Chapter 84 – Shifting Shadows
Chapter 84 – Shifting Shadows
(Eden’s POV)
I didn’t sleep.
Every creak in the walls, every sigh of the old building’s pipes had me flinching like they were footsteps. My phone stayed on the couch beside me, screen black, but the words from his last message were burned into the back of my eyelids.
By sunrise, my body ached from staying wound so tight. I finally moved to the kitchen, hands stiff as I filled the coffee maker, hoping caffeine might quiet the buzzing in my head.
The knock at the door nearly made me drop the mug.
I set it down slowly and crept to the door, peering through the peephole. Relief hit me so fast it almost hurt—Luca.
I unlocked the door, and the moment it opened, he stepped inside, shutting it firmly behind him.
“You came back here alone?” His voice was low but sharp, every syllable edged in frustration.
I braced myself. “I couldn’t keep hiding forever.”
His eyes searched mine, torn between anger and fear. “You could’ve called. We woke up and you were gone.”
Before I could reply, Levi appeared behind him, his presence filling the space. His gaze swept over me, checking for bruises like I might be hiding one.
“What happened?” Levi asked, voice controlled but tight.
My throat went dry. “He sent me a message. Said if I don’t leave you for good… I’ll never see you again.”
Both of them froze.
Luca’s fists curled, knuckles whitening. Levi’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t raise his voice. “And you think walking away will keep us safe?”
“I think it might keep you alive,” I shot back, the heat in my chest almost enough to mask the tremor in my hands.
Luca stepped closer, cupping my jaw with a touch that was almost tender. “Eden, you are not a liability. You’re the reason we’re fighting this hard.”
Levi moved in behind me, his palm pressing lightly at the small of my back. “We’re not letting him call the shots.”
The air between us felt charged — equal parts fear, frustration, and something heavier I couldn’t name.
Luca’s gaze flicked over my shoulder to Levi. “She’s not staying here alone.”
“I’m not leaving,” I said, the words sharp enough to cut. “If I run again, he wins. And I’m done letting him run my life.”
Silence stretched.
Finally, Levi spoke. “Then we stay. Tonight. Both of us.”
A fragile knot of relief formed in my chest, but it didn’t loosen the gnawing unease in my stomach.
Because outside, somewhere below my window, a man in a dark jacket lingered in the shadow of the streetlamp.
He’d been there when Luca arrived. He was still there now.
Watching.