Chapter 4 Here comes trouble

Sienna.

The city hummed with life around me as I stepped onto the sidewalk to my car that evening. The air carried the scent of spring, the faint hints of jasmine and rain lingering from the earlier drizzle, but it did little to settle the unease crawling up my spine. I was exhausted. My body ached everywhere from sitting at my desk for too many hours, and my stomach twisted with hunger after skipping lunch. The long day had drained me, but it wasn't just the work. It was him. Zane Calloway. Every second in that office, I could feel his eyes pressing in on me. The way he watched me like I was something to be figured out, like I was a puzzle he was piecing together in real time. It was unnerving. Infuriating. And worst of all, it made my pulse spike in a way I wasn't ready to acknowledge. It had been a long time since another man set my body on fire like that, Ian had been the only one who had made his mark on my heart and body after three years of chasing me. And yet, just one encounter with Zane Calloway, and every one of my defense walls had started to melt away like wax. I tightened my grip on my purse and quickened my pace, knowing such distracting thoughts were the last thing I needed in my current environment. My car was only about five blocks away from the store where I had gone to grab some groceries for Belinda and me, it was at that moment I realized that it was too far. It was the only available spot when I had arrived, now it felt too dark, and too quiet for a lone walker with such a history as mine. Halfway there, the sensation started. A prickle of awareness at the back of my neck. A feeling I knew too well. I wasn't alone. I forced myself not to turn around too quickly, keeping my movements deliberate as I glanced at the storefront window beside me. The glass reflected the glow of streetlights and the shadow moving behind me. I swallowed hard. No. Not this again. My breath came faster as my fingers tightened around my purse strap. A deep-rooted fear clawed its way up my chest as panic coiled in my stomach. Not here. Not now. I tried to stay logical. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just some guy heading in the same direction. But my gut told me otherwise. I picked up my pace. So did he. I turned the corner sharply. My heart started to hammer loudly as I reached the parking lot. It was empty, with no one in sight. Just rows of cars, the faint hum of the city beyond, and the man behind me. I yanked my keys from my bag, my fingers fumbling with the metal. My car was right there. If I could just...The step became too close and the sound of approaching boots. I halted my internal dilemma as ice-cold fear gripped me by the throat. My body locked up, my heart pounding so fast it was hard to breathe. Not again. I was seconds from a full-blown panic attack when a strong hand grabbed my arm. A sharp gasp tore from my lips as I twisted, ready to fight it. I opened my eyes wider in surprise as my brain processed the face of the person holding me. It wasn't a stalker I had feared was following me. It was Zane. His grip was firm but not rough. His intense blue eyes, flashed at me in the dim light. "What the hell are you doing here?" My voice was breathless, laced with panic. He didn't answer. His gaze flicked behind me, scanning the lot with lethal precision. A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Get in the car," he ordered. His voice was controlling and I resented it at once. I shook my head. "No. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why..." I heard a spooky sound behind us and then the rattling sound of loading a gun. Zane heard it, too. His body went rigid, and before I could blink, he was pushing me toward the passenger side, unlocking the door with a swift movement. "Now, Sienna." There was no room for argument in his tone. My pulse thundered as I slid into the car, barely getting the door shut before Zane was behind the wheel, the engine roaring to life. The moment he pulled out of the lot, I found my voice. "Are you following me?" I snapped, my nerves stretched thin. His hands flexed on the steering wheel, his expression carved from stone. "You're welcome." "Answer me, Zane Calloway." His jaw tightened, he let go of the wheel, using the button to steady the drive. Then he turned his head towards me, gazing into my eyes like he was searching for something in them. That set off several alarms in my body and I had to slouch away from him to feel my breath again. He took back the wheels, and I instantly felt at ease without his eyes on me anymore. "I had a feeling you might run into trouble and see I am right." He said with a shrug of his shoulders, I stared at him, disbelief warring with suspicion. "A feeling?" His silence was answer enough. I let out a bitter laugh. "Right. So, walk me through this, you just happened to be a few blocks from my car at the exact moment I needed saving?" His gaze flicked to me, a smirk was visible yet I ignored it, "It wasn't a coincidence." I swallowed hard, my skin prickling. "Then why? Were you watching me, do you watch all your Pas are you that paranoid of your employees?" The car pulled to a stop at a red light, and I could hear my pulse racing. "Answer me!" I yelled through gritted teeth. Zane turned toward me again, his blue eyes seemed unreadable. The space between us felt too small and for a second, I believed he was going to grab my hands and..... "Because someone else is watching you too." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper cutting through my thoughts. The words crashed over me, sending waves of panic inside me. The traffic light turned green, but I barely noticed. My mind was tangled in the weight of his statement. "What?" I forced a swallow past the lump in my throat. "What do you mean?" My voice was quieter now, the sharp edge dulled by something dangerously close to fear. Zane didn't answer immediately. He kept his hands on the wheel, fingers flexing like he was considering how much to tell me. "I need to know, Zane." My breath was shallow. "Do you think I am in danger?" Of course I knew I was, I was merely testing the waters to hear just how much he knew already. His jaw clenched. That was all the confirmation I needed. Heat rushed up my spine as frustration ignited my blood. My hands curled into fists. "And you weren't going to tell me?" His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You do not need to know. Not yet." I let out a hollow laugh. "Not yet?" The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. "Someone was following me, Zane Calloway! You think I wouldn't notice?" His gaze flicked toward me, something unreadable behind his ice-blue stare. "You almost didn't." I sucked in a breath, my skin going cold. He wasn't wrong. I hadn't noticed soon enough. If only I had felt and sensed the stalker before my brain caught up. "I would have handled it," I said. A muscle in his jaw ticked. "I know," Zane replied. The certainty with which he said it made my stomach twist. His gaze flicked back to the road as he turned onto a quieter street, the hum of the city fading into the background. "Who was the stalker back at the store?" I asked, my voice softer now. His hesitation was brief but noticeable. "I don't know." I turned toward him, studying his profile, the sharp angles of his face carved in stone. Zane Calloway was a lot of things but he never said something unless he was certain. He didn't just come to my rescue because he didn't know who the stalker was. "You're lying, Sir." His fingers flexed on the wheel again. "I love when you say that word, but let's stick to Zane for the time being" He grinned, visibly pleased. I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. "Damn, Zane." I shook my head. "What the hell is going on?" I had wanted a safe space from my past, now it dawned on me I may have unknowningly walked right into the heart of the heat. The Atlas were not going to keep me away from the danger of my past, but fuel whatever was going on. His lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't speak anymore. I didn't know if I wanted the truth or if I was too afraid to hear it. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. I turned to the window, staring at the city lights as we drove past. "Take me home." Zane hesitated. "Sienna." "Take me home," I repeated, firmer this time. I couldn't do this right now. I couldn't sit in his car, in his overbearing presence that burned through my core, suffocating under his gaze. Zane inhaled deeply, then exhaled through his nose. And without another word, he turned the car toward my apartment. *** The tension between us had gotten awkward by the time we pulled up to my building. Zane barely shifted as I reached for the door handle, but his voice stopped me. "You need to be more careful. Sienna" I turned back, my fingers still on the handle. "I always am." His gaze locked onto mine. "Not careful enough." A fresh wave of frustration rolled through me. "What do you want me to do, Zane? Stay locked inside? Look over my shoulder every second?" I let out a bitter laugh. "That's not living." His eyes darkened. "And being reckless is dying." Something sharp twisted in my chest. I swallowed hard. "I'm not reckless." He leaned slightly toward me, his voice a quiet storm. "Then prove it." For a second, I thought he might say more and let me in on what he was withholding. But then I broke the moment, pushing the door open and stepping out. The cool evening air hit my skin, sending a chill through my body. I took a steadying breath, closing the door behind me. Zane didn't drive off immediately. He sat there, engine humming. I didn't look back to know he was watching me. I walked up the porch to my building, pulling my keys from my purse with steady hands. But when I reached the door, something made me pause. A single white envelope sat on my doorstep. My stomach twisted. I bent down slowly, my pulse hammering as I picked it up. There was no name. No return address. Just a plain, unmarked envelope. A cold chill ran down my spine. I turned it over, hesitated, then tore it open with shaky fingers. Inside was a single sheet of paper. A message printed in clean, bold letters. WE FOUND YOU AT LAST. The blood in my veins froze up. For a long moment, I just stood there, staring at the words. Then, slowly, I turned my head back toward the street, toward the black car still idling at the curb. Zane was still there watching me. His gaze locked onto mine through the windshield, and even from this distance, I could feel the shift in the air. He knew. My fingers tightened around the paper, my breath shaky. Zane Calloway was right, I had become reckless and now I was going to pay for it with my life.