Chapter 3: Surveillance
1051 Words
The knock on the door wasn’t sharp this time.
It was slow. Measured. Like whoever stood on the other side didn’t want to startle her—but didn’t plan to leave, either.
Rori opened it halfway, her body angled to block the view of the living room.
The woman on the porch wore a leather jacket over a button-down shirt, badge clipped to her belt. Her eyes were sharp, her stance casual but alert.
“Ms. Tanaka?” she asked.
Rori nodded. “Yes?”
“Detective Isabel Rivera. I’m following up on a report filed by Luciani & Takahashi Security. May I come in?”
Rori hesitated. “You’re with the police?”
Rivera held up her badge. “Cincinnati PD. I’m not here to interrogate you. Just to talk.”
Rori stepped aside. “Come in.”
The detective walked in like she’d done it a hundred times—eyes scanning corners, windows, exits. She didn’t sit until Rori did.
“Your security team flagged some surveillance activity near your home and your kids’ school,” Rivera said. “I reviewed the footage. It’s not amateur.”
“I figured,” Rori said quietly.
“Do you have any idea who might be behind it?”
Rori hesitated. “My ex-husband… Evan Calloway. He’s manipulative. Controlling. But this feels different.”
Rivera nodded. “We’re looking into him. But the tech used here? It’s high-end. Whoever’s watching you has resources.”
Rori’s fingers curled around her mug. “I left that life behind. I don’t want syndicates or secrets. I just want my kids safe.”
Rivera leaned forward. “Then you need to be honest with me. What did you walk away from?”
Rori looked down. Her voice was barely a whisper. “A man who made me believe silence was love. Who taught me that fear was safer than freedom.”
Rivera didn’t flinch. “And now?”
“Now I’m trying to unlearn all of it.”
The door creaked open. Emi peeked in, eyes flicking between the two women.
“Mom? Is everything okay?”
Rori nodded. “Just talking to a detective.”
Emi stepped inside, arms crossed. “Is this about the cameras?”
Rivera smiled. “You must be Emiko.”
Emi nodded. “You’re not like TV cops.”
Rivera chuckled. “I get that a lot.”
“Do you think the person watching us is dangerous?”
Rivera’s smile faded. “I think anyone who hides behind a lens and watches children is dangerous.”
Emi’s jaw tightened. “I can help. I notice things. I saw a car parked across the street last week. Same one. Same time.”
Rori blinked. “You didn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
Rivera scribbled something in her notebook. “Can you describe the car?”
“Black. Windows tinted. No front plate. I think it was a Lexus.”
Rivera nodded. “That helps. Thank you.”
Emi looked at her mom. “We’re not safe, are we?”
Rori reached for her hand. “We’re going to be. I promise.”
After Rivera left, Rori sat on the porch steps, watching the street.
Sandro pulled up minutes later, his car gliding to a stop like it belonged there. He stepped out, dressed in a navy suit that looked like it cost more than her mortgage.
“You look like you just walked out of a magazine,” she said.
He grinned. “I aim to impress.”
“You’re early.”
“I figured you’d want an update.”
She nodded. “Come on in.”
Inside, Sandro dropped a folder on the table. “Ren traced the camera manufacturer. It’s custom tech. Not something you buy off the shelf.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning someone paid a lot of money to watch you.”
Rori’s stomach twisted. “Why?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
She paced the kitchen. “I don’t understand. I’m nobody. I left Evan. I changed my name. I moved across the country.”
Sandro leaned against the counter. “You’re not nobody, Rori. You’re a woman who walked away from a man with power. That makes you dangerous.”
She stopped pacing. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“I know.”
“I just wanted to be invisible.”
“You’re not. And maybe that’s a good thing.”
She looked at him, eyes burning. “You don’t get it.”
“Try me.”
She hesitated. “I used to count bruises like days of the week. Monday was my shoulder. Tuesday, my ribs. Wednesday, my pride.”
Sandro’s jaw clenched. “And Thursday?”
“Thursday was the day I stopped crying.”
He stepped closer, voice low. “You don’t have to be invisible anymore.”
“I don’t know how to be anything else.”
That night, Rori tucked the kids into bed. Souta clutched Kevin tightly, whispering something about guarding the kingdom. Tomo had rigged his drone to hover near the window, its blinking light a makeshift alarm. Emi sat on her bed, scrolling through her phone.
“Mom,” Emi said, “do you think they’ll catch him?”
“I think they’ll try.”
Emi looked up. “Do you think he’ll come here?”
Rori sat beside her. “I think he already has.”
Emi’s voice dropped. “I hate him.”
Rori brushed her daughter’s hair back. “You don’t have to carry that.”
“I do. He hurt you.”
Rori’s throat tightened. “And I’m still here. That’s what matters.”
Emi leaned into her. “I’m glad you left.”
Rori held her close. “Me too.”
She couldn’t sleep.
She sat in the living room, lights off, watching the street through the blinds. The folder lay open on the coffee table. The contract stared back at her.
Luciani & Takahashi Security.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: You think they can protect you?
She didn’t reply.
Another buzz.
Unknown Number: You’re mine, Rori. You always were.
She stared at the message, heart pounding.
Then she picked up the pen.
And signed the contract.
- Writer
