Eyes big, she wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb. “Santiago?”
Getting to my feet, I zipped my pants and planted my hands on my hips. “You need to go.”
“But I didn’t—”
“Go!”
Smacking my palms on the surface of my desk, I bent my head and waited for the door to click shut. Blowing out a slow breath through my nose, I pulled my phone from my pocket and unlocked the screen.
Within two seconds, I was staring at the photo I’d snapped this afternoon. Zooming in, I traced a finger over Becca’s smiling face. For a second, a fleeting moment in time, I wondered if this was the right course of action. Then I saw Isabella’s face—skin pale, eyes lifeless—and determination burned hot in my veins.
Swiping the image away, I dialed Jorge’s number and pressed the device against my ear. “It’s time,” I said once the lines connected. “Make sure she shows up tomorrow night.”
Chapter Two
Becca
My breaths came fast and hard as I jerked into a seated position. Frantically, I scanned the dark room only to find nothing but shadows mocking me. With shaky hands, I gathered the sheets and held them close to my chest.
My gaze flicked to my arm; goosebumps still peppered my skin. Behind my ribcage, my heart found a new gear. Claws of panic circled my throat. I couldn’t breathe. I squeezed my eyes shut; thick, hot tears immediately trailed down my cheeks.
I hadn’t dreamt it or imagined it. Someone was here… inside my apartment. Inside my safe haven. They’d watched me, touched me.
I shuddered.
Swallowing the lump of fear stuck in my throat, I opened my eyes and reached for my phone on the nightstand. I swiped it to life and froze with my thumb still hovering a few inches above the screen.
Dialing 911 would not help me. The last time I’d done that, I’d felt like a fool when the police arrived and found no lurkers inside or outside my apartment. I could still see the irritated look on the officer’s face. I’d bet every penny I had if it hadn’t been for the camera attached to him, he would’ve scolded me for wasting their time at 3 o’clock in the morning.
Pulling in a deep drag of air through my nose, I scrolled down to Jack’s name and poked the green button. It didn’t take long for my brother to answer the phone.
“You okay, Becs?” He sounded concerned… and breathless.
Oh, great.
“Uh… is this a bad time?” In answer to my question, a very feminine giggle filtered through the line. “I’ll just talk to you in the morning.”
The phone was already halfway away from my ear when I heard Jack’s, “Wait!”
“Really, it’s—”
“Just give me a sec, okay?” I could hear the glass door slide open, and it wasn’t all that hard to imagine my brother standing on his balcony with his arms resting on the railing. “Talk to me,” he urged. “Why are you calling at 3 am?”
Gaze flicking to the ceiling, I chewed on my lip. It all seemed rather silly now. I took a deep breath and spoke, “I thought there was someone in my apartment but now that I had some time to process, I realize it might’ve been a dream.”
“Do you want me to come over?”
“No, no.” I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. “I’m certain it was one of those dreams that feel very real, you know?”
“I can still come over,” Jack insisted.
Our parents had died when we were both pretty young, and even though our mom’s brother and his wife had taken us in, Jack had always taken it upon himself to be my protector.
“I’m fine, really,” I lied. “I just woke up spooked.”
He sighed. “All right. But call me if something spooks you again.”
“Promise.”
After we said goodbye, I slipped out of bed. Clutching my phone to my chest, I walked over to my window and made sure it was closed. I then checked every other window in my apartment as well as the front door and back door, hoping like hell this eerie feeling crawling over my skin would go away.
It didn’t.
In fact, when I climbed back into bed almost thirty minutes later, that feeling had gotten worse. So much worse. I fought off another batch of tears as I pulled the covers over my head and curled into a ball. Something was happening; I just wasn’t sure whether it was real or inside my head.
“Well, don’t you look like shit,” Kasia said as I rounded the counter to tuck my purse beneath the cash register. Without missing a beat, she shoved the steaming mug she was holding into my hand and immediately set about preparing a new one.
Just one of the many perks of owning a café together.
Both my hands wrapped around the warm biodegradable cup as I brought it to my lips. I almost groaned when that first hit of green tea hit my tongue. It was so good. So good that I had to take one more big swallow before I opened my mouth to speak.
“I didn’t sleep so good last night.” Because someone was in my apartment, but I have no way to prove it, so instead of sounding like a crazy lady, I’m just going to keep my mouth shut.
When her own cup of tea was ready, Kasia turned to face me. Leaning back against the counter behind her, she pinned me with an assessing stare. “Did you do your yoga?”
No. “Yes.”
Her amber eyes narrowed. “Liar.” Still staring daggers at me, she took a sip of her tea before slowly lowering the cup again. “I might have a remedy for your insomnia.”
“More yoga?” I asked dryly.
Kasia shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You know that new club that opened about a month ago? Absinthe?”
I nodded, “The one where no one can get in?” It was crazy. If you wanted to dance the night away at Absinthe, you needed
