Page 161 of Trick or Stalk

“Okay. Stupid question.”

We reach the end of the alley.

Warm light from storefronts spills across the sidewalk.

People are still around here. Not as many, but enough. Bramble & Bean glows half a block away.

I stop.

So does he.

“Why me?” The question comes out quieter than I intended.

He doesn't move.

“Why are you watching me?”

Silence.

My pulse jumps for an entirely different reason. I hate that.

“Were you the one who fixed my ghost on the porch?”

His body goes completely still.

My stomach drops. “Oh my God.”

No answer.

But he doesn't need to give me one. Something in that stillness feels like confirmation.

“That was you.” I stare at him. “You were on my porch.”

He takes one slow step backward.

“No. Don't⁠—”

I stop myself.

What the hell am I doing telling my stalker not to leave?

Apparently grief really did destroy my survival instincts.

He nods toward Bramble & Bean.

“Go,” he rasps out.

I swallow. “Thank you.”

His head tilts.

“For tonight,” I clarify quickly. “Not the stalking. I'm not thanking you for that.”

For the briefest second, I swear his shoulders move, almost like he's laughing.

My eyes narrow. “Did you just laugh at me?”

He doesn’t say a word.