Page 49 of Stalked

“Yes, Gabriel. If you had waited two seconds for me to brush my teeth, I could have easily told you that,” pointing over to Blake, “is my very annoying little sister Blake.”

Peeking over at her, Blake smiles brightly at me. “Hello!”

“Uh, hello,” I mumble, feeling more and more like a dumb ass. “I’m sorry.” I step forward to Tobias, hoping with all these people standing around he will understand.

“We’ll talk about it later.” He sighs, grabbing my waist and pulling me against his chest. Yanking my head to his, he brushes his lips against mine before plunging his tongue into my mouth. I groan at the taste of him. He didn’t brush his teeth, and though it sounds gross, it's him.

“Again, disgusting!” Blake gags, before laughing.

Blushing up at Tobias, I smile all for two seconds before I jump nearly three feet in the air when I notice someone else in the corner.

“Oh, don’t bother with him, that’s Henry, my bodyguard,” Blake says, shoving food into her mouth.

Nodding my head, I glance around the room, Zane with his murderous look, and Salem smiling while pouring flour into a baking dish. For once, my mind is at ease, feeling content and like I belong.

I groan when Tobias shifts. “Little Rabbit,” he whispers into my ear, my body sliding off his.

“Where are you going?” I mumble, my face now buried in the pillow.

“Kyler texted. He said he found some information, and we’re meeting up a few hours away. I’ll be back, Little Rabbit,” Tobias mumbles, biting lightly on my earlobe. Groaning, I twist my head, capturing his mouth with mine.

“Come back to me,” I mutter, sleep pulling me back under.

“Always.” I barely catch what he says before I fall into a deep sleep.

I was asleep for thirty minutes before the dull ache in my chest woke me up, the unsettling feeling creeping along my heart, pounding, and no matter how much I tried to calm down nothing worked. I shower, changing my clothes four different times before I settle for a pair of joggers and one of Tobias’s sweatshirts. Usually, his scent, his things, calm me down.

This doesn’t work.

I pace around the bedroom, trying to reason with myself, yet that doesn’t even work. The only thing besides Tobias that has ever worked was donuts. And I know he keeps a supply for me. Climbing down the stairs, I make my way into the kitchen, pulling the glazed donuts down from the cabinet. Shoving half the thing into my mouth, movement catches my eyes. Slowly making my way to the back porch, I notice Blake standing outside, her arms crossed over her chest. Pulling the door open, I step out into the cold air, almost debating on running back inside where it’s warm. Even in December, the south is cold.

“Hey,” I say, closing the door behind me.

“Somethings wrong,” Blake says, not glancing in my direction.

Nervously looking where she is, I don’t see anything, just pitch black, the wind whipping around our heads.

“Wh–what do you mean?” I ask, my fingers itching for the phone that I so conveniently left upstairs.

“Emilia pinged Kyler’s phone, and he’s still in the city. The warehouse Tobias was talking about isn’t in the city. It’s two hours west, on an abandoned road. Nothing important happens at that warehouse. I tried calling him but there’s no answer.”

Nodding my head, I try to understand what she was talking about, but I was never good at reading between the lines. I need a clear picture, plain words.

“Either he’s under attack or we are.” She sighs, digging her nails into her arms, her knuckles turning white.

“What makes you say that?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm. I don’t need the Mafia princess thinking I’m terrified when she’s not.

“We can’t reach Tobias,” she states.

“But w–we’re safe. I mean we’re with an enforcer and a-a, I’m not sure what Salem is, but I know others in your world are scared of her.” My breathing picks up, bile rising in my throat. I can’t be going through this again. It’s been fifteen years. I’m safe; I’m not involved in this.

“They’re not here. It’s just us.”

“What?” I yell. “Wh–where did they go?”

“Zane went with Tobias for backup, so even if they were under attack, they’d be fine. Kyler and Zane together would make anyone piss themselves. Kyler alone is scary enough. And Salem is with Aziza down the road, I think.”

“You think?” I screech.

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