Page 119 of Their Stolen Obsession
Me:
Wrong. I tripped after some assholes wouldn’t stop following me.
Unknown:
That’s why you shouldn’t fucking run, little obsession. We love the chase. Don’t you remember?
I recalled all too well. Sin and Saint were up to their old tricks, but I was too, and I threw in a new one. Jake Wilson.
“Are you okay?” Jake asked, interrupting the shadows who stalked me.
“I’m fine.” I flashed Jake a smile and took a sip of my cup. “Nothing a coffee can’t fix.”
“I hate to do this, but”—Jake glanced down at his wristwatch—“I better go. My shift starts in half an hour.”
“Right. Duty calls.” I held up my cell phone. “Text me later, Jake?”
“Absolutely.” Jake tapped his coffee cup against mine and playfully winked at me. “I’ll buy us a bottle of champagne next time.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Flirtatiously, I smiled at Jake as he walked out of the café, and I didn’t see the black Mustang anymore. Instantly, I got nervous as my grin turned into a frown. I wandered out onto the sidewalk and glanced up and down the street. Saint had disappeared.
Good.
Maybe I had made my point, and my phantoms had listened. Finally, they’d give me the space I wanted to figure out my life without them always around and somehow controlling my next step. This was my story, not theirs, and I had every right to hold all the power.
Crap. I got a damn text. But the message wasn’t from my phantoms.
Jake Wilson:
About that date. Can I pick you up after my shift? I’m done at eight.
I smiled.
Me:
I’d love that.
Jake Wilson:
Good. Send me your address.
The new guy in my life had taken the bait, and I had a first date. I screenshot the direct directions to the condo and a flutter rushed inside of me, but then the butterflies flew away. Another text from an unknown number.
Unknown:
If you ask that dick out on a date… There will be hell to pay.
Me:
I didn’t have to becauseJake asked me.
There was no text message back. Silence. The entire stroll back through the city streets was peaceful. Except for horns honking, birds chirping, and people talking as they walked by. Nobody followed me, haunted me, or harassed me. I was all alone, but the tranquility scared me.
This world was too calm, quiet, and not the usual chaos I had become accustomed to. There was no havoc, nobody died, and the suspense of what transpired without my knowledge frightened me because there had to be something happening. My phantoms couldn’t leave me alone.
Right?
