Chapter Seven
“Aria!” Iris rushed to grab me by the wrist.
I was still staring at the man in black as he walked away without looking back when she pulled me out of the chaos. We made our way through the loud crowd, our hands never letting go of each other’s.
We weren’t sure what exactly had caused the commotion, and we weren’t going to stick around to find out. Iris and I squeezed through a sea of bodies as two groups clashed into each other in a violent rage.
Luckily, we made it to the other side of the curb safely, but my eyes were still searching the crowd for my mystery man.
“Aria, come on! Let’s get outta here!” Iris called out from a short distance ahead.
The sound of approaching sirens filled the air as red and blue lights flashed through the night. Campus security had arrived, ready to de-escalate the situation. But I wasn’t interested in any of that. I just wanted to spot my mystery man again.
Was it the same man from the alley?
His presence was, for sure, as commanding as the man from the alley. He exuded the same aura and energy that I thought was strangely familiar. But if the man from the alley and this man from tonight were the same person, wouldn’t that mean that he was following me?
Stalking me, maybe?
How did he always show up in the nick of time to save me from danger?
How did he see the beer bottle flying in my direction and manage to pull me out of the way if he hadn’t been lurking around earlier?
Who was this man, and what was his deal with me? How long had he been following me? And what was his reason for doing so?
Had he been stalking me before that night in the alley, or did he just start after saving me from those thugs? Was this some sort of coincidence? Did he just happen to be at the exact same location as me these two times?
Iris’s car pulled up in front of me, and the driver’s window wound down.
“Get in. Now,” she said, revving her engine.
I snapped out of my thoughts, walked over to the other side, and slid into the passenger seat. Tires screeched against the asphalt, and she floored it, zooming the vehicle away from the violence.
“You all right?” She glanced in my direction.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“You sure? ’Cause you looked like you saw a ghost five minutes ago.”
I combed my fingers through my hair. “Maybe I did.”
“Huh?” She turned the car down another street.
I looked at her and said softly, “Iris, I saw him.”
“I’m afraid you’re gonna have to be a little bit more specific than that.”
“The mystery man,” I said. “I saw him in the crowd tonight.”
“Really?” She stole a quick glance at me.
“Yeah. He was the one who pulled me away before things spiraled out of control.”
“Wow! Twice in a row. Coincidence?”
I let out a quiet, “I don’t know, Iris. But I’m gonna find out.”
She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand and exhaled sharply. “If you ask me, whoever he is, he has a secret crush on you.”
“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes.
She chuckled lightly.
“Can you take me home? I don’t think I wanna go clubbing tonight anymore.”
She stole another glance at me. “I figured you’d say that.”
“I’m sorry for bailing on you.”
“You better be,” she growled, wearing a mock frown on her face. “But know this: My comeback will hit you where you least expect.”
“Iris Hart, are you threatening me?” I pulled my head back, a small smile tugging at my mouth.
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Maybe not. I guess time will tell.”
I laughed.
She did too.
When I looked outside the window, I spotted a black SUV in the side mirror. I’d seen the same vehicle on the drive to the festival on campus. At first, I didn’t think much of it. But seeing the SUV again on the same night after the incident sparked my curiosity.
I needed to be sure that the vehicle was following us, so I discreetly kept an eye on it. However, after a couple of turns, I lost it. I looked behind us, trying to spot it, but it seemed to have vanished off the road.
Maybe it wasn’t following us after all.
Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me.
I lowered my face, fingers rubbing my eyes as a thousand thoughts occupied my head. At this point, I wasn’t sure of anything anymore, and these uncertainties were driving me nuts.
How did I move from worrying about the Bratva coming after me to wondering who my mystery masked crusader was? The more I thought about the whole thing, the more unanswered questions piled up.
A lot was happening in my life, and it was unfolding at a pace beyond my control. The journalist in me was awakened. My curiosity was piqued. And in that moment, I made a conscious decision to defy my fears and begin digging.
In the meantime, I had a research assignment to get back to. I was done hiding from men who may or may not be after me. I wasn’t going to continue living in fear while the rest of the world moved on. No.
Why should I be afraid when I have a guardian angel who follows me everywhere?
That should unsettle me more than it did.
Right?