"Soon." The word hung in the room like smoke. Rowan sat down slowly beside me, still gripping my hand as if letting go would make everything collapse. Elias didn't move for several seconds. He just stood there, staring at the door like he could still see the man through it. Finally Rowan exhaled. "Okay. Okay, someone tell me what the hell the plan is now." Elias turned toward us. His expression was calm, but something in his eyes had shifted deeper, darker, colder. "We prepare." Rowan frowned. "Prepare how? Barricade the windows? Sleep in shifts? Build a panic room?" Elias didn't answer immediately. He walked to the window and pressed his fingertips to the glass. "He's testing us. Measuring us. Tonight wasn't an attack. It was a warning." My stomach twisted. "A warning for what?" Elias looked back at me. "For what he's going to do next." Rowan dragged a hand through his hair. "This is insane. He shouldn't even know her name, let alone…" "He knows more than her name," Elias said. "He knows her patterns. Her routes. Her schedule." I swallowed hard. "How?" Elias studied me. "You've been watched for longer than you realized." My breath caught. Rowan stood abruptly. "Alright, enough. We're not going to sit here and have panic lessons. Elias, we need an actual plan." Elias finally nodded. "We're leaving." Rowan blinked. "Leaving where?" "Somewhere safe." Rowan scoffed. "Yeah, you keep saying that, but what does that even mean? A hotel? Your place?" Elias shook his head. "He'd find a hotel in hours. My place is compromised too." Rowan's eyes widened. "What?" Elias held his gaze without blinking. "You think he's only watching Ava? He's been watching us for years." Rowan went silent. Completely silent. I stared between them. "Years?" Elias turned to me. "There are people who want information we have. Information we were involved with a long time ago. This stalker ,he's not new. He's just… changing strategy." Rowan muttered, "Understatement of the year." Elias looked around the room, his mind clearly moving fast. "Step one: you're not sleeping here tonight." "Okay," Rowan said. "Then where?" "A place he won't expect." Rowan raised an eyebrow. "You got somewhere in mind, mastermind?" "Yes," Elias said. "But we need to leave quietly." I whispered, "He left, didn't he?" "He left the building," Elias answered. "Not the area." A shiver rolled through me. Rowan noticed. "Hey don't be scared. We're not letting anything happen." Elias's voice was low. "Fear is fine. Fear means she'll listen." Rowan shot him a glare. "Stop talking like she's in a mission briefing." "She is," Elias replied simply. He crouched in front of me. His eyes softened, barely. "Ava, you listen to me. Everything tonight matters. What you say, what you don't say. What you do, what you don't do. That man outside he's not acting on impulse. He's acting on intent." My chest tightened. "What intent?" Elias held my gaze. "To isolate you." Rowan sat beside me again. "Which means we stick with you. Every second." Elias stood. "Pack a bag. Only basics. Clothes. Something warm. No lights in your room. And don't go near the window." Rowan nodded. "I'll go with her." Elias didn't like it, but he didn't argue. "Fine. Stay close. She shouldn't be out of your reach." I stood on shaky legs, Rowan steadying me immediately. "Where are we going?" Elias hesitated. "An old place. Off-grid. No ID, no cameras, no trail." Rowan looked startled. "Wait you mean that cabin?" Elias didn't answer. Which was enough of an answer. Rowan rubbed his face. "Jesus. You really think it's gotten that bad?" Elias's voice was quiet but firm. "He came to the door. He said her name. And he wasn't alone. It's worse than we thought." I felt cold all over. "Are you sure the cabin is safe?" Elias looked at me. Really looked. "It's not safe. But it's safer than here." Rowan squeezed my hand. "Hey. It's going to be okay." Elias cut in sharply. "No. It's going to get harder before it gets okay. But she's not doing this alone." Rowan glared at him. "You could try being less terrifying." "I could," Elias said. "But she needs the truth." I whispered, "What's the truth?" Elias met my eyes. "The man watching you tonight? He's not testing the door anymore." My heart stopped. Rowan leaned forward. "Elias—" Elias finished the sentence without looking away from me."He's testing you"
