Obsession (Dangerous Love #1)

CHAPTER 15

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brEATHE. THINK. RUN.

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I gulped as Harris parked in front of the school. Every pair of eyes within 60 meters automatically focused on us, and I sank into the seat. I wanted to stay in the car so I wouldn’t see those judgy, mocking looks. I felt for myself what it meant to be… Harris’ partner. What people automatically thought of me. It wasn’t that they were talking shit about me, it was that they were just talking. All I wanted from this town was peace and quiet, but I wasn’t going to get that anymore, not with Harris around. “Give me something,” I said before getting out of the car.

Harris looked at me seriously and immediately recognized that I was asking for drugs. I was lucky I had time to eat this morning; my dad wouldn’t allow me to leave the house until I finished my omelet.

“No. I’m not giving you anything today,” he replied, looking through the windshield.

I turned my face to him, surprised.

“Why?” I spoke softly, though I felt the need to rebel.

“Because you’re losing control. You need to learn how to deal with it without going as crazy as you did yesterday,” he finished his sentence and turned his head towards me, his eyebrow raised.

Was it me or was he blaming me for kissing him? Or was it about the time before when I was one step away from mutilating Amber. I couldn’t figure it out, those jade eyes were turning my mind to jelly.

I slid back and forth angrily on the seat. I would have protested, but I didn’t want to behave like I was possessed. He smiled, pleased by my unusually non-confrontational behavior.

He got out of the car and my breath quickened as I saw him approach my door. Suddenly I remembered that something was missing: I had left the doll at home.

Oh, fucking hell!

I hoped it wouldn’t cry all day until its batteries died and that before my dad found it and realized I was even crazier than he thought.

I bit my lip as Harris opened my door. I didn’t want to act like a scaredy cat anymore, so I got out of the car and tried to be as normal as possible. As long as I wasn’t wearing his tattoo, they couldn’t say anything, or so I thought.

Harris complicated the situation even more by taking my hand and pulling me behind him towards the entrance. I felt like an experiment fresh out of the lab, exposed to humanity. Everywhere I looked, I was met with curious and shocked stares, so I decided to look at the ground. At least the asphalt didn’t seem to be interested in Harris Stone’s latest acquisition.

He seemed so relaxed and in his element. Did he really not care that his girlfriend could see us? Remembering Kristen’s explanations, the answer was clear.

After last night, I tried not to judge Harris by other people’s assumptions anymore, but sometimes it was hard.

When we reached my group of friends, I felt my heart rise into my throat. He had driven me to school again and now he was holding my hand in the parking lot, even though I thought we were together. Probably even the asphalt thought so.

“Hi,” I greeted awkwardly.

“Hi,” Kristen replied apprehensively, turning her slightly scared gaze to Harris.

Zac was starting to boil, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him because of the bruises that were still visible.

“So you’re officially together?” Candice’s voice hit me like a rock thrown at my head. I was actually praying that no one would ask that question. I was starting to hate the talking redhead again.

All eyes were on us, watching us curiously, waiting for an answer, including Harris, who fixed me with his cheeky, perverted gaze.

“No,” I replied simply, pulling my hand out of his and pretending to take my phone out of my pocket so the gesture wouldn’t make me look like an asshole.

I immediately sensed Harris’ angry frown. Luckily, I was looking aimlessly at my phone so I wouldn’t look him in the eye. But what did he want? For me to say yes? Had he asked me to be his girlfriend and I hadn’t heard? The fact that he spent a night with me didn’t mean we were a couple. We did a lot of stupid stuff and lost our heads all the time when we were together, but there was still a long way to go before we were “officially together”.

“Oh, how are the lovebirds?”

Jay came out of nowhere. I suddenly wanted to slap myself. Another loudmouth who would ask a lot of questions.

He immediately jumped on Harris’ back, stood between us, and hugged both our necks in a brotherly gesture. Harris smiled and shook his head like a parent looking at his crazy kid. Now I understood why he was the leader and the whole Harris Hawk thing.

Jay looked at both of us. It would have been funny if I didn’t know why he was staring at us like that. Ty and V showed up too, and she gave me a cheeky wink.

“So, how was your ni…”

“Wow, what an awesome car,” I blurted out with the first thing that came to mind.

I’m sure the idiot knew Harris had spent the night at my place. The only thing missing was the whole school finding out.

They all followed my line of sight. Luckily, there really was a great car in the parking lot that I didn’t recognize as one of theirs, but it had the same tuning style and weird drawings.

“Fuck me! Am I dreaming or is that a Huracan Evo?”

Ty had fallen into a kind of trance as he looked at the shiny silver car. I recognized the make, it was a Lamborghini, I was sure of it, and Ty probably knew the rest of the details.

“Shit, this model has been on the market for no longer than a month.”

I sighed with relief, grateful that I had managed to divert their attention.

“It’s not one of yours?” I continued, trying to push away any thoughts of our previous conversation.

“No,” Ty exhaled, his mouth almost watering.

This obsession they had with cars got over the top and comical sometimes.

“Who can afford a car like that?” V asked, confused.

It was a strange question for her to ask, considering she had gotten out of an R8.

“With those modifications, I bet this beauty is full of NOS.”

Ty started speaking in his language, and I was already disinterested. The problem was solved, and it was time for me to get the hell out of there.

“What if it belongs to that guy you were talking about yesterday?” Jay asked, pointing at Ty.

“What guy?” Harris finally spoke up.

He seemed just as interested as the others in the new acquisition from the parking lot.

“Oh, I was looking through the school’s files after you…”

He broke off mid-sentence as Harris’ eyes widened. Ty bit his lips anxiously, trying to change his words.

“Anyway, I found the one of a guy who was supposed to move here this year, but he was a few days late. He’s a senior and he’s from Japan,” he explained, a strange accent emerging as he spoke the name of the country.

I was surprised, still puzzled by their exchange.

“How do you know all this?” I asked as I realized what he’d said: he’d gone through the school’s files?

Ty gave me a wicked grin and wiggled his eyebrows devilishly.

Harris, V and Jay started laughing as if to say, “He knows a lot.”

In fact, Harris had told me that he was the one who had tracked my phone.

“What, I have to keep myself busy with something, and the Pentagon files aren’t always fun,” he admitted, bored, and my jaw dropped.

“Did you just say Pentagon?”

They all laughed.

“Tell you what,” Jay turned to me, a funny smile on his face, “If you have a phone, a computer, or even a TV in your house, don’t get on the bad side of this Little Red Riding Hood.”

My eyes widened at the sight of Ty’s sadistic smile. So, he was the hacker on this team.

“ I have my connections !” Harris had told me when I’d asked him how he knew where I lived. He’d called Ty when he was trying to find out who the guy in the supermarket parking lot was. He even knew my middle name

He had Ty check my records.

The realization made me glare angrily at the black-haired asshole with the fucking beautiful eyes. What else did he know about me? Did he pretend to know nothing about my mother this morning just to find out more from me? Probably.

And the doll… fucking hell! He’d winked at Ty when the teacher was confused about what Wrise was doing next to Stone on her page. And there I was, thinking fate had brought us together for the project. Yeah, fucking manipulative fate with green eyes.

Then I heard a voice so familiar that my anger level shot up dangerously, as if it wasn’t already high enough. I didn’t need to turn around to see Amber walking towards us with a suspiciously wide smile. When she reached us, she pretended not to see me, throwing herself into Harris’ arms and pressing her lips sensually to his.

He was shocked and scowled as she kissed him as if nothing had happened between them. Jay still had his arm around my neck and was staring at me suspiciously, his eyebrow raised questioningly. I couldn’t suppress the rage fuming inside me.

V was on my other side.

“If you want to kill her, please tell me. I’d love to help you,” she whispered in my ear, but I couldn’t smile.

“I might do it,” I whispered back.

Finally, Harris’ shock wore off and he grabbed her hips and gently pushed her off of him. Gently?! I wanted him to punch her in the face … oh, wait, I would have done that.

She paid no attention to his reaction, still looking at him with loving eyes.

She whimpered in astonishment and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Baby, you took off your contacts,” she purred, almost jumping for joy.

Harris bit his lips in stress, lost in thought, as my blood pressure rose.

“I’m glad you finally listened to me,” the blonde smiled and braced herself to kiss him again, but he wouldn’t let her.

My face sank.

In my head I was running furious laps like a crazy cartoon character. Obviously, Harris wasn’t going to say anything, why ruin his chance to kill two birds with one stone.

V snorted beside me.

“You’re getting more pathetic by the second, Amber.”

The blonde looked at her in disgust. That’s when she finally acknowledged me.

“Oh, how nice, Violet. You found yourself a friend who’s just as weird as you are.”

V growled beside me, and I could sense the danger in that sound. Aside from the fact that she was much taller than Amber, she was now wearing a top that exposed her stomach. She had real muscles, toned like a fighter.

“What can I say, I’m glad Harris is finally dating a cool chick. And if you really think he took off his contacts for you, you’re even dumber than I thought.”

She put her arm around me. I was sandwiched between her and Jay, who seemed to keep me from having any bloody reaction.

Amber fumed as she looked at me, then turned to Harris.

“What, Harris? You don’t want me anymore?” she asked, looking at him through her lashes with a sweetness that turned my stomach.

V pretended to throw up.

He looked at her, frowning.

“Harris,” she whispered again, fixing him with a passionate gaze, “this means a lot to me,” she said, touching the tattoo on her neck, “if you don’t want me anymore, there’s no point for it, so I’m going to remove it.”

I noticed Harris’ frown deepen. The conversation was getting really interesting. Jay, V, and I focused on the two of them and I got the impression that they were ready to stop any aggressive reaction coming from me. That, or they were actually trying to push me towards Amber. I think Jay would have a lot of fun watching a catfight.

“No,” Harris replied simply.

My mouth dropped in shock and something inside me suddenly snapped

So he still wanted Amber, but he was also toying with me. Fucking lying bastard!

I should have known. Everything was logical from the start. I sensed that V was just as shocked as I was.

Harris seemed to want to continue, but Amber turned to me with a triumphant face. I clenched my fists in anger.

I wanted to leave, to disappear, right then and there.

“You see, bitch? He just wants to play with you a little. I’m the one he really cares about.”

Amber came at me with a sneer. I swallowed angrily. I wanted to protest, but she was right. I allowed myself to be played by this two-faced asshole.

Harris’ expression was confused. I could feel his anger growing. Attack anything but his dignity. Well, I had mine too. He wanted to speak, but I went first, snorting as I pretended to be amused by the situation, which I wasn’t in the least.

Something tugged at me incessantly, and I fought that familiar shitty feeling. I hid behind my shield of anger to protect myself.

“Listen to me, you stupid cunt,” I growled, stepping closer to her after I broke free from his friends’ grip. “I have told you before, but your little brain filled with false eyelashes and pom-poms can’t seem to understand. I know he wants to play with me, but I am not going to fall into his trap like you did! Do you really think he loves you? If so, then I feel sorry for you, because that means you really are stupid.”

I finished my monolog with a sad look, causing everyone around us to burst out laughing.

“You…” she suddenly growled with a face that looked like an angry kitten, trying to grab my hair.

Jay was still beside me, and he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me out of her way in an almost comical way. I knew he was amused by the whole situation, but I tore myself away from him and stepped closer to her again. I was more than happy to have this fight with her. We had been dragging it out for too long already.

“Easy, easy, let’s keep calm ladies,” Jay stopped us and put his hands on our shoulders.

Harris, who seemed to have been in a trance until then, had come to his senses and stood between Amber and me.

“Enough of this,” he ordered, then pulled me into his arms.

I couldn’t believe he dared to do that after everything he’d done.

“Get your hands off me,” I spoke softly so only he could hear me, but I was sure everyone heard.

“Katherine…”

“I said get your hands off me,” I interrupted angrily, pulling myself out of his arms.

“What the fuck, Harris?!” I heard V as I turned around.

I made my way to the entrance, avoiding everyone, and Harris seemed smart enough not to follow me.

That was it!

That was the end of it.

I had been stupid enough.

My eyes were burning, and I felt the need to punch something, anything, but I didn’t want to make a scene that would attract any more attention. I bit my tongue to stifle the tears.

I had hoped… hell, I had really hoped that it would be something else, that he would be something else. That it would not all be just another lie, another fake person who made me feel special and then walked all over me.

When I realized that what Harris had done was almost as painful as what my mother had done, I realized how attached I was to him.

I had to go over my heart, to drain out all the poison he had injected into me in the last few days.

Happiness and love were not for me, and I had to learn that lesson.

I could feel that everyone was behind me and that made my blood pressure rise even higher. I quickly grabbed my history book from my locker and flinched when Harris came up next to me.

I pressed my lips together and turned to leave, but after the first step my wrist was grabbed and he pushed me against a locker, just like yesterday, only now there was no arousal involved, just burning anger.

“Let go of me,” I growled between my teeth, resisting his grip.

“What are you doing? You’re ruining it after what we had last night?”

I raised my eyes to his. Inches separated us and I could feel his breath on my skin.

I couldn’t believe my ears and snorted in amazement and amusement.

“Man, you got some balls, asshole! You’re asking me that after you clearly stated that you still want Amber?”

He narrowed his eyes and let go of one of my hands, but only to bang on the locker next to me. I winced at the strong sound.

“Fuck, I didn’t mean it like that! I said no because…”

“Stop it,” I interrupted him angrily. “I’m done with your lies and games. I’m not one of your puppets and you’d do well to stay the fuck away from me from now on. I am serious this time. It’s over!”

I pushed him and, without waiting for anything else, moved away from him as quickly as possible. The people moved out of my way in the hallway, allowing me pass, as if they were afraid that I would hit one of them at any moment, and I would have done so. I would have punched anything just to get rid of some of the anger that was roaring in my ears.

I knew all too well what was happening to me. Months before, I had felt almost exactly the same when I had turned into an uncontrollable, destructive person. I wasn’t going to let Harris have that effect on me. He wasn’t worth it.

I walked into my class fuming with rage, and to make matters worse, I had to use the map to find the room I was supposed to be in. I tried to stay away from all prying and intrusive eyes, so I thanked God when I walked into class and didn’t find a familiar face.

Harris didn’t take me seriously. As soon as I was out, he was waiting in the hallway and wanted to talk, but I wouldn’t allow a word.

I had reached that point. The venom glass that kept collecting drops was finally full, and I didn’t want to fall into his net anymore. I had lost my mind with him like never before. The reactions he got out of me still scared me, but that didn’t mean I was ready to become his plaything. Because that’s exactly what I had been, despite his words from the other night – which had been nothing but well thought out tricks, just like Kristen had told me – I was just a new and interesting game that he was curious to discover, nothing more.

I cursed in my head all day long. Not him, but myself, mostly for the way I’d believed him this morning and the way I’d melted for him. He talked about himself, about his tattoos and a few bits and pieces about his mother.

He had given me his contact lenses.

Sometimes I felt the need to scream, to simply howl with rage because nothing was real. He had only played with me, while my heart had melted with hope.

After second period, he didn’t insist, but he didn’t leave school either, as I had gotten used to. Even though he was annoyingly persistent sometimes, he also knew when to stop. He didn’t like being rejected in public that much, and it made no sense for me to think about the whole school talking about us like we were the most interesting TV show yet, just like Kristen said.

Zac and Candice were already sitting at our table when I sat down next to them. I’d grabbed an orange and a burger to eat something that would keep me full longer, because thanks to my addiction, I felt like shit again. I would have died before asking that asshole for anything.

Zac looked at me and smiled while Candice was busy with homework.

“Are you all r…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Kristen dropped down next to me and pushed her chair against mine, making me shake and laugh. She did that every day. Kristen didn’t know how to sit in a chair normally.

“I’m waiting for the day when a chair collapses under you, and I would happily die laughing.”

“We’re all waiting,” Zac added, and Kristen stuck her tongue out at both of us, then dug into her fries.

“I’ll tell you why I’ll die a happy woman: because that new guy is a mesmerizing sight.”

I raised an eyebrow, then remembered the conversation in the parking lot. He was from Japan, that’s what Ty had said, right?

“Is he Japanese?”

Kristen shrugged her shoulders.

“I think so, but I’m not sure. He didn’t talk in class, and Mr. Jackson didn’t ask him to introduce himself. He’s like a dark and smokin’ hot version of a K-pop star. Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with K-pop? I have, haven’t I?”

I started laughing.

“You left out this extremely important fact about yourself. Aren’t those guys Korean?” I checked.

“I said he’s a version, pay attention to the details, princess,” she raised an eyebrow and I laughed again.

I looked around the cafeteria, but I didn’t see a dark version of a K-pop star…. whatever that meant in Kristen’s mind.

“I don’t even want to think about the fact that he came to school in a fucking Lamborghini. I’m about to start crying here from loneliness.”

I tapped her comfortingly on the shoulder, which made Zac laugh.

“If he’s hot and has a cool car, run,” I advised in a whisper, and she looked at me with wide eyes and then laughed.

She jerked her head towards the table of stars. Jay, V, Ty, and a few others I’d met were there, but Harris wasn’t. Amber was also missing. V gave me a sad smile, and I turned my head, not knowing how to react.

“You’re strong though, just so you know,” Kristen commented with her mouth full.

Zac and I looked at her, frowning.

“What do you mean?”

“No girl, I mean, not a single one, has ever sent Stone on his merry way when he’s had it out for her.”

She pointed her head at the cheerleaders’ table.

“Those girls have been lining up for years, some would even sell their souls for what you turned down earlier.”

Zac muttered a curse.

I pressed my lips together angrily and bit into my burger. I chewed and was disappointed. It tasted like shit, some stupid soy patty with tomatoes that seemed to have been grown in a lab.

“Let’s get one thing straight. If you want us to continue to be friends, you must never mention him again.”

“The same goes for me.”

Kristen looked at us with her mouth full and her eyes wide.

“Jeez, I can’t even joke anymore,” she muttered, and I turned my head as he stepped inside.

I cursed every reaction he elicited. Every damn electrical pulse that coursed through my veins, the way it… hurt. It hurt to see him now and compare him to who he was last night, to realize that this was the real him and the previous one was just a mask.

He frowned and grabbed the same burger as me, an energy drink, and a large portion of fries. He plonked the tray on the table and sat down next to his friends.

At the exact same time, two cheerleaders, who I recognized as Amber’s puppies, got up and ran out of the cafeteria.

“Hmm,” Kristen looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I stole a French fry from her tray.

“He looks at you like he’s obsessed,” Zac growled.

I instantly turned my head, then willed myself to look at Harris because I knew that’s exactly who he was talking about. Zac took my chin between his fingers at the last second and stopped me. He was gentle, probably why I wasn’t upset by his gesture.

“Don’t give him the satisfaction, Kath, don’t fuel his madness. You made the right decision by staying away from him.”

Even though I didn’t see him, I knew what Harris’ face looked like at that moment when he saw that. I did not enjoy making him jealous, especially since I knew how he reacted when he was jealous. He had beaten Zac up when I didn’t even give the impression that I liked him.

I pulled back and looked at the food on my tray.

“Zac, don’t do that again…”

“In front of him?” he added in a whisper when I hesitated. He was angry, even though his face remained calm.

I looked at him, the bruises on his face filling me with guilt.

Candice and Kristen looked at us with wide eyes.

“I’m not afraid of him Kath, what happened last time won’t happen again.”

Knowing that would probably result in a police report, I preferred not to go into detail, so I just nodded and hoped he would give up.

I couldn’t stop myself and turned my head towards Harris, my idiotic instinct having done it before I could think it through.

I’d expected to see him angry, at least a little red in the face and with that demonic, bloodthirsty expression, but he looked… different. If I didn’t know him better, I’d think there was pain on his face. Remorse. Maybe some anger too, but a bleeding one.

I knew immediately what he was thinking.

I would have been there .

If he hadn’t messed things up today, if he’d said the right words in front of Amber, I’d be at that table right now, next to him, maybe even on his lap like V was on Jay’s.

But I was here, next to Zac, and he knew that if he lost his cool and beat him up, I would hate him even more.

I closed my eyes and went back to my food, having lost my appetite. I tried to pay attention to Chris as he sat in front of me, but all my eyes could see were the words he had written before he left.

That lie was sucking the life out of me with every passing second.

***

I spent the rest of the day doing homework, working on projects that had to be turned in in a couple days, but I felt the need to be engaged in something, and I felt like studying and fretting over equations, not my own stupidity when it came to boys.

I missed my friends from home terribly. I talked to Nicky for a few hours, even though it was extremely difficult not to mention Harris, not to tell my girlfriend what an idiot I’d been and ask her for advice, but the more brutally I cut him out of my life, the better. I knew that if I gave him another chance, he would only hurt me more. That’s how love and I worked, the more I hoped, the more I hurt.

I’d had enough.

I had other priorities, Harris hadn’t become the center of my universe.

Nicky complained about Adam, that she hardly saw him lately, and that reminded me that he wanted to come over for the photo shoot. He hadn’t called me to talk about it anymore, and he hadn’t told them about our project.

I tried to call him too, but he didn’t answer. Maybe he had changed his mind and no longer needed me. I would have been relieved.

Around 6 p.m., I went for a jog and thought about what kind of manipulation I had to do with my dad to buy a treadmill, because I couldn’t get used to the neighborhood and the park was crowded, too. Maybe if I told him he was getting fat, he’d relent.

When I got home, panting and drenched in sweat, I pulled out my headphones and stumbled to the sink. I dipped my mouth right under the running water and drank, then grabbed a cold bottle from the fridge and went upstairs to my room.

My father wasn’t home, but I had gotten used to his absence. I was glad he was not trying to put his family members in front of me anymore.

As I opened my door, a deafening scream pierced my eardrums.

My scream.

I clung to the handle and struggled to stay on my feet. The water bottle fell from my hand and hit the floor, and my heart thudded with fear as I stared at my bed

At the macabre image.

My sheets were red, a huge puddle spread across the entire length, as if someone had poured a bucket of blood down the middle of my bed.

It took me a few seconds to make sure it was real and not just a nightmare.

Breathe. Think. Run!

That’s what my subconscious dictated to me as it made the connections and figured out that someone had been in my house. Someone who might still be here.

Then I thought about my dad.

Was he really gone?

Fear burst from my chest, and I howled.

“Dad!” I screamed as loud as I could and ran to his room.

It was empty.

I stopped in the doorway, panting furiously.

I turned on my heels and ran down the hallway. My body was already warmed up, so I sprinted down the stairs like I was waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and grab me. I walked out of the house and ran without a destination in mind. I didn’t care if my bed was soaked in paint or blood. That wasn’t important, the message was.

Because it was a message. I felt it through my pores.

Like a madwoman, I ran to the square and called my father. He answered immediately and seemed calm.

“Where are you?” I asked, panting.

“I’m at Josh’s bakery. Kath, are you okay?”

He was startled to hear me, but he seemed fine.

I allowed myself a pause and rested my palm on my knee as I realized I had run a mile.

I struggled to gather my thoughts and calm down, but it was damn hard to calm down in that moment.

“I went out for a job. I just wanted to know where you were. I’ll see you later.”

Then I hung up and closed my eyes.

Someone grabbed me by the shoulder, and I jerked back violently, ready to attack. A woman pulled back, her eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.

When she looked at me, she realized I wasn’t fine at all, even though I nodded.

She kept walking without asking any more questions.

“Fuck,” I cursed through my teeth, kicking an empty soda can that had been thrown on the floor.

When I had managed to conquer my terror and calm my heartbeat, I took a deep breath.

No one was going to throw me out of my own house.

No one was going play with me like that.

I looked around, searching for suspicious glances, for signs that I was being followed, but everyone continued on their way and no one paid any attention to me.

For a moment I wanted to call Harris. I felt deep down to my core that this had something to do with him, but something stopped me. I didn’t think him capable of such terrible things… but how well did I actually know him?

It broke my heart when I realized that I couldn’t bet that he was not the one who had done this, like some crazy revenge for what I had done today.

Last night we’d slept in that bed together, and now it was full of…. God, I hoped it wasn’t blood.

It wasn’t even about me anymore. About my safety. Whoever was playing these vicious games had been in my house. So close to my dad.

The rage that coursed through me at that moment made my veins burn. I wanted to call Harris, confront him, ask him for help, but reason pushed me to the other side.

To that person who knew everything about Harris.

I had saved his number just to ignore him if he ever called, but now I was the one calling him.

He picked up after the first ring.

“Hello?”

From the way he greeted me, I realized he had given me his personal phone number, not his work one.

I took a slow breath.

“Detective Shane Walker! This is Katherine Wrise. I need your help.”

After I had run back, I waited for him sitting on the steps outside my house. I was afraid to go in, not daring to go to my room alone to see that puddle and think about what it meant.

The detective hadn’t asked many questions. I told him that someone had been in my house and had left a frightening message, and he asked me to wait for him. He hadn’t even told me how long it would take him to get here, but before I could think twice about it, a car pulled into my driveway.

I lifted my head and winced. It was a black Jeep, and Shane Walker got out of it.

As he walked towards me, I wondered if calling him was the right decision.

Reason said yes. Yesterday I had sided with Harris, but this time it was different. This was about my house, about my father. Under no circumstances was I going to put his life in danger just because I was obsessed with a man who I knew nothing about, even if it had to do with Harris or not.

I was glad that he was wearing civilian clothes again, jeans and a T-shirt. There was no police car, no flashing lights. My neighbors were already scared enough.

“Katherine, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Just like the woman earlier, his face told me I looked like shit. I rubbed my forehead and tried to breathe, then gestured toward the house.

“Follow me, please.”

That was all I said before I went up the stairs. He was right behind me, and as soon as he closed the door, he pulled out a gun.

My own reaction shocked me. I didn’t even flinch, it seemed completely normal to me.

He was strong, trained, armed. Thanks to him, I could breathe easy in my own home and dared to go upstairs.

He didn’t ask any questions, and that was a relief, but he was probably just paying attention to our surroundings in case anyone was still there. He thought about it, I thought about it.

It had gotten pretty dark, and I didn’t see the puddle when I reached the threshold, but he reached around me and turned on the light.

For a second, I prayed that it had disappeared. That it had been a mere hallucination, a result of my own madness, but it was still as real as it could be and even more terrifying than it seemed at first.

I turned to the detective when I felt no reaction from him. He had put on a serious face. He wasn’t trembling with fear like I was. I knew that such images meant nothing to him, he was used to seeing them every day, but I didn’t dare follow him when he stepped into my room.

He analyzed the bed carefully, but didn’t touch anything.

“It seems to me you have a much more interesting life than I thought, Katherine.”

I wrapped my arms around my waist and mustered all the courage I had left in me, then stepped towards him.

“Tell me everything from the beginning,” he asked, and I told him, hating the tremor in my voice.

“You went into the house earlier without unlocking the door. Is that a habit in your family?” He paced the room, analyzing.

I tried to answer as clearly as possible.

“No, not really. My dad left after me and probably didn’t lock up because I didn’t take my keys.”

I couldn’t read any judgment in his eyes as he looked at me. He stepped closer.

“Before anything else, I want you to tell me who you think did this. I want to know if I have a lead to go on.”

I shook my head, my tongue still twisting when I had to mention Harris’ name in front of this man.

“I don’t know, no… that’s why I called you here, if I’d called 911 they probably would have thought I was crazy.”

I laughed tensely and ran my hand through my hair.

“Shane.”

“What?” I asked quickly.

“For starters, call me by my name.”

He was talking to me like I was some kind of frightened wild animal, I could tell. Calm and gentle, unlike yesterday when he’d spoken to me, when I was the same kind of animal but one that he’d tried to lure into a trap. Maybe he was doing the same thing now, but I didn’t care, as long as he found out who had done it.

I just nodded.

“Please tell me it’s paint.”

I pointed to the bed, still not daring to examine it closely as he had done. It looked so grotesque, this huge stain on my white sheet. It had probably seeped down to the mattress.

“It’s blood, Katherine.”

I turned my head toward him.

“I deal with it every day, I know how to recognize it. I’ll take it to the lab anyway, I just hope it’s not human.”

Involuntarily, I took a step back, shook my head and rubbed my arms, startled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this frightened. I had hoped that it was paint, that it was just a sick joke.

When Shane noticed my unease, he reached out and touched my arm. He looked like he was prepared to catch me in case I fainted.

“I promise you I’ll take care of it, Katherine, but you have to be honest with me from now on.”

He knew I had lied to him yesterday, he had known from the beginning, but he had left me alone.

It’s different now, I repeated in my head.

When I felt stable, I stepped closer to the bed and took a closer look.

“I have no idea who would do such a thing,” I admitted, trying to find an answer to his question from earlier. “I have no… psychopathic enemies who would go this far.”

Shane looked at me the whole time, even if I was looking at the bed. I knew I wasn’t going to spend another restful night in this place.

“There’s no message. Absolutely nothing, and that leads me to believe that whoever did this expects you to understand.”

I had to say it. Not for me, not for Harris, but for my father. That was the only thing that made me talk, the terror that my father might be in danger because of me.

“Last night was the first time Harris … slept here.”

I didn’t need to go into detail, I allowed him to believe what he wanted.

“With your father in the house?”

I frowned, as if to tell him that wasn’t the topic of our discussion, and he just nodded.

“This is where I wanted to end up…”

“Yesterday you told me that if I knew the truth about him, I’d never get in his car. Tell me the truth. Tell me why Harris is so dangerous.”

I turned and looked at him sternly. That was one of the main reasons why I had brought him here. He looked at the bed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. I noticed he had a large tattoo on his left arm, a jumble of colors from which I could make out a skull and some weapons. It was like a sleeve. I’d seen it before, but I hadn’t been able to pay attention to it.

The policy was pretty strict about police officers and tattoos, especially ones that were so obvious and brutal, probably why he’d worn a shirt the first time. Dressed like this, without questioning me, he seemed younger than I’d judged him yesterday, even if it wasn’t any easier to relax around him.“

There’s a lot to say, Katherine, and it’s clearly not the right time to tell you about Harris Stone’s record.”

I gritted my teeth in anger.

“Unbelievable,” I groaned, and he glared at me. “That’s almost exactly the same answer he gave me when I asked him.”

He didn’t like being compared to Harris, that much was clear.

“We’ll discuss that later. Right now, we need to take care of this mess before your father gets home.”

When I got angry again, he put his hands on my shoulders to calm me down.

“I will tell you everything you want to know, I promise, but now is not the time. You’re already shaken by what’s happened here.”

“I’m not that fragile, don’t worry.”

The corners of his mouth twisted into a smile. The gesture seemed bizarre.

“Yes, I know that very well.”

I shuddered. I didn’t want to know how many details he knew about my life or how much he’d studied me… just like Harris had.

“I want to check the house again, then I’ll take these sheets with me. As far as I can tell, I’ll have to take the mattress too.”

I swallowed hard and just nodded.

“Go to the bathroom and throw some water on your face. I’ll take it from here.”

I didn’t contradict him; I didn’t have the strength. Then I realized how bad I looked, sweaty and with a wet T-shirt. I went into the bathroom and leaned over the sink. I closed my eyes, lowering my head to avoid looking in the mirror.

You’re doing the right thing… you’re doing the right thing.

The voice in my head repeated itself, the same one I had heard when I had seen the pool of blood. I was doing the right thing to ensure my father’s safety. Getting Harris into trouble was the last thing I wanted, but…

My thoughts vanished into thin air. What I felt hurt like hell, the realization that I was gradually losing my trust in him, and I was afraid. I was terrified.

My phone buzzed, and I took it out of the case on my arm. I had it there all the time, even my headphones were still hanging around my neck. I always chose the wired version; I would have lost the wireless ones in two days.

I winced when I saw that it was him calling me. His name on my screen had a jarring effect on me, and I was unable to hang up.

I wanted to hear him… I wanted to confront him. I hadn’t called him the first time, I’d been too scared and shocked, but now I’d calmed down a little and knew the situation wouldn’t stay that way.

I picked up and put the phone to my ear.

I didn’t say anything.

“Baby…”He sighed, and I closed my eyes. Around him I heard honking, he was probably driving.

“Can we talk, please? I just want you to listen to me for a bit.”

He seemed calm, tired. Either he was a very good actor, or he had no idea what had happened to me. I thought it best to hang up on him, exclude him out of it, because he would only make things more complicated.

A knock on the door made my heartbeat even harder. If he’d heard Shane here, God knows what would have happened.

“Not yet,” was all I said to make sure Shane wouldn’t come in.

Harris sighed.

“Okay,” he sighed again, and I couldn’t believe he agreed so quickly, “just tell me you’re okay.”

My eyes instantly filled with tears. I was so not okay that I wanted to scream, but not because of him. At least I hoped not.

“I broke up with her, Katherine.

I froze on the spot, Shane knocked again, but I ignored it.

Something suddenly changed in my soul, but it didn’t succeed in dispelling the fear.

“I just want to talk and explain everything to you. Just promise me you’ll listen to me sometime, baby.”

I was already crying. I hadn’t cried when I’d seen the blood on my bed. I clenched my fists and leaned against the wall.

“I promise,” was all I said, then hung up because I couldn’t fight it any longer, eventually he would have figured out that I was crying.

My short answers had protected my voice. He couldn’t tell how much I was shaking or how dejected I was.

“Katherine, are you okay?” Shane knocked harder and I opened the door.

He came in immediately.

“I’m fine,” I said before he could ask again.

“No, you’re not,” he almost whispered and I lifted my head to him, my eyes still watering.

“I don’t want him to get into trouble because of me.”

I spoke the first words that were on my lips, combined with the pain in my heart. I tried to be serious and looked at him, even though I was sure I didn’t look very convincing.

“I want to know who did this, but don’t you dare use me to trap Harris again. He didn’t do this, and I’m not going to testify against him.”

“I know,” he spoke quickly, surprising me, “Stone is many things, but not a psychopath. I know he didn’t do this, but that doesn’t protect you in any way, quite the opposite. Who else knew he slept here last night?”

I rubbed my forehead. My head hurt terribly, I had a migraine like I hadn’t had for a long time.

“No one, I mean… I don’t know, maybe his friends, but none of them would do something like this.”

Shane put his hand on my shoulder again.

“If you want to find out who did this, the first thing you should do is stop protecting strangers just because they’ve been nice to you a few times. You’re new to this town and you don’t know them.”

I nodded.

“Stone has enemies. A lot of them. Not enemies like me, from the police, but the kind of people who would do the exact same thing in your bedroom. Keep your distance from him, Katherine. I’m not trying to use you to catch him, you do not know enough about him, it’s just that yesterday I had a lead through you. This time I want to protect you.”

“Tell me exactly what you are thinking. What the message behind that blood is, stop protecting me.”

Looking at him, he sighed through his nose.

“If Stone spends one more night in your bed, it’ll be your blood next time.”

***

I was trying to get rid of my headache when two unknown men entered my house. They were Shane’s colleagues. He had asked me to trust him on this case, promising that he wouldn’t make a mess or tell my father, and that he would handle it as quietly as possible. It was exactly how I wanted it. One of them was a CSI, and I was quite relieved when he assured me that the blood was definitely not human. At the same time, he had told me that it appeared to be fresh, probably from a large animal. They all searched my house again, looking for tracks or prints, but they didn’t have much time.

Another shock followed when they pulled out my mattress, it was soaked with blood. At least five liters had been dumped on my bed. Whoever did that wanted to leave a clear message.

They wrapped it in black plastic before taking it away and putting it in the van they came in. I didn’t even know what my neighbors would have said if they had seen three men taking a bloody mattress out of my house. They acted quickly and cleaned everything up. Shane promised to bring me a new mattress as soon as possible. He also promised that my father and I would be safe.

From the moment I had called Shane, I had thought about my father. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to him because of me.

Shane asked me to go outside with him after his friends left with my destroyed belongings.

“You made the right choice by calling me. I’m pretty sure whoever did this thought you were going to call him. This is a message for Stone too, not just you.”

Without rubbing my temples, which boomed with pain, I nodded. I knew that, and I didn’t want to think about the panic that image would have caused in Harris, or what he would have been capable of afterward.

Shane came closer, almost whispering:

“And there’s a good chance someone’s watching us right now. Don’t flinch,” he added, just as I was about to do so.

I looked at him with wide eyes.

“Give me a hug,” he said, looking at me urgently. “Trust me, do it.”

I realized what he was up to. If anyone was really watching us, they were going to see me hugging a cop, one of Harris’ biggest enemies.

Embracing him felt weird, but I was afraid. The thought that the monster that had invaded my house had waited until my father had left. Maybe next time he wouldn’t.

Fear drove me to Shane, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Immediately, he hesitantly encircled my waist.

“Your relationship is still too fresh, whoever’s behind it has to be convinced quickly that you gave up on Harris,” he whispered into my hair and I nodded.

I realized how frozen I was when Shane felt too warm next to me.

“It’s your choice whether you tell him or not, but it might make him do something rash. As long as you stay away from him, I’m sure it won’t happen again.”

Sighing, I pulled back and hoped the sick fuck who was watching us had seen enough. I tried not to think about how Harris would have reacted if he’d seen me hugging the man who was trying to put him in jail.

Shane stayed close to me and looked at me urgently.

“You’re smart and strong. You acted the way you should have and didn’t run to him crying. Not everyone could have swallowed that picture without freaking out. You’ll be okay, Kath.”

He gave me a reassuring smile and his trust in me helped. For a few seconds, my frightened heart began to beat faster with hope.

I had to be okay.

I had no other choice.

“Thank you,” I whispered, “for everything.”

He smiled briefly, then looked around inconspicuously. I did the same. It was quiet in my neighborhood. The lights were on in some of the houses, and the darkness suddenly no longer offered me the same peace as before.

After he left, I called my father.

I wanted to know if he would come home tonight, as I didn’t feel able to spend the night alone at the moment.

He promised that he would be back in an hour, so I gathered up my courage and all the strength that had remained hidden in a corner of my mind and went up the stairs to my room.

I didn’t want to run away.

I didn’t want to hide or show whoever was toying with me that I was some kind of stupid puppet who was easily frightened.

I took all the cleaning supplies I could find in my house and a few bottles of bleach, swallowed two painkillers, and began scrubbing every surface in my room, disgusted by the thought that a psychopath had been in there, that he had touched my things. I threw a pile of clothes in the washing machine and looked for any traces he might have left, but everything was as I remembered it. Whoever had come in had done it quickly and had known exactly where to go. Maybe it hadn’t even been his first time in the house.

Shortly after Shane left, another van arrived, and an unfamiliar man brought me a new mattress. He didn’t say a word and wouldn’t tell me how much I owed him. He just said that Detective Walker had taken care of everything.

Great! I began to owe more and more to the man who had been hunting Harris for years.

That night I couldn’t sleep at all, and after my father fell asleep, I went into the living room and curled up on the couch, but terror followed me there too. I couldn’t sleep, so I spent my time writing in my diary. I filled two pages with pictures of green, dangerous eyes, hawks, snakes, drugs, fear, and blood.