Lurking Around

Sofia's POV

It was just after midnight when I heard it.

Not the buzz of my phone. Not Bri's incessant knocking.

But glass.

Shattering.

I jolted upright, heart slamming in my chest.

Someone was in my apartment.

I didn’t wait to think. I reached under my bed, where Leandro had forcefully stashed a small handgun when he came to my place—“just in case,” he’d said with that calm, dangerous voice. I'd rolled my eyes at the time.

Now, I was grateful.

I crept into the living room, holding my breath.

The light was off. Shadows moved in the dark, silent, but not careful.

They weren’t here to rob me.

They were here for me.

I turned the corner and aimed. “I will shoot,” I said, my voice steady, even though my hands trembled.

The figure froze.

Then slowly… stood up.

It wasn’t Aurelio.

It was someone younger. Male. Dressed in black from head to toe, masked. Professional.

Too professional.

I fired.

He ducked, cursed, and sprinted toward the window he came in from.

Another crash. Another noise.

More of them.

Shit.

I ran back into my room, slammed the door, and locked it. I grabbed my phone and dialed the only number I trusted.

“Leandro, I need you,” I whispered, panic rising.

“What’s happening?” His voice was sharp, alert.

“There’s someone in my place. Two, maybe three. I don’t know. I shot at one.”

“I’m on my way. Don’t open that door. Don’t move. You hear me?”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Hurry.”

The next few minutes felt like hours. I heard footsteps outside my room. A whisper. Then silence.

I aimed the gun at the door, pulse racing.

Then—

Bang.

The door flew open. I screamed and pulled the trigger—

But it wasn’t the intruder.

It was Leandro.

He ducked just in time, grabbed the gun from me, and pulled me into his chest.

“Jesus, Sofia—breathe.”

I broke down.

I couldn’t hold it anymore.

They were coming after me now. Not just using my mother. Not just threats.

They broke into my home.

I was the target now.

“They left as soon as I arrived,” he said after checking the place with his guards. “Someone tipped them off I was coming.”

He looked at me, jaw tight. “They’re not just playing games anymore. They want you rattled.”

“Well, it’s working,” I said bitterly, wrapping my arms around myself.

Then I paused. A thought suddenly clicked.

“Leandro…” I looked at him slowly. “What if this wasn’t just to scare me? What if they were here to plant something?”

He stared at me.

Then nodded once, eyes cold. “Let’s tear this place apart.”

We moved fast.

Leandro’s men spread out across my apartment, checking every corner. I followed behind Leandro as he stepped into my living room, his expression unreadable but his eyes were sharp, focused like a predator on the hunt.

He didn’t say a word. Just scanned everything. The bookshelves. The vases. The frames on the wall.

“You know this space,” he said suddenly, glancing at me. “What’s changed?”

I looked around.

It was hard to tell with the adrenaline still in my veins, but… something was off.

That ugly clock on the mantle. I hated that clock. It used to tick, loudly. Obnoxiously. But right now…

“It’s not ticking,” I whispered.

Leandro moved to it instantly, lifted the clock, and turned it over. His fingers pried off the back panel and there it was.

A small, circular black device. Nestled right inside.

A listening device.

I stared.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I breathed. “They bugged my place?”

Leandro’s expression hardened. “They were here to eavesdrop. Not to kill you. That means they’re watching for leverage. For intel.”

He handed it off to one of his men who took it and walked out, no questions asked.

I started to feel sick.

“I’ve been sleeping in here. Talking to Bri.” I covered my mouth. “God knows how long they’ve been listening.”

“Not long,” Leandro said, voice firm. “Tonight was their first attempt. I’d know if someone was this close to you before now.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I watch your place like it’s mine.”

I looked at him. The way he said it. So certain. So protective. I wanted to believe him. I needed to.

But that didn’t stop the flood of anger building in my chest.

“They came into my home,” I said, my voice low. “They touched my things. They got that close to me and walked away without a scratch.”

Leandro walked toward me, slow and steady. His eyes pinned mine.

“They won’t walk away next time,” he said. “Because next time, I won’t show up late, I’ll be waiting.”

I let out a shaky breath. “What now?”

He studied me for a beat. “Now you pack a bag. You’re not staying here anymore.”

“What?”

“You think I’m letting you sleep in a place they’ve already marked?” His voice rose, sharp with frustration. “You think I’m letting you stay alone after this?”

He moved in closer. “You’re coming with me.”

Something in the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. Not fear. Not uncertainty.

It was that feeling again, that warmth, that magnetic pull that terrified me and soothed me all at once.

But I couldn’t get distracted.

“Leandro…” I started, but he was already ahead of me.

He turned to his men. “Clear this apartment. Bring whatever she needs. We're out of here in ten.”