CHAPTER 9 — THE MAN AT HER DOOR
Ariel barely slept.
Every creak of the old apartment building felt like a threat.
Every shadow across the wall felt like the elevator attacker returning for her.
She curled under her blanket, staring at her door long after midnight. Kade's last words echoed in her mind:
> "If anything feels off tonight, call me."
She didn't call.
She couldn't.
Why burden a man like him with her fears?
But by dawn, her eyes were burning, her chest tight from lack of sleep. She forced herself up, showered, dressed, and stepped outside.
And froze.
A man stood at the end of the hallway.
Tall. Hood up. Back turned toward her—as if listening, waiting.
Her breath hitched.
The hallway felt too narrow.
Her heart slammed against her ribs so hard she thought it might break through.
The man turned slowly.
Ariel stumbled back, hand flying to her mouth.
It wasn't the attacker.
But it also wasn't someone she recognized.
His expression was unreadable. His hands were shoved into his pockets. His stance was stiff, like he didn't want to be there.
"Uh—excuse me," she whispered.
The man didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Just watched her.
Her fingers trembled as she reached into her bag.
Kade's number.
She had his number now.
But would calling him make her seem ridiculous? Overreactive? Weak?
She swallowed.
"I—I need to pass."
The man finally stepped aside, avoiding her gaze. Ariel hurried past him, her pulse wild. She didn't look back until she reached the building's exit. But when she did, he was still there—
Watching her leave.
Outside, her legs shook as she walked to the bus stop. It was barely sunrise, the streets quiet, traffic light.
She pulled out her phone.
Her thumb hovered over Kade's number again.
Before she could decide, her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
Her stomach dropped.
"Ariel?"
Kade's deep voice poured through the speaker like a jolt of electricity.
She nearly dropped her phone. "K-Kade?"
"You left your apartment."
Not a question—an observation.
"Yes… how do you know—?"
"I told you to call me if something felt wrong."
His tone was sharper than usual. Controlled, but dangerous.
Something inside her crumpled at the seriousness in his voice. "I didn't want to bother you."
"You don't bother me."
Her breath caught.
There was a beat of silence, then—
"Did something happen?"
Ariel swallowed. "There was… a man in my hallway."
"What man?"
"I don't know. He just stood there. Watching me." Her voice cracked despite her efforts.
"What did he look like?" he asked immediately.
She tried to recall. The hoodie. The shadowed face. The cold stare. "I couldn't see him clearly."
Kade cursed under his breath.
He never cursed.
"Ariel, stay where you are," he ordered. "I'm coming to get you."
"No!" she said quickly. "I'm already heading to work."
"Then wait for me. Don't move."
"But—"
"Ariel," he said softly, voice dropping into something almost pleading. "Please."
Her heart flipped.
"Okay," she whispered.
Seven minutes later, the black SUV pulled up beside her with a precision that should've been impossible in morning traffic.
Kade stepped out, not bothering to hide the tension in his posture. His eyes swept over her in a full-body check, as if making sure she was whole.
"You're shaking." He moved closer, voice low. "Why didn't you call the moment you saw him?"
"I told you—I didn't want to—"
"Don't ever say you don't want to bother me," he snapped quietly. His eyes glinted with fire. "Your safety is not a bother."
She stared at him, stunned.
He exhaled and softened his tone. "Get in. You're safe with me."
She slid into the passenger seat, her nerves buzzing. He got behind the wheel, jaw tight, and pulled into traffic with sharp focus.
"Was he following you?" Kade asked without looking away from the road.
"I didn't check," she admitted. "I just wanted to get away."
"That's the right instinct," he said. "Never turn your back on fear. Move fast and get to a safe place."
His protective certainty should have calmed her.
Instead, it stirred something else. Something confusing. Something warm.
"I'm not usually scared," Ariel said softly.
Kade's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You've been through enough. No one expects you to be invincible."
She blinked. "How do you know what I've been through?"
Silence.
A tense, telling silence.
Then he said, "I don't. I just… assume."
No.
That wasn't the truth.
But she didn't push.
Not when his shoulders were rigid like steel.
Not when his eyes held shadows she couldn't interpret.
When they arrived at Blackwoodl Corp, he parked but didn't move.
He turned to her. "Ariel."
She looked up.
"You're not alone in this."
Her breath hitched.
"And until we know who that man was…" His voice dropped. "You're staying close to me."
Her pulse fluttered. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"You'll work from my floor," he said simply. "Where I can see you. Where nothing can touch you."
Her lips parted. "Kade… that might draw attention."
"I don't care."
She swallowed hard.
Neither of them moved.
Neither looked away.
And in the q
uiet tension hanging between them, Ariel realized something terrifying—
Whatever danger she was in…
she wasn't sure if the stronger threat was outside the car.
Or sitting right beside her.