YouDon’tWalkAwayFromMe
1427 Words
Amara didn’t realize she was holding her breath until Alexander moved.
The moment shattered—just like that.
One second, they were standing too close, tension thick enough to touch. The next, he was already at the door, opening it without hesitation, his movements sharp, purposeful.
“Stay here.”
It wasn’t a suggestion.
It was a command.
Amara blinked.
“Excuse me?”
But he was already gone.
The hallway outside buzzed faintly with activity—low conversations, footsteps, distant laughter—but something felt… off.
Amara stood frozen in the middle of her office, her pulse racing as she replayed the last few seconds in her mind.
The shadow.
The message.
Alexander’s reaction.
They’re closer than I thought.
A chill crept up her spine.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath, dragging a hand through her hair. “You’re overreacting.”
Except… she wasn’t sure if she believed that.
Her phone buzzed again.
Her heart jumped before she could stop it.
Slowly, cautiously, she picked it up.
Another message.
Unknown Number:
He won’t be able to protect you forever.
Amara’s fingers tightened around the phone.
Her throat went dry.
“This isn’t funny,” she whispered.
Her gaze flicked toward the door.
Alexander had been gone for less than a minute… but suddenly, the room felt too big. Too quiet. Too exposed.
Her instincts screamed at her to leave.
To get out.
To go somewhere safe—anywhere but here.
And yet…
Her feet didn’t move.
Because for some reason she couldn’t explain, the moment he walked out, something inside her had gone with him.
That thought irritated her immediately.
“I don’t need him,” she said firmly, as if saying it out loud would make it true.
She grabbed her bag from the chair and headed for the door.
If someone was watching her, she wasn’t going to sit around waiting to find out who.
She stepped into the hallway.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Employees moved about, some glancing at her briefly before looking away. Conversations continued. Phones rang. Nothing out of place.
And yet…
She felt it.
That prickling sensation at the back of her neck.
Like eyes were on her.
Watching.
Waiting.
Her steps quickened.
She needed air.
She needed space.
She needed to think.
The elevator doors were just ahead when—
A hand closed around her wrist.
Firm.
Unyielding.
Her heart leapt into her throat.
“Let go of—”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Her words died instantly.
Alexander.
Of course it was him.
She yanked her hand back, glaring at him.
“You don’t get to grab me like that.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“You don’t get to walk out after I told you to stay.”
Her eyes flashed.
“Oh, I’m sorry—did I miss the part where I became your employee?”
“No,” he said evenly.
“You missed the part where your life stopped being simple.”
That shut her up.
For half a second.
Then her anger came rushing back.
“You don’t get to decide that!”
“Don’t I?”
He stepped closer.
Too close.
Again.
Why was he always too close?
“You’re being followed,” he said quietly.
The words hit harder this time.
Not dramatic.
Not exaggerated.
Just… certain.
Amara swallowed.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
Her heart pounded.
“And how exactly would you know that?”
His gaze held hers, unreadable.
“Because I had someone watching you first.”
Silence.
Her stomach dropped.
“You—what?”
“For your protection.”
“For your control,” she snapped.
His eyes darkened slightly.
“There’s a difference.”
“No, there isn’t.”
She shook her head, backing up a step.
“You don’t just put someone under surveillance and call it protection.”
“I do,” he said calmly.
“And I’ll do worse if it keeps you safe.”
Her breath caught.
There it was again.
That edge in his voice.
Possessive.
Unapologetic.
Dangerous.
“You don’t own me,” she said, quieter this time.
His gaze dropped briefly—to her lips—then returned to her eyes.
“No,” he murmured.
“But I intend to make sure no one else gets the chance to hurt you.”
Her heart skipped.
She hated that it did.
Hated the way his words made something inside her soften—just slightly—before her logic snapped back into place.
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
He reached out again—slower this time—his fingers brushing her wrist, lighter now, but no less intentional.
She didn’t pull away immediately.
That was her first mistake.
“You’re stubborn,” he said.
“I’m independent.”
“You’re walking into danger.”
“I’m handling my life.”
“You’re about to lose control of it.”
Silence fell between them again.
Thick.
Charged.
And for the first time…
Amara didn’t have an immediate response.
Because deep down…
A small, terrifying part of her wondered if he was right.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, both of them looked at it.
Slowly, she lifted the screen.
Another message.
Unknown Number:
Run if you want. We like the chase.
Her stomach dropped so fast it felt like the floor disappeared beneath her.
Alexander’s expression hardened instantly.
“That’s enough.”
Before she could react, he took her phone from her hand.
“Hey—”
“You’re coming with me.”
“I am not—”
“Yes, you are.”
His voice didn’t rise.
It didn’t need to.
It cut straight through her resistance like it wasn’t even there.
Amara hesitated.
Just for a second.
But that second was enough.
Because suddenly…
She didn’t feel safe standing here anymore.
And she hated that he could see it.
“I don’t trust you,” she said quietly.
His gaze softened—just a fraction.
“You don’t have to.”
A pause.
Her breath hitched.
“Just stay close to me.”
Something about the way he said it—less command, more promise—sent a strange warmth through her chest.
Dangerous.
Confusing.
Unwanted.
But real.
Before she could overthink it, he took her hand.
Fully this time.
Not her wrist.
Her hand.
His grip was firm. Steady. Protective.
And for reasons she couldn’t explain…
She didn’t pull away.
They moved together down the hallway, his stride confident, hers slightly rushed to keep up.
People stared.
Of course they did.
Alexander Drake didn’t walk through a building unnoticed.
But today…
Amara didn’t care.
Because for the first time since this started…
She didn’t feel like she was facing it alone.
That realization scared her almost as much as the messages.
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped inside.
The doors slid shut.
Silence.
Just the two of them.
Too close.
Again.
Amara exhaled slowly, trying to steady her racing thoughts.
“What happens now?” she asked.
Alexander didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he watched the numbers change above the door.
Floor by floor.
Then—
“They won’t stop,” he said.
Her chest tightened.
“Who?”
He finally looked at her.
And this time…
There was no hesitation in his voice.
“No one you can handle alone.”
Her pulse spiked.
“And you can?”
A pause.
Then—
“Yes.”
The certainty in his tone sent a shiver through her.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something else.
Something that felt dangerously close to trust.
The elevator slowed.
Stopped.
The doors opened.
Alexander stepped out first, still holding her hand.
Amara followed.
And then—
She saw it.
Her breath caught instantly.
Two men stood near the exit.
Watching.
Not pretending.
Not hiding.
Watching.
One of them smiled.
Slow.
Knowing.
Her blood ran cold.
“Alexander…” she whispered.
His grip tightened around her hand.
“I see them.”
The man tilted his head slightly.
Like he was waiting.
Like he was enjoying this.
Amara’s heart slammed against her ribs.
“They’re not even hiding,” she said, her voice barely steady.
“No,” Alexander murmured.
His posture shifted subtly.
Protective.
Dangerous.
“They want you to see them.”
Her stomach dropped.
“Why?”
His gaze never left the men.
“To remind you…”
A pause.
His voice dropped.
“…that this is just the beginning.”
- Writer
