THE STALKER WHO SAVED ME

CHAPTER 5

The parking garage felt like a trap closing in.

Jake kept his arm locked with mine as we walked, his steps fast and jittery. Every few seconds he glanced over his shoulder like he expected Anderson to materialize out of the shadows.

“You did the right thing,” he muttered for the third time. “Getting in that car would’ve been suicide. He doesn’t ask, Tefon. He takes. And once he takes, there’s no getting out.”

I didn’t answer. My mind was still replaying the way Anderson’s eyes had darkened when I chose to walk away. Not anger exactly. Something hungrier. More determined. Like my refusal had only sharpened his appetite.

Liam was leaning against his silver SUV near the exit ramp, arms crossed, looking every bit the reliable guy I’d known for years. When he saw us, he straightened, his warm brown eyes softening with obvious relief.

“Tefon.” He pushed off the car and met us halfway, pulling me into a quick, tight hug before I could protest. He smelled like fresh coffee and safety. “Thank God. I was two minutes from coming up there myself.”

Jake hovered close, eyes darting between us. “Liam, man, you have no idea what just went down. Anderson basically told her she’s his now. Like property. And the board meeting tomorrow? He’s planning to use the viral videos as some twisted declaration.”

Liam’s jaw clenched. He kept one hand on my shoulder, thumb rubbing small circles like he could steady me through touch alone. “I saw the clips. The whole internet is losing their minds over ‘the girl who made the Ice King thaw.’ But that’s not who you are. You’re smart. You’re strong. You don’t belong to anyone—especially not him.”

The words should have comforted me. Instead, they stirred something uneasy. Liam had never been this… intense before. The way he looked at me now, protective and almost possessive in his own quiet way, made me question every late-night conversation, every casual touch, every time he’d shown up exactly when I needed him.

Was it really just friendship?

Jake cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “Look, we need a plan. Anderson isn’t going to let this slide. He already sent his driver. Next time it might be security dragging her into that penthouse. We should get her out of the city tonight. My cousin has a place upstate. Quiet. No cameras. No billionaires who think they own the world.”

Liam shook his head slowly. “Running makes it worse. Anderson has eyes everywhere. If she disappears, he’ll treat it like a challenge. We need to face this head-on. Tomorrow’s board meeting—she walks in prepared, professional, and makes it clear nothing inappropriate happened. She was drunk. It was one reckless night. End of story.”

Jake laughed bitterly. “You really think that’ll work? You didn’t see his face upstairs. He wasn’t asking. He was claiming. And the way he looked at you when you offered her a ride? Pure murder. He sees you as competition, Liam. That’s dangerous.”

Liam’s gaze flicked to Jake, then back to me. Something unreadable passed across his features—concern mixed with a flicker of heat I’d never noticed before. “I’m not competition. I’m her friend. I’ve always been here for her. Long before Anderson decided to play his little power game.”

The air thickened. Jake’s worried eyes met mine, silently asking the same question spinning in my head: When did Liam start sounding like he wanted more?

I pulled away from both of them, needing space. My head was spinning from the hangover that had returned with a vengeance, from Anderson’s touch still ghosting across my skin, from the way my body had betrayed me by reacting to his darkness.

“Stop,” I said, voice sharper than I intended. “Both of you. This isn’t about choosing sides or running or fighting some war. It’s about me. My job. My life. I’m not some prize for Anderson to collect or for you two to protect like I’m fragile.”

Jake’s face crumpled with guilt. “Tefon, I’m sorry. I just… I dragged you to that club. This is my fault. If anything happens to you because of my stupid idea—”

“It’s not your fault,” I cut in, softer now. I reached out and squeezed his hand. “But I need you to trust that I can handle this. I’m not easily intimidated. Anderson may be powerful, but I’m not going to roll over and let him own me.”

Liam nodded, but his eyes lingered on me a beat too long. “You’re right. You’ve always been the strong one. That’s why…” He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s why I’ve always admired you. More than I probably should.”

The confession hung there, quiet but heavy. Jake’s eyebrows shot up. I felt my cheeks heat.

Before I could respond, headlights swept across the garage.

The black Maybach.

It stopped twenty feet away. The driver’s door opened, but Anderson himself stepped out this time. Coat billowing slightly in the night breeze, he looked like a shadow given form—tall, commanding, and utterly in control.

He didn’t rush. He walked toward us with deliberate, predatory grace, eyes locked on me like the rest of the world had ceased to exist.

“Miss Tefon.” His voice carried easily across the concrete. Smooth. Dangerous. “You chose poorly.”

Jake moved instinctively in front of me again. “Back off, Anderson. She said no.”

Anderson’s gaze slid to Jake with mild disdain, then to Liam. The temperature seemed to drop. “Mr. Hayes. Still playing the hero. How predictable.”

Liam straightened, shoulders squaring. “She doesn’t need a hero. She needs space. From you.”

Anderson stopped a few feet away, close enough that I could see the storm brewing in those dark eyes. Curiosity had long since morphed into raw possession. He wasn’t even pretending anymore.

“I don’t offer space,” he said quietly. “I offer protection. The board wants blood tomorrow. They’ve already scheduled an emergency session. Photos. Videos. Whispers about company image. If you walk in alone, they’ll tear you apart to save face. But if you’re with me—if they see that you’re under my direct supervision—they won’t touch you.”

He extended his hand. Not grabbing. Offering. Yet the gesture felt like a chain.

“Come with me tonight. We’ll prepare. You’ll be safe. And tomorrow, this… complication ends on my terms.”

My heart hammered. Part of me—the intelligent, emotionally aware part—knew accepting would be stepping into quicksand. He wasn’t offering help. He was weaving a web, tightening it inch by inch until escape became impossible.

Jake’s voice was urgent behind me. “Don’t. Please, Tefon. He’s not saving you. He’s collecting you. I’ve heard stories. People who get close to him… they change. They disappear into his world and never come back the same.”

Liam stepped closer to my other side, his presence warm but now charged with something deeper. “You don’t have to decide anything tonight. My place is ten minutes away. Crash there. No expectations. Just rest. We’ll figure out the board meeting together in the morning.”

Two men. Two very different kinds of pull.

Anderson’s eyes never left mine. In them I saw the club—the way he’d moved against me, controlled and hungry. I saw the office, his fingers on my jaw. I saw a future where curiosity turned into total ownership.

And yet… I felt the challenge. The magnetic danger. The part of me that didn’t want to submit easily.

I took a slow breath, meeting his gaze head-on.

“I’m not going with you tonight, Mr. Anderson. Not to prepare. Not to be protected. Not to be kept.”

His hand remained outstretched for another heartbeat, then lowered. No anger on his face. Only a slow, devastating smile that sent ice and fire racing through my veins.

“Defiance looks good on you,” he murmured. “It won’t last.”

He turned toward the Maybach, but paused, glancing back once more—this time including Jake and Liam in his stare.

“Enjoy your evening, gentlemen. Protect her while you still can.”

The car door closed with a soft, final thud.

As the taillights disappeared up the ramp, Jake let out a shaky breath. “Holy s**t. He’s not backing down. Ever.”

Liam turned to me, concern etched deep. But beneath it, that new layer of feeling simmered—questioned, uncertain, but undeniably there. “You okay?”

I nodded, even though I wasn’t.

Because tomorrow the board would want answers.

Anderson would push harder.

Jake’s fear would grow.

And Liam… Liam’s quiet care was starting to feel like another complication I didn’t see coming.

I linked arms with both of them, walking toward Liam’s car, but my mind stayed behind with the man in the black coat.

The obsession had teeth now.

And it was closing in.