Chapter 5 Chapter 5

I left the apartment feeling a bit light with a smile on my face, but as soon as I stepped into the hallway, my smile disappeared, and I was instantly in a bad mood. The asshole had just stepped out of his apartment. And I groaned. I hurried over to the elevator, ignoring him and hoping to leave him behind.  I got in and hurriedly pushed the button; the doors began closing, and I smiled inwardly. As the door was about to close, a pair of hands shot forward, and the doors reopened. He stood looking at me, his face a thundercloud, body rigid and tense. I kept ignoring him. He walked in and stood beside me. His presence and cologne were overwhelming.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked; his tone was different from yesterday, it was relaxed and casual. I let out a sigh and turned to look at him.

“Are you royalty? That I should automatically know who you are?” I asked and i saw the tick in his jaw again, but this time his eyes weren't cold; they were curious, as if he was trying to figure something out, namely me, and his posture wasn't rigid.

“Look, I don't know who you are, nor do I want to know who you are. Yes, I worked at the club. Yes, I was the one that night. I’m here to do a job, not to get involved in anyone’s business. Now stop judging me and asking me shit.”

When I got home, I was exhausted. Tired of running into that idiot. Tired of always being vigilant. Always being careful, always double-checking. A nice long soak and food was what I needed and a good sleep.

One week......it's been one week since I began taking care of Christine, and the asshole was always there, every evening when I arrived and every morning when I left, and it was becoming weird. The timing was too precise. When I left Anthony’s apartment this morning, he stepped out at the same time, and it was as if he was timing me. This morning, however, he was quiet; he didn't have any snarky remarks to say, he just kept looking at me with that same curious look, and it unnerved me until I asked him to stop, and he did, and that bothered me more because that wasn't normal.

When I got home I took a shower and curled up on the couch watching something. I was about to fall asleep when the sound of glass breaking shattered the silence; the sound sliced through my body. I jumped up instantly, panic and fear setting in.  I looked around the living room; everything was quiet. I stood up carefully and made my way quietly to the kitchen. I stopped dead in the hallway; the fear fully set in.

The glass on the back door was broken, and he was standing there, in the flesh.  Alex, smiling at me, that same smug, arrogant "I found you" smile. Adrenaline kicked in, and I rushed back to the living room. Opening the front door and running out into the street, panicking and looking around.

He was here; he found me. I was no longer safe. Mrs. Wilson, my elderly neighbor, was on her front porch.

“Tessa dear, is everything okay? I heard glass breaking. Is that over at your place?” she asked.

I couldn't answer, the fear clawing at my throat. My body started to shake. A car horn somewhere in the distance brought me back to reality. I looked at the road, then back at the house, hesitating. The front door was wide open; was going back in worth the risk? I looked around once more and ran up the pathway, straight up the porch and into the living room. I grabbed my phone and ran ; I dialed Detective Ryan’s number with shaky hands.

“He’s here,” I said the minute he answered. “He broke my kitchen door glass; he was standing right there smiling at me.” I said, almost on the verge of tears.

The words “I'm on the way” barely registered before the call ended. I stood on the sidewalk, shaking. Ten minutes later I heard the sirens. Now the other neighbors were coming out. When the cars pulled up, Detective Ryan came out and came towards me. “Shit, you’re shaking. Come on, have a seat in my car,” he said, and I shook my head no.

“Okay, where was he?” he asked.

“Back door.” I said,

“Check the back door.”  He said to one of the officers. He led me up the walkway and up the porch. “Okay, walk me through it. What happened?” he asked.

I told him everything: coming home, showering, breakfast, and relaxing on the couch, then the glass breaking and seeing him. “Tessa, I think it’s time you consider witness protection until we can pinpoint which one of them is doing this or maybe both of them,” he said. I heard it in his tone; he sounded helpless.

“I… don’t… I can't do that again. I spent one year in witness protection, and you still couldn't pin it on him, and he's still tormenting me." I said weakly, the tears finally breaking free. He wrapped his arms around my shoulder as I cried silently.

“Detective, the entire glass on the back door is busted; the majority of the glass is on the inside. There’s a pair of footprints on the rug. The boys are already gathering it,” one of the officers said.

Three hours, It took three hours, making a report, retelling another detective the entire story of why I was sitting in their precinct. They said they will do their best, but I knew he would get away with it. When I got back home, the kitchen door glass was still broken. I stood looking at it. The little peace, the normal life I had carved out for myself, was gone. I would need to move again.

When I walked into the private garage of Athena Tower that evening, I was a mess. My mind was all over the place, and I was jumpier than normal. Annoyed at every sound. I just wanted some peace. When I keyed the code in for the elevator, like clockwork, Rhyland was standing beside me, but he wasn't alone. A woman was beside him; I could see her reflection on the doors.

As soon as the door opened I was about to step in when a hand shot out, stopping me. I looked down; it was her hand, with perfectly manicured red nails.

“And where do you think you’re going? This is for residents, not employees,” she said, her voice high and nasally.  I didn't even look at him. I grabbed her hand, pushing it away, and got into the elevator.

“Then you can fucking wait.” I said, hitting the button for the doors.  She was about to say something, but he stepped into the elevator, and I saw the look he gave her; she had no choice but to get in. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out without thinking. It was a message from the detective.