He walked me down the hallway to the very end. It was there that his steps grew more hesitant, and he began cracking his knuckles. He was tense, on edge, vibrating with something I couldn’t name.
My instincts weren’t screamingdanger. They were quiet. Watchful. Curious.
But my brain? My brain was on high alert. What had him this wound up?
Alic’s boots echoed down the hallway, and I watched Ras’ shoulders stiffen. He was bracing himself for some kind ofimpact, and that realization made it clear he didn’t want Alic to come inside.
I wondered why, but at the same time, it was his house… and Alic was already used to staying outside my door. This didn't need to be an issue.
I turned to Alic the moment he caught up. “Wait out here.”
Ras let out a full-body exhale behind me, the tension snapping out of his frame like a released rubber band. That told me everything.
“No! What if?—”
“You’re right here,” I cut in. “What could he possibly do?”
Alic's eyes darted to Ras then back to me. He wanted to say more, wanted to protect me, but he also knew me well enough to know when I’d made up my mind.
I rested a hand on his chest, then my fingers drifted down the strong line of his arm. Finally, I took his hand, lifted it to my lips, and softly kissed his palm, my eyes locked on his through my lashes.
His resistance melted.
“Okay,” he murmured. “But I’ll berighthere, and I can hear everything. If I hear one distressed sound?—”
“I understand,” Ras said quickly, his voice quiet but clear, then he turned to me, placing his palm on the door.
Several clicks followed, locks disengaging one after the other, before he finally turned the knob and gestured for me to enter.
I winked at Alic, then slipped through the door. Ras followed and closed it behind us.
The air inside was… clean. Surprising. The apartment was sleek, organized. Sparse but intentional. Abstract art lined the walls. A huge leather couch faced a giant mounted screen. Modern, minimal, and masculine.
Not what I expected.
Ras didn’t say a word. He just watched me roam, silent as a shadow, letting me take control of this self-guided tour.
So, I wandered, drifting around until my body froze and my breath caught in my throat.
A massive desk stood against the far wall with at least six monitors arranged on top of it. Cables coiled underneath like snakes. Bits of equipment blinked with LED lights, but it wasn’t the tech that stopped me.
It was the wall behind it. A mural.
Ofme.
Dozens of photos patched up the wall. Some close-up, some blurry from distance, some grainy like they’d been captured from security footage. A few were beautiful, revealing stolen moments I never would have thought twice about. Some felt invasive, things that were only supposed to be for me or for someone else. The one common denominator was that they were all of me.
“What do you think?” Ras murmured behind me, his body suddenly flush with mine. His chin brushed my shoulder as he exhaled like he’d waited forever to share this moment. “Isn’t it magnificent?”
I didn't know what to say or do. I just looked at everything in awe. A petal caught my eye, and I realized I knew what this was from. Its color matched the rose I’d kept from my stalker. Then it all clicked.
Rasmuswas my stalker… and I was in his house.
21
RASMUS
She was in my house.
