Page 162 of Trick or Stalk

But his shoulders move again.

“Asshole.”

That earns another tiny movement.

Oh my God. My masked stalker has a sense of humor.

Wonderful.

I start toward the coffee shop.

Halfway there, I turn around.

He's still standing beneath the edge of the streetlight, watching me.

I continue walking, feeling far safer than I should.

When I reach Bramble & Bean, my hand closes around the door handle.

I look back.

The sidewalk is empty.

I stare at the place where he stood.

Relief moves through me. Followed closely by something else.

Something I refuse to identify.

The bell jingles as I open the door and step into the warmth of the coffee shop.

Penny's excited bark erupts from inside.

Before the door closes, I look outside one last time.

Nothing.

For the first time since I saw that mask outside my bedroom window, a terrifying thought settles into my mind.

I'm afraid of him.

But I don't think I want him to disappear.

CHAPTER 22

Hades

Her words have been echoing inside my head for the last twenty minutes.

“No. Don’t⁠—”

Two words that hit harder than they have any fucking right to, even without her finishing the thought.

She didn’t need to. I already knew what she wanted.

I grip the steering wheel and stare through the windshield at the dark road ahead.

Presley didn’t want me to leave.