second. I walk inside and turn, moving away from him as I press the button for my floor.
“Which floor?” I ask politely when all I want to do is drink a bottle of holy water before beating him to death with the bottle.
“Same as yours. It seems we’ll be neighbors for a while,” he purrs.
Mother fucker.
“Oh? And what does division twelve have that the other divisions don’t?” I ask innocently, already knowing the freaking answer.
The doors slide open. This time, when his hand pushes against my lower back, I brace, ready for it.
“Why, you dear, of course. I thought having me next door would serve as an extra layer of protection, no? This city can be a dangerous place for a woman alone.”
“I’m stronger than I look, sir, but I appreciate the concern,” I grit out, walking toward my door, palming the keycard in my pocket.
“Yes, well, only time will tell. Just remember, I’m right next door,” he adds, delivering his threat exactly as he intended to. I wait for him to move to the other side of the hallway before slipping the card into the lock. As soon as it beeps, I push it open and step inside, closing the door behind me. I don’t care if I’m being rude, and I’m sure he’ll make me pay for the disrespect later, but I can’t spend a single second more in that man’s presence.
I kick off my shoes and head to the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the drainer, and pour myself some OJ from the fridge, the sharp syrupy sweetness washing away the acrid taste of nausea.
I wander over to the sofa, not bothering to close the blinds, and look out at the night sky.
I hate this apartment, more so now that Zodiac is next door. I can’t wait for Shadow Falls to be ready for me to move into. Even then, I’ll still have to pop back in and out of here to keep up the pretenses because if Zodiac thinks I’m living elsewhere, he will likely have me tailed.
I don’t move as I sip my juice, acutely aware that Zodiac is likely watching me on camera next door. As much as I’d like to strip off and take a shower, I can’t risk it. Just the thought of his eyes on me makes me want to hurl.
Instead, I force myself to lie down on the sofa and close my eyes, tucking one of the cushions under my head. I drift in and out of sleep restlessly, my dreams filled with faceless men and eyes watching from the shadows and making my skin crawl.
When I wake up later, I feel even more tired than I did before I went to sleep, especially with the growing weight of expectations weighing down on me.
It isn’t until I sit up and the blanket slides from my shoulders that I realize something’s wrong. I barely make it to the sink before I empty my stomach contents, over and over until there is nothing left inside.
Conscious of the camera on me, I grab a glass and fill it with cold water, chugging it back before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
I make my way to the bedroom on shaky legs and shut myself in the closet while I grab clean clothes and toss them in a bag.
I brush my teeth in the bathroom, ignoring my pale reflection in the mirror, before I grab my laptop bag from under the sofa and head out, texting Ben, who I had hired to be my driver, for an immediate pickup.
Blowing out a deep breath, I just make it into the elevator when Zodiac’s door opens. He catches sight of me and smiles that creepy as fuck smile of his before the elevator doors close, shutting him out.
I let out a shaky breath and press my head to the cool metal of the door, trying to swallow the bile in my throat.
I think back to when I woke up and noticed the blanket over me, a blanket that came from my bed. Knowing that someone, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who, was in my apartment while I slept, is almost enough to send me spiraling into a panic attack. It’s only by sheer stubbornness of refusing to let Zodiac see what he’s done to me that I manage to hold it together.
Somehow I make it outside before turning and puking into the bushes that line the edge of the building.