Elias locked the door behind us with a smooth, controlled movement, as if he'd done this a hundred times before. He wasn't panicked. He wasn't confused. He wasn't even surprised.
That terrified me more than the man outside.
He stepped past me, scanning every corner of my apartment without asking permission .living room, kitchen, hallway his eyes sharp, calculating, noticing things I didn't even know were important. Shadows. Angles. Lines of sight.
When he returned to me, his expression was different. Harder.
"He stood there the entire time I drove up," Elias said quietly. "He wanted you to see him. He wanted you scared."
My throat tightened. "Why?"
"Because he doesn't approach his targets directly. He waits. He observes. He tests."
"Tests what?"
"How you react. How vulnerable you are. Who comes for you."
My chest squeezed painfully. "But Elias… why me? I didn't do anything. I don't know anyone here."
"You don't have to know him," he murmured. "He chooses people based on patterns only he understands."
Patterns? That word made my pulse spike.
"What does he do to the people he chooses?"
Elias's jaw flexed. "Nothing good."
I swallowed. "Can you please tell me who he is? I need to know."
He looked at me for a long moment. His eyes were dark, conflicted, like he was weighing something heavy. I could feel the war happening inside him.
"I should tell you," he said softly.
"But I shouldn't tell you yet."
"That makes no sense," I whispered.
"It will," he said. "But not tonight."
"Elias"
He cut me off gently. "Ava… knowing his name will only make you panic. And I need your mind clear."
"My mind is not clear right now!" I snapped, voice trembling. "A stranger has been following me all day, and you know who he is, and Rowan knows something too"
Elias stepped closer, his presence swallowing the space between us. His voice dropped low, but steady. "You're safe."
"I don't feel safe."
"You are now." I exhaled, breath shaking, because even though I was angry and terrified and confused… a small, stupid part of me believed him. Elias's certainty had a weight to it, like he'd built safety out of bone and steel.
He held my gaze for a moment longer before speaking again.
"Let me ask you something. When did you first feel him watching you?"
I hesitated. "Last night."
"Your first night in Crescent City," he murmured. "That's fast."
"You make it sound like he knew I was coming."
Elias didn't answer. That was answer enough.
"Elias…" My voice fell to a whisper. "Is he dangerous?"
He breathed in slowly. "Yes. Very."
My stomach dropped. "Then we should call the police"
"They can't handle him."
"How do you know?"
Something flickered in his eyes anger, memory, something dark.
"Because they've tried before."
My heart froze. "He's done this before?"
"Ava." Elias moved closer again, lowering his voice. "I need you to understand something. This man doesn't follow people randomly. He doesn't follow them for fun. When he chooses someone…"
He paused,not for effect but for control
"…he doesn't stop."
Fear crawled across my skin. "What does he want from me?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Elias said. "But you're not dealing with someone normal. He's patient. Methodical. Obsessed in a way that…"
He cut himself off, shaking his head once like he'd said too much.
"Obsessed?" I whispered. "With… me?" Elias didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Silence settled between us heavy, suffocating, thick with unspoken things.
Then suddenly, his phone buzzed. He checked the screen and exhaled sharply.
"Rowan is downstairs."
My breath hitched. "Why is he…."
"He came to help," Elias said. "He was closer than I expected."
Something in his jaw tightened.
"You two weren't supposed to meet like this," he muttered.
"Meet like what?"
"Afraid," Elias said quietly. "Shaken. Vulnerable."
"I'm not" , "You are," he said. "But that's okay. You're allowed to be."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
He stood there, a dark outline in my dim living room, every inch of him looking dangerous and protective and furious all at once.
Then he looked at me differently like he was memorizing me, like he was seeing something he hadn't expected.
"Ava," he said softly, "I'm going to get Rowan. You stay right here. Don't move. Don't open the door for anyone but me."
My heartbeat steadied just a little. "Okay."
He reached for the door, paused, then looked over his shoulder.
"And Ava?" His voice dipped lower. "If he comes back… I need you to tell me immediately." "I will."
He nodded once slow, firm and stepped into the hallway.
The moment he disappeared, the apartment felt too quiet. Too big. Too fragile.
And somewhere far outside, hidden in the darkness of Crescent City…
the man who watched me was still there,Waiting.