He taps a few keys, and the screens come to life.
I lean forward, trying to get a closer look, since most of the screens are split into four quadrants.
“What…” Then I recognize what I’m seeing.
A view from Hans’s front door, at eye level. A view of the street. A few more of what must be Hans’s yard. My house.
Lots of views of my house.
“I’m the only person who can get into this room from the outside, but you can exit the room anytime you want,” Hans says.
I tip my head back to look up at him. “Are you obsessed with me?”
Hans blinks once, slowly. “Cassandra, I need you to listen.” Oh my god, I think he is. “You aren’t trapped here, okay?”
I nod, but I’m still thinking about the fact that he’s obsessed with me.
Hans points to the monitors. “You can watch me through these so you can see when I’m coming back. If something happens, and I don’t come back—” Hans sets a phone down in front of me. “Call the contact A3.”
His words are like a bucket of ice water on my skin. “What do you mean, not come back?”
“Just a precaution.” He points to the phone. “Now, tell me who to call.”
“A3,” I repeat. “Who is that?”
“His name is Dom. He owes me. And if he doesn’t answer, try A2 or A1.” He pauses. “In that order.”
When he starts to step away, I reach for him. “Please don’t go.”
He grips my hand in his. “I’ll be right back, Butterfly. Stay here.”
And then he’s gone.
The heavy door shuts behind him, and the locks slide into place with a thud.
Oh Jesus.
I tap the phone to make sure it’s not locked. Because if he doesn’t come back and I don’t have a way to make a phone call, I’m going to start finally freaking out.
But the phone isn’t locked.
And I can see the home screen. And the photo saved as the background is… me. Asleep in his bed.
I bite down on my lip.
He’s totally obsessed with me.
CHAPTER 63
Hans
There’s only one question I need answered. Was this man coming for Cassandra, or was he coming for me?
Either way, if he’s not already dead, I’m going to kill him.
CHAPTER 64
Cassie
My eyes bounce from screen to screen, but I can’t find Hans. And I can’t hear anything, so I don’t know if he’s still in the house.
I should’ve told him my front door is unlocked.
Not that he needs to go through my house; he can just go around it to get to the body.
I reach over with my right hand and pull on one of the little hairs on my left forearm. Then I make a face when it hurts.
Okay, so I can still feel things. Then why am I not stressing the fuck out about killing someone?
I’m almost certain the man I accidentally shot with an arrow is dead. And I’m almost certain I should be having a meltdown. Questioning my morality. Begging forgiveness from a god above. But I’m not.
And, well, he shouldn’t have been there.
I can’t think of a single innocent reason why a man could be sprinting for me, through my backyard, in the dark.
A shiver skitters up my arms.
I’ve never been one for scary movies. And that moment—the light flicking on and revealing him—is going to wake me up at night.
I wrap my arms around myself—this room is shockingly cold—and scan the screens again for Hans.
Nothing.
He should’ve crossed the street by now.
My attention snags on a mostly black screen.
There.
It’s hard to make out dark movement on a dark background, but it looks like—I lean closer to the screen, causing the edge of the counter to dig into my stomach. Hans is running. Through his backyard and into the woods. Literally in the opposite direction of my house.
“What the hell?”
He disappears.
I look around at the other screens, trying to find him again.
Hans isn’t leaving. He wouldn’t bring me down here, then load himself up with weapons just to run away into the forest.
Pretty sure.
Palms on the counter, I push myself up, then cross over to the main door.
One of the screens shows the empty basement beyond the door, so I know no one is lurking there, but I need to know…
I grab the lever handle and depress it.
It moves, and I can hear the heavy sound of the locks disengaging.
Not locked in.
I pull the door open just a few inches, then shut it, and the locks do their automatic thing again.