain aside and looked out, my whole body went cold.
A man stood across the street.
Not blending into shadows.
Not pretending to walk.
Not moving.
Just standing there.
Watching my window.
My chest tightened so hard it hurt. He was the same shape, the same stillness, the same silent presence from earlier. He had followed me here. He knew where I lived.
I tried to swallow, but nothing went down. My breathing turned uneven. There was no way this was coincidence not three times, not after that strange tilt of his head when he saw me earlier today.
I stepped back from the window and fumbled for my phone, hands shaking so badly I nearly dropped it. I clicked the contact Elias saved for himself.
Elias Hale , Do Not Ignore
He picked up on the very first ring.
"Ava?"
That voice deep, steady felt like something solid I could hold onto.
My throat clenched. "Elias… he's here."
Everything on the line went silent, but it wasn't empty. It was the kind of silence someone gave when they were processing danger fast.
Then Elias spoke, voice sharp and controlled.
"Inside or outside?"
"Outside," I breathed. "Across the street. He's looking directly at my window."
A car door slammed on his end.
Then an engine roared to life, low and powerful.
"I'm on my way," Elias said.
My voice cracked. "Eli..as"
"Ava. Listen to me carefully."
His tone changed, colder, deeper like he was switching into someone else entirely.
"Don't go near the window again. Don't open your door. Don't speak loudly. Don't turn on more lights."
My heart hammered faster. "Why not?"
"He needs to think you're alone but unaware," Elias said quietly. "And I need him to think he still has time."
The meaning hit me hard.
"You're… using me as bait?"
"No," Elias said immediately, the edge in his voice softening just a little. "I'm using his confidence. You're not going anywhere."
I backed farther away from the window, pulse racing. "He's not moving."
"I didn't expect him to," Elias muttered.
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
"It's not supposed to. It's supposed to keep you alert."
I could hear the speed of his car increasing.
"How close is he to your building?"
"Across the street, maybe thirty meters. Just… standing there."
Elias swore under his breath not loud, but sharp enough that I flinched. "Then he's too close."
I pressed a hand over my mouth. "Why is he doing this? I don't understand. I just got here."
"I told you," Elias said, "this isn't random."
The floor felt like it tilted beneath me. "Do you know him?"
There was the smallest pause.
Not long enough to deny it.
Just long enough to confirm it.
"Yes," Elias finally said. "I know exactly who he is."
My knees nearly buckled. "Elias… who is he?"
"Someone who shouldn't be anywhere near you," Elias said. "Someone who doesn't approach without a reason. Someone who leaves signs before he acts."
I backed into the wall, shaking harder. "Signs?"
"You felt watched last night."
"You saw him today."
"And now he's outside your home."
"He escalates quickly when something grabs his attention."
Something?
Like me?
My heart dropped. "Elias, please hurry."
"I'm one minute away," he said. "Ava, stay on the line with me. I want to hear you breathing."
I closed my eyes, forcing oxygen into my lungs. "I'm scared."
"I know," Elias said softly, surprisingly gentle. "But you called me. That tells me you're thinking straight."
"He's still there," I whispered. "Still staring."
"Good. Let him."
Elias's voice sharpened again.
"I want him to."
That made the fear twist inside me. "Elias, what is he to you?"
The car engine on his end slowed suddenly,turning, stopping.
"Not over the phone," Elias said. "Look away from the window. Step back."
"I already did."
"Good. I'm outside."
My breath caught. I rushed to the peephole of the door. The hallway was empty, but downstairs I heard a car door slam.
Then__
"Ava."
His voice was right outside my building now.
"Open the door. It's me."
I hesitated, heart pounding, then cracked it open.
Elias stood there….tall, composed, eyes burning with something I'd never seen in anyone before.
He stepped inside quickly and shut the door behind him.
And the moment we were alone in the dim hallway of my apartment, he spoke in a voice low enough to change everything.
"Ava… he didn't leave when I arrived."
My blood ran cold. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Elias said, staring into my eyes, "that he wasn't here for me."
He took one step closer.
"He was here for you."