---
As I walked away from Stephanie's door, her eyes haunted me.
That look-cold, distant, filled with pain-wasn't just disappointment.
It was a quiet scream: *You broke me.*
And she was right. I had.
I deserved every ounce of that silence.
But this wasn't the time to drown in guilt.
Right now, keeping her safe was all that mattered.
I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't used in a while.
"Track a black Audi. Plate number LXJ-541Z," I said.
"It was tailing Stephanie earlier. I need to know who owns it and what they want with her."
"Got it. Give me a few minutes," the voice replied.
I ended the call.
The sun was still high in the sky, casting long shadows across the pavement.
But in my mind, everything felt dark.
Heavy.
I couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was happening-
That Stephanie had just become a pawn in a dangerous game meant for me.
And the worst part?
I was the one who unknowingly placed her there.
Minutes passed.
My phone finally rang.
"Boss, I've got something," the voice said.
"The car is registered to Alpha Holdings. But that's a front-I'm sure of it. I'm digging deeper now."
"Do it," I said, my voice low and firm.
*Alpha Holdings...*
The name hit a nerve.
It wasn't unfamiliar.
I'd seen it before-on old intel reports, maybe buried in financial documents or flagged contracts.
Whoever was behind that name wasn't clean.
I looked down the street, watching as people passed by, unaware of the storm building just beneath the surface.
If Alpha Holdings was involved, this wasn't random.
This was personal.
Targeted.
Stephanie didn't know it yet, but she was being watched-used-as leverage against me.
And I couldn't let that stand.
My gut told me this was only the beginning.
That the shadows I thought I'd outrun were reaching back-
And now, they'd found her.
Whether she hated me or not, whether she ever let me back in again, none of that mattered.
What mattered was that she lived.
That she was safe.
Because no matter how far we'd fallen apart, I'd die before letting anyone hurt her.
Not on my watch.
---
*Stephanie's POV*
I thought about what to do and eventually settled on the only option I had-I ordered food online, hoping it would arrive soon.
As I waited, my mind drifted to Josh and the look in his eyes.
Was he genuinely worried about me... or was it just another performance?
Just as a flicker of hope tried to rise in me, my phone buzzed.
A text.
From an unknown number.
*Ugh. I'm so tired of these unknown numbers.*
Still, curiosity got the best of me. I tapped on the message.
*"You are not safe, Stephanie. Meet me at the old warehouse at Creston Lake at midnight if you want to know the truth."*
My heart skipped a beat.
*Who was this? Camille?*
I thought about the burner phone she'd given me.
*Should I use it?*
My hands trembled as I stared at the message.
The old warehouse? Midnight?
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Whoever it was-they knew me. And they wanted something.
Something dangerous.
As I waited for my food, I couldn't stop thinking about the message... or Josh.
Then, the doorbell rang.
My soul nearly jumped out of my skin.
I crept to the door and peeked through the peephole.
It was just the delivery guy.
Relieved, I opened the door and took the bag.
But as I was signing, I felt it again-that crawling sensation of being watched.
I glanced down the road.
Empty.
I shut the door quickly and locked it tight.
The food's aroma filled the room, warm and sweet-but it did nothing to ease my nerves.
I sat down, ready to eat, when I heard a sound at the door.
A soft click.
Someone was trying to open it.
*It can't be Josh... I changed the locks.*
Panic kicked in.
I grabbed my phone and bolted into the storage room, locking the door behind me.
My fingers shook as I dialed Josh.
No answer.
I began calling the police when-
*BANG!*
A gunshot.
I let out a muffled whimper.
I think they heard me.
Footsteps stormed toward the storage room.
My whole body shook.
I could swear I almost had a miscarriage from the fear.
The door burst open.
Rough hands yanked me out.
One of them snatched my phone and smashed it against the wall.
There were three of them.
Before I could scream, they threw a black bag over my head and dragged me outside.
I clutched my stomach protectively, terrified.
They tossed me into a van and sped off.
Everything went black.