Chapter 26: TRYING TO TELL HER

YUNA

The café was crowded, loud and exactly what I needed because private quiet spaces made me feel exposed lately, made me hyperaware of every person who walked past and every shadow that moved in my peripheral vision.

Mia was already there when I arrived, sitting at our usual table by the window with two coffees waiting. She looked good, well rested and happy in a way that made my stomach turn because I knew what that happiness was built on and she had no idea.

"Hey." She stood to hug me and I held on a second longer than was normal because I wasn't sure when I'd get to do this again. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired."

"You really do look exhausted." She studied my face and I knew she could see the circles under my eyes, the way I kept glancing at the door and the jumpiness I couldn't quite hide. "What's going on?"

I sat down and wrapped my hands around the coffee cup to stop them from shaking. "I think someone's following me."

Her face went pale. "What?"

"For about two weeks now. I have been seeing strange cars on my street that weren't there before, I hear footsteps behind me at night that stop when I stop and yesterday someone went through my mail." I took a breath. "I think it's connected to your stalker."

"Yuna—"

"I know how it sounds and I know I have no proof but you felt this way too, remember? Before it got worse? That feeling of being watched?"

She was quiet for a moment and I could see her trying to decide if I was being paranoid or if this was real. "Have you gone to the police?"

"And tell them what? I feel like someone's watching me? They'll say the same thing you're thinking right now—that I'm stressed and I'm imagining things."

"I'm not thinking that."

"Aren't you?"

She reached across the table and took my hand. "I believe you. And I'll talk to Dante tonight. Maybe he can help, or knows someone who can look into—"

"Mia." I pulled my hand back. "Has it occurred to you that—"

Her phone rang. Dante's name flashed across the screen and I watched her face change as her priorities shifted in real time.

"I should take this," she said. "He's been worried about the stalker situation and—"

"Take it."

She answered. "Hey. Yeah, I'm at coffee with Yuna. No, everything's fine. I'll be home in an hour." She was smiling at him through the phone, her entire attention focused on his voice in her ear instead of me sitting right in front of her. "Okay. Love you too."

Love you too. That was fast.

She hung up and looked at me apologetically. "Sorry. Where were we?"

"You should go." I stood up and grabbed my bag. "He's waiting for you."

"Yuna, we just got here—"

"I know. But you want to get back to him and I need to go anyway." I couldn't look at her because if I did I'd say things I couldn't take back and she wasn't ready to hear them. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Wait—"

But I was already walking away, pushing through the crowded café toward the exit because staying meant watching her choose him again and I couldn't watch that anymore, couldn't watch my best friend disappear into someone else's control and call it love.

MIA

I sat there for a long time after Yuna left, staring at my untouched coffee and trying to figure out what had just happened.

She'd seemed so scared and genuinely shaken. I'd believed her about being followed because I knew that feeling and what it was like to sense eyes on you even when you couldn't see anyone watching.

But then she'd started to say something about Dante then I'd taken his call and now she was gone and I had this sick feeling in my stomach that I'd just failed some kind of test I didn't know I was taking.

I should go after her, call her back and let her finish whatever she'd been about to say before Dante's call interrupted.

But I didn't. I finished my coffee, paid the bill, and walked home to the apartment where Dante was waiting.

Yuna would understand eventually. Once things settled down and the stalker situation was resolved and life went back to normal, we'd have time to fix whatever was breaking between us.

At least that's what I told myself.

YUNA

The subway was packed during rush hour and normally I liked that, I liked being surrounded by people, noise and movement because it made me feel less alone. But today every person was a potential threat so I kept my back to the wall, my hand on my pepper spray and tried not to let the panic show on my face.

Three stops later I got off and walked the six blocks to my apartment building faster than normal, not quite running but close. The sun was setting, the streetlights were just starting to flicker on and I hated this time of day now because it made the shadows more noticeable which made my heart race.

I was halfway down my block when I heard heavy footsteps behind me, matching my pace so I sped up and so did they.

My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears while my hands fumbled for my keys because if I could just get inside, just get to my door and lock it behind me then maybe—

The footsteps stopped.

I was at my building entrance now, key in the lock, hands shaking so badly it took three tries to get it open. When I finally did I turned around to look back at the street.

There was a man standing under a streetlight half a block away.

He was too far for me to see his face clearly but his silhouette was unmistakable. Broad-shouldered, tall and so toned that I knew that if he ever decides to hurt me, he would and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

We stared at each other across the distance and I knew he could see my fear and he was feeding off it because this was what he wanted. Then he lifted his hand in a slow, mocking wave.

I yanked the door open, stumbled inside and slammed it behind me and stood there in the lobby with my back against the wall and my heart trying to break through my ribs.

When I finally made myself look through the glass door again, he was gone.

But I knew he'd be back.

And I knew exactly who'd sent him.

It was Dante.