Eyes in the Dark
262 Words
CHAPTER 23: Eyes in the Dark
That night, Lena couldn’t sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling fan turning slowly above her. The sound was hypnotic, like the ticking of time that didn’t belong to her anymore.
Down the hall, a faint creak pulled her from her thoughts.
She slipped out of bed, moving barefoot across the wooden floor. The house was dimly lit, shadows shifting across the walls. She paused at Jay’s door—half-open.
“Jay?” she whispered.
Silence.
She stepped inside.
He stood by the window, tense, a gun gripped loosely in one hand. The streetlight outside cast a pale glow over his bare shoulders.
“You shouldn’t be up,” he said, without turning.
“There’s someone watching the house,” she said, breathless.
His posture shifted. “You saw them?”
She nodded. “Across the street. Black car. Same one I’ve seen twice this week.”
He sighed, low and dangerous. “They’re getting bolder.”
“Who are they?”
Jay finally turned to face her, jaw clenched. “People who want to break me—and now you too.”
Her heart pounded. “Why me?”
“Because they know you matter now.”
Lena didn’t know whether to run or stay. But her body moved before her mind could catch up—stepping into him, pressing a hand to his chest.
“You’re not facing them alone,” she whispered.
Jay didn’t speak. But he held her that night like she was the only thing keeping him from shattering.
- Writer
