Chapter 6 #2
Fifteen minutes later, he starts making his way back to his office with his lunch in his hand.
I maintain a further distance than earlier when I follow him back, hoping not to trigger him to my presence this time.
The trip back is uneventful. Once we arrive at his office building and he walks in, I continue walking to get a sandwich from the diner one road over.
Next time I decide to tail him all day, I’ll pack my own snacks so I don’t have to spend unnecessary time getting food.
Atlas
Running into Emily the other day is making me paranoid.
From the moment I stepped out of my car this morning, it felt like someone’s been watching me.
Thanks to the connections Ramos and Gavin made over the years, I know we’ve acquired some clients that dabble in not so legal activities.
I usually focus on the more legal clients, but business is business at the end of the day.
I really hope we didn’t piss off the wrong people. I would hate for my job to be what takes me out. I’m not even sure if I have eyes tracking me, but if I do, that’s the only logical reason I can think of.
Other than the constant sensation of my skin crawling with the feeling of being watched, I thought I saw Maizyn again.
It was a fleeting glance in the reflection of a store window when I was picking up lunch, but when I turned around no one was there.
Even after all this time, that woman still haunts my mind.
It’s almost like my nightmares follow me into the waking world.
I know she’s not here, but my heart is still trying to convince me otherwise.
I moved here to get away from her and all her memories, but the ghost of her seems to follow me wherever I go.
I didn’t know you could be haunted by heartbreak.
It almost makes me want to laugh. I told her I didn’t need her, and now I can’t seem to function properly without her. The irony is suffocating.
I’ll regret letting her leave for the rest of my life.
If it continues like this, it won’t end well.
If I keep letting my guilt fester beneath my skin, I know it’ll slowly eat away at what little bit of a soul I have left.
Hope and guilt have been at battle for a while now, but I don’t know if I have enough hope left to save myself.
No one ever tells you your own guilt has the power to kill you.
I spend the rest of my work day completing mundane tasks. It takes me a few hours to go over our current surveillance contracts. I double check that all the required signatures are on them before they can be uploaded into the database for us to schedule the system installments.
Our company does pretty much everything involving security.
We install surveillance systems, work events, and even a bit of private investigator work.
That’s not including any off the record task Gavin or Ramos work on.
We try to be all inclusive and, between the three of us, someone has the skills to complete the job discreetly.
After confirming all our installs are scheduled and contracts are correct, I open the company email to see if we have any request for PI work or security detail. Most of the inquiries are standard.
People want a few men to run safety measures at local events, nothing new there.
I add the events to our calendar and schedule the men needed for each task.
Unfortunately for me, I was usually the one stuck doing all these boring tasks.
The others preferred to be more hands on and while that was fun, someone had to do all the admin paperwork.
∞∞∞
The work day is finally over and I can’t wait to get home at this point.
I head to my car and the feeling of being watched returns.
My eyes dart around, taking in my surroundings, but I don’t spot anything out of the ordinary.
There are several people leaving work and a ride-share driver picking someone up, but no one seems to be actively watching me.
I look over my shoulder one last time before opening the car door and sliding into the driver’s seat.
Exhaling loudly, I crack my neck before cranking the car.
I check my surroundings one last time before reversing out of the parking spot and heading home.
Emily
My second mistake makes itself known around five o’clock.
I just now realized how shitty my plan was.
How am I going to figure out where Atlas lives?
I walked here. I can’t exactly walk after his car and keep up with him.
They really need to make a book called “Stalking for Dummies 101,” because I definitely needed it.
I was so focused on the overall picture, I forgot about all the tiny important details.
I thought about my options for a few moments, trying to formulate a plan quickly.
I didn’t have much time before Atlas would probably be leaving the office.
I could come back tomorrow after my shift at the bakery and follow him home, but I didn’t really want to wait.
That only left me with one choice. I pulled out my phone and ordered a ride share.
I just hoped they would go along with my crazy idea.
The app says my driver, Katie, is only ten minutes away.
Fingers crossed they get here before Atlas leaves.
I should’ve planned better. Winging it makes me nervous and my entire plan is riding on this driver going along with it.
I’m hoping the fact she’s a woman will work in my favor.
The car arrives, pulling up to the curb in front of me. Here goes nothing.
The driver rolls down the window, assessing me before asking, “car for Emily Carter?”
“Uhh, yeah that’s me. Look, this might sound crazy but I really need a favor.”
“Okay… You have my attention. What do you need?”
“I think my boyfriend is cheating on me, and I want to follow him home from work to see where he goes, but he’d spot my car immediately. Any chance I could convince you to follow his car when he leaves to see where he goes? I can pay you extra for your time.”
“Girl, you don’t have to pay me any extra, I’m down. This sounds like a lot of fun. Go ahead and hop in the back and tell me more.”
I climb in the back seat and point out his car. Just as she opens her mouth to ask for more details, I see him walk out of the main door. “See that man in the white dress shirt walking down the steps right now? That’s him.”
“Damn girl! I was about to ask what man would be worth the hassle, but nevermind. I completely understand just by looking at him. If my man looked anything like that, I think I’d be a little crazy too.”
I can feel the blush rising to my cheeks as I nod my head.
If she only knew the real story, she’d already know how crazy that man makes me.
You can’t exactly tell your rideshare you need help stalking a practical stranger just to feed your rapidly growing obsession.
I don’t think they’d take that lightly. They’d probably lock the doors and call the cops on you, so the lie will have to work.
We watch him walk to his car and I slouch lower in my seat when I notice him looking around.
I really hope he doesn’t spot me. I don’t plan to ever have to explain my actions, that would just be embarrassing.
We sit in silence as he climbs into his car and backs out of the parking spot.
The moment he shifts into drive, we do as well.
She waits until he’s a few car lengths ahead before pulling away from the curb and following after him.
“Have you ever tailed a car before? You seem to know what you’re doing.”
She laughs, “No, this is the first time I’ve followed someone. I’ve seen people do it in movies and I’ve always wanted to try, so thank you for the crazy opportunity. This is pretty exciting. I thought today was going to be boring. The people around here like their routine.”
“Well I’m happy I could make work fun for you. I appreciate you doing this. I didn’t really have another option. I’m not sure what I would have done if you told me no.”
I take my phone out again, making sure I take detailed notes of the road names and what turns we take. It might be useful to know what route he takes home, just in case I ever need it. I really hope he’s going home. I’d hate to be following him to his actual girlfriend’s house, if he has one.
Shit. I didn’t even consider that being an option.
He could be married or something, and I was stalking him without a second thought about it.
Would I stop if he was? I’m not proud to say it, but probably not.
The fixation on him runs too deep for that to be possible.
I’m truly fucked when it comes to this man.
I always thought I may be slightly crazy, I never thought I could be psychotic.
I guess you learn something new about yourself every day.
If I ever did see a therapist, they would have a field day trying to fix all of my issues.
I didn’t even understand all of my issues.
I lean forward to crank up the radio. I don’t really feel like talking anymore.
Katie shoots me a glance, not saying anything.
She must notice I’m lost to the thoughts swirling in my head.
Atlas hits his breaks and pulls into a drive way.
We slow to a stop a few houses away not to draw too much attention to ourselves.
Looking around, I take note of anything that may be important for later, but nothing really stands out.
I type the address into my notes but everything else looks normal.
It’s a cozy little neighborhood that looks like every other one in this tiny town.
I don’t see any other cars here, so hopefully that means he lives alone.
I watch him type in a code to get into the front door. I should’ve expected the guy who runs a security company to have a system installed on his own home.
I can already spot one camera from here, so there were probably several others. It would be naive to think he doesn’t have a fancy doorbell that has a camera on it.
That eliminates any chance of me getting out of this car for a closer look. Going anywhere near his house would likely get me caught on camera. If he has cameras, then it’d be unlikely I would be able to get inside without tripping an alarm.
I’m about to ask Katie if she can bring me back to the bus stop when a familiar car drives past, pulling into the same exact driveway Atlas is parked in.
It only takes me a few seconds before the clues click together, and I pinpoint who that car belongs to.
That’s the car Gavin was driving earlier.
Do they live together? Is he just stopping by?
Holy shit! What if they’re together?
This could complicate everything. I watch as Gavin exits the car and goes around the side of the house, entering a code to unlock the back gate.
Now I’m really confused. I need more answers and I don’t think I’ll get them today.
I sigh in defeat and turn my attention to Katie, who’s already watching me.
She’s probably trying to gauge my reaction, but I refuse to give her one.
She seemed like a nice person, but I didn’t trust her enough to let her watch me lose control.
“Can you please just take me back to the bus stop. I think I have done enough recon for the day. I appreciate your time.”
“Yeah, no problem. Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?”
“No, it’s fine. I prefer to walk home. It’ll give me time to clear my head and sort my thoughts.”
“Okay, really sorry you didn’t find what you were looking for.”
I nod my head, not saying anything else as I turn to look out the window.
The drive back is short. It feels a lot shorter than the drive to where Atlas lives.
I know that’s not really possible, but it’s probably due to the fact I’m trapped with my thoughts again.
I open the car door as soon as she shifts into park.
Before I’m able to shut the door, she stops me.
“Hey. Before you go, I wanted to give you my phone number. Just in case you ever need someone to help you with another situation like this one. I’ll always be down to help a girl out.”
I quietly handed her my phone. She put her number in my contacts, texting herself before handing it back.
Taking the phone back from her, I turn and walk away.
It’s been a long day and I know I barely scratch the surface on figuring that man out.
I’m in way over my head, but there’s no way I can give up now.
I knew Atlas and Gavin were close, but how close are they?
Am I barking up the wrong tree and wasting my time?
Do I care either way?