This was stalking.
The sedan reappeared at the far end of the block, crawling past the bookstore at a pace that made my jaw ache. They slowed near the entrance. Stopped. The passenger window rolled down an inch.
Just looking.
Just watching.
My hand moved to the door handle before I could think, adrenaline spiking hot and violent through my veins. Every instinct I had screamed to get out, cross the street, and put myself between them and her.
But I forced my fingers to uncurl.
Not yet.
Moving too soon meant tipping my hand. Meant they'd scatter, regroup, come back when I wasn't here. I needed to see what they wanted. Needed to know if this was reconnaissance or something worse.
The window slid back up.
The sedan crept forward and turned the corner again.
Gone.
For now.
I exhaled slowly, my breath fogging in the cold car. My phone buzzed in the cupholder—probably practice. Probably someone wondering where the hell I was.
I ignored it.
"They'll have to go through me," I muttered, the words harsh in the silence.
Not a threat.
A promise.
Because territory wasn't just about dominance. It was about drawing lines in the dirt and daring the world to cross them. And Belle—stubborn, defiant, exhausted Belle who hated me with everything she had—was on my side of that line now.
Whether she knew it or not.
Whether she wanted to be or not.
I settled deeper into the seat, eyes locked on the bookstore door, muscles coiled and ready.
Let them come back.
Let them try.
I'd end them before they got within ten feet of her.
Belle was inside, probably restocking shelves, or pretending yesterday hadn't happened. Probably convinced I'd driven away and forgotten about her.
She had no idea I was still here. No idea I wasn't leaving. And she had no fucking idea what I'd do to anyone who tried to take what was mine.
Chapter 21
Belle
The stack of new arrivals sat on the counter, spines facing every direction, waiting to be sorted. I pulled one free—something about lost love and second chances—and turned it over in my hands without reading the back copy.
My brain refused to cooperate.
