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Soon enough, the diner empties with its last patron departing with a satisfied smile and a wave goodbye. We clean the place from top to bottom, leaving it spotless and ready for another day of hustle and bustle. Walking home alone is no longer an option for me. Not after the last time.
There's a comfort in knowing that the car Seraphina gave me sits waiting at the curb. It's an older model, but it starts up without complaint. I haven’t talked to Seraphina since I got back, and I feel guilty. However, I just need time to process and make sure things are truly fine before entering that life again.
The drive is short and uneventful, with the town streets quickly giving way to the familiar sight of my apartment building. The comfort it offers is immediate and enveloping, a welcome respite from the day's vigilance and forced smiles. I park the car and make my way inside, each step taking me closer to the sanctuary of my own space.
The spray of the shower drums against the tile in a rhythmic cascade that washes away the grime and tension from the day's work. Refreshed, with my skin tingling from the heat, I slip into comfortable clothes, feeling the soft fabric brush against my skin like a protective cocoon. I'm nestled under the covers with a book in hand.
In the quiet of the room, my mind races with conflicting emotions. I can’t stop my mind from thinking about Damien. How each encounter left me more unsettled, a confusing blend of fear and an unbidden, growing warmth that I can’t shake off. Especially after our last steamy encounter.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar creak pierces the calm. My heart stutters, then accelerates. In an instant, I'm no longer a casual reader but a survivor poised for confrontation. The knife, always nestled under my pillow, feels cold and heavy in my grasp as I slide out of bed, my movements silent, deliberate.
Peeking through the narrow slit of my partially open bedroom door, I see the front door inches open. I stumble back and press my spine against the cool wall, seeking the invisibility that shadows grant. My mind races with possibilities as the chill of fear wraps around me as tightly as a blanket. I’m prey in the eyes of an uninvited predator lurking at my doorstep.
I hold my breath as the blood in my veins pounds like a drumbeat too loud in my ears. The figure moves with muffled urgency. Drawers are being pulled open and shut with reckless abandon. They're looking for something, but I don’t know what. My mind flits to the scant possessions that I call my own, none of which seem valuable enough to warrant such a desperate search. This a quiet, small town. Everyone is nice, so I can’t imagine it’s one of the townsfolk breaking in.
Suddenly, the intruder barges into my bedroom, and the bang of the door against the wall sends another spike of terror through me. Their shadow slices the room in disjointed angles as they toss my clothes and personal items aside.
As the figure turns, their eyes lock onto mine, the surprise barely registering before it's replaced by a grim determination. I can't hesitate. The knife in my hand becomes an extension of my will to survive. With my heart thundering, I lunge forward from behind the door.
Our bodies collide, and my momentum sends us both stumbling. The intruder is bigger and stronger, but panic heightens my resolve. The knife slashes towards them like a silver arc in the dim light, meeting resistance that yields too quickly. There's a grunt of pain and a curse, but they're not deterred. Their hands snatch at my wrists, seeking control, but my fear is a wild thing, clawing and thrashing for freedom.
We're a tangle of limbs and desperation. I kick, I bite, I fight with every shred of the terror that has lived inside me since the night I swore would never happen again. My breath comes in ragged gasps, but I can't stop. I won't stop.
"Where is it? The money!" the intruder hisses, his breath foul as it hits my face.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" I scream.
"He said you had it. That you'd give us the money," he insists, his eyes narrowing into slits of malice.
"I don't have any money!" The words tumble out in a mix of anger and fear, and my voice is barely recognizable to my own ears.
He doesn't listen. With a swift, practiced move, he wrestles the knife away from me. He raises the knife, the threat clear and imminent, but just as it seems, all is lost; he's lifted off of me as if he weighs nothing. He’s thrown to the side with a force that speaks of raw power, and he hits the wall with a thud. Hovering over him is Jacob, and his face is a mask of fury and protection.
Jacob doesn't hesitate. He pulls out a gun and fires twice. The sharp bursts shock the air, and the intruder lies still.
Jacob takes out his phone. “Boss, someone attacked Isabella.” Jacob gives a small nod. ”Understood.” Then he hangs up his phone.
He turns to me, his voice soft. "Are you alright?"
I realize that Jacob knows my name. My real name. Before any words can even take shape on my tongue, before I can voice the fear and relief battling within me, everything goes dark.
18
CHAPTER 18
Damien
I sit in my office with my fingers steepled tightly together, trying to contain the storm brewing within me. Jacob is here, in front of me, and I can see the concern etched on his face, but it does nothing to cool the heat of my anger. It's not that it's directed at him. Jacob did what he had to do to save Isabella. It’s the fact that she was attacked under our watch that lights a fire in my gut I can't extinguish. My eyes lock onto his for a moment in a silent conveyance of the turmoil that I'm feeling.
"What happened, Jacob?" I ask, my voice revealing none of the anger churning inside me.
"I was watching Isabella as you instructed," Jacob starts, his eyes locked with mine, steady and sure. "Everything was normal until she froze at the window. It looked like she saw someone staring in. I made an excuse and said I had to use the bathroom so I could check it out."
I nod, urging him to continue, a silent command hanging between us.
"Nobody was out there when I got to the window," he continues, his brow furrowing. "I spent the day canvassing the town for any unregistered faces, any newcomers but came up with nothing. Went back to the diner for lunch and dinner, same as always, then stationed myself to watch for Isabella's shift to end."
"Then what happened?" I press, the pieces of a threatening puzzle starting to swarm in my head.
