Page 174 of The Rules
Enough to make her pulse catch, her breath freeze mid-step.
A few inches. Just enough to whisper: someone was here.
Her chest tightens. Her brain trips over itself, reaching for explanations. Lisa? No—she is at home. Tammy? She has a key, but she doesn’t drop by without texting first.
No. No. No.
Crawford's warning echoes in her mind. The photo of Lisa. The veiled threat.You should be more careful about the people you care about.
She steps back. Fast. Shaky. Controlled only by adrenaline.
Her hand dives into her bag. Phone. Fingers fumbling.
Too slow. The hallway suddenly feels exposed, vulnerable. Anyone could be watching. Anyone could still be inside.
She can't go in.
Not like this. Not alone.
Her breath stutters—sharp, shallow. Fingers trembling, she fumbles for her phone. The screen lights up bright. A mess of names she doesn’t want, can’t trust.
Except one.
Only one.
The thumb hovers for half a second.
Then presses.
It rings once.
"Winters?"
Ben's voice cuts through the line, sharp and immediate. There's no drowsiness, no confusion—just instant alertness that makes Kath's chest tighten with something close to relief.
Her voice breaks—just a little. "Ben. My apartment.
The door—it's open. I didn't..." She swallows, throat tight. "I don't know if someone's still inside."
Silence follows. Just for a beat.
But she can feel the shift. The way his attention sharpens through the phone, like a physical presence wrapping around her.
"Where are you now?" His voice is clipped, lethal.
Kath glances down the stairwell, calculating escape routes. "In the stairwell, but I'm going to the corner of 7th and Harper. The coffee shop."
A breath. Then:
"Get out of there quickly. Wait in the café. I'm on my way."
Kath exhaled—sharp, shaky. Relief breaking through the adrenaline.
Because in that moment, she didn’t want to be strong.
She was just grateful—grateful that when everything started unraveling, she had someone she could call.
Someone who answered without hesitation.
