I round the corner to my apartment building, racing up three flights of stairs to my apartment. This place really needed to invest in an elevator but at least all the steps made my ass look great.
Slamming the door behind me, I double check I locked it, then head to the kitchen island where my laptop sits. I pull up the notes app on my phone to see the business name again. After typing Torres Security into the search engine, I hit enter. The first two results don’t give me anything worth noting, but the third result brings me to the company website. I go to the “about us” page and low and behold, a photo of my mystery man shows he owns the company.
Turns out, his name is Atlas Torres and he runs it with another man named Gavin Blackwell. It seems the office here in Willowhook is notthe only location they have. There is another location in Allendale about three hours from here, not too far past the state line. Interesting.
I’ve heard of Allendale before. But where?
I keep digging through the company site, but the only thing I learn is they do all kinds of security jobs. I searched for the name Atlas Torres instead. This man is either super boring or super smart. There’s nothing personal I can find on the internet. Even his social media pages look like they’re for business only, not even the name of his favorite restaurant can be found.
I decide to search for anything I can find on Gavin. They seem close, maybe that’s my ticket to more information. I scroll past a few unrelated profiles before coming across his personal social media account. The last picture was posted a month ago in Allendale, where their other office is.
Based on that information, they’re probably new in town. The company site said this branch opened about a month ago, so that tracks.
I keep scrolling for anything that I can use when I see a picture of Gavin and Atlas at some place called Elixirs. I realize they’re close, more than just business partners, but it doesn’t help me learn anything about what they do in this town.
Fine, I’ll do this the hard way. All I have to do is follow him without getting caught. How hard could it be? People in books stalk someone all the time.
With that, I come to a simple conclusion, I now have a long day aheadof me tomorrow. That means, I need to get ready for bed in order to wake up early enough for this.
On my way to the bathroom, I grab an oversized shirt from my dresser. Reaching inside the shower, I turn the handle all the way hot before I start to undress. I washed my hair yesterday and I’m too lazy to deal with it tonight, so I pull it up in a messy bun while stepping into the shower.
I welcome the way the hot water burns my skin. When it comes to showers, I want the Devil himself to flinch. I grab the loofah, applying some of my lavender body wash to it. The scratch of the loofah against my sensitive skin while I lather my body with soap is so relaxing. I use a scent-free face scrub to exfoliate quickly before washing it back off.
I know I should shut off the water and get out, but I’m not ready yet.
While I’m secluded in this tiny square, I’m hoping my brain will finally be able to shut down for a few seconds. I just want to forget everything that’s happening outside of this shower while I’m in it.
But of course, it doesn’t really work. It never does.
The universe will never allow my thoughts to be quiet. Instead of shutting all the voices out, they amplify. Trevor’s voice every time he tells me what I should and shouldn’t do. The nagging weight of my self doubts. And then there is him, the mystery man.
Sighing, I close my eyes, imagining his blue ones staring back at me. If I couldn’t make my mind turn off, then maybe I could use it to my advantage. I instantly drop the loofah and allow my fingers to trail overthe suds I have yet to wash off.
What if it were his hands on me instead of my own?
The thought has me opening my eyes in a panic.
Where the fuck did that come from? I was trying to think happy thoughts but not that kind.
I quickly wash the soap off and shut off the water.
The man is a complete stranger. I shouldn’t be thinking about how his hands should feel on my body. I do a half-assed job of drying off my body before slipping my shirt over my head and climbing into bed.
Maybe sleep would fix me but I wasn’t hopeful.
I set my alarm for 6:30AM. I’m not thrilled about the time, but I need to wake up early enough to hopefully beat him to his office.
Atlas
My phone pings with a text notification. It’s two in the morning, so I’m pretty sure it’s Gavin. Not many people would send something this late in the night. I’m hoping he found something to confirm my suspicions.
I know what I saw.
I just need proof so I don’t sound like I’m losing my mind. I open thetext thread, and sure enough it’s from Gavin, but my stomach sinks when I read it.
Gavin
I checked. And I don’t think it’s
