SARAH When the brothers arrive at eight AM the next morning, they pull into my driveway with a truck behind them. I’m still in my pajamas since I skipped work today, holding a steaming hot cup of coffee when I hear the rumbling outside. I make my way to the kitchen window and peek through the blinds, only to see a massive security company vehicle marked with their logo parked in my driveway. Amusement and shock rip through me all at once. I rush to the door and open the door before they can knock. Ronan, Malachi, and Jaxon are standing there with at least six men, with the exception of a shorter one that doesn’t look more than nineteen years old, all in navy blue coveralls and matching blue face caps. “Good morning,” I drag the words as I look from one man to another. “What’s all this?” “These, honey, are security upgrades,” Ronan kisses my forehead, and he walks past me into the house. The workers follow them behind. I can see them already pulling out cameras, sensors, wires, and…only God knows what the rest of the stuff is. “Security upgrades?” I repeat, following them. “Honey, I don’t need—” “Your address is public now,” Malachi cuts in. The smile on his face tells me he doesn’t intend to hear the rest of my stubborn sentence. “You’ll see it when you go through your phone. Someone leaked it, and people—for reasons I still cannot understand—thought it was best to make it public.” I cling to my cup to stop it from slipping through my fingers. “What?” “That was the exact thing I said when I saw it,” Jaxon replies. “We tried to track down the IP address, but it led us to an abandoned warehouse that hasn’t been used in almost ten years. Whoever it was didn’t leave any prints to be traced.” I think about the paparazzi yesterday. The threats in my DMs. “Okay, but—” “So we’re installing cameras,” Ronan continues, “there’ll be motion sensors on every corner outside. Alarms on every door and window. Panic buttons in the main rooms.” I scoff. They can’t be serious. “That seems excessive—” He whips his head in my direction. My lips which are parted to speak suddenly press shut on their own accord. The look that glitters in his tired blue eyes makes my stomach turn. “I am one breath away from putting you into our car and taking you away with us. But you’re stubborn, and you don’t want that,” there’s a plea in his voice, like he’s begging me to say I wouldn’t mind being taken away. I keep my mouth shut, and the fear becomes a soft pain. “Kitten, baby,” he calls quietly, moving slowly towards me. I don’t take my eyes off him. “Multiple people left death threats yesterday. We would track them all down and kill them first, but you wouldn’t want that either…” He does have a points “This is the least we can do. So please…” his warm hand meets my right cheek. I lean into it just a bit. “Let us do it.” He smells divine. When he puts it like that… “Fine,” I roll my eyes. “But nothing too intrusive. The last thing I want is to feel like I’m living in a prison.” “You won’t,” Malachi adds, winking at me. “You’ll barely notice most of it.” I can’t help but feel like it’s all I’m going to notice. The workers get to work immediately. Drilling, installing, running wires through my walls. I watch them transform my home into something that feels more like a fortress. Ronan walks me through the system on a tablet. “Cameras here, here, and here.” He points to the screen showing multiple angles of my property. “Motion sensors will alert you if anyone approaches. The system is connected to your phone, your tablet, and directly to our security team.” “And you,” Jaxon adds. “We’ll get alerts too. Anytime something triggers the sensors.” “So you’ll know every time a squirrel crosses my yard?” “If that squirrel poses a threat to you, then yes.” I can’t tell if he’s joking. Malachi demonstrates the panic buttons—discreet little things installed under tables, by the bed, in the kitchen. “Press one of these, and our security team is dispatched immediately. Police too, if needed.” “This is a lot,” I say. “It’s not enough,” Ronan mutters. They work through the afternoon. Testing everything, making sure it’s all connected properly. I make sandwiches for the workers because I don’t know what else to do with myself. By the time they’re done, it’s almost four. “We have to go,” Ronan says reluctantly. “We have a meeting in Geneva, and…baby, we would reschedule if we could. But we…” “It’s fine,” I tell him with a smile. “I’ll be okay.” He doesn’t look convinced. Malachi pulls me aside, shows me the app on my phone one more time. “Green means everything’s fine. Yellow means motion detected. Red means alarm triggered. You see red, you press a panic button and call 911. Understand?” “I understand.” “And if you get scared—for any reason—you call us. I don’t care if it’s three AM and you heard a weird noise, baby. CALL US.” Jeez, okay. “I will.” Jaxon kisses me goodbye. Then Malachi. Then Ronan, who lingers longer than the others. “Lock the doors after we leave,” he says against my hair. “And Sarah? I mean it about calling if anything feels off.” “I promise.” They leave, and I lock the door like Ronan asked. The click of the deadbolt sounds louder than it should. Kevin text comes in around six. “I’m having dinner after leaving the embassy. I won’t be home tonight. Are you alright?” “I’m good”, I reply. “Have fun.” “It’s just dinner, but thanks.” I smile at my phone, then set it down. For the first time, my house feels too big for me. I turn on some music to fill the silence and head to the kitchen. Might as well be productive. I grab some oranges from the fridge to make some freshly squeezed orange juice. It’s one of the few kitchen wonders I can perform. I’m cutting the first orange when my tablet lights up on the counter. MOTION DETECTED: FRONT PORCH. The automated voice makes me jump. I look at the tablet screen, there’s a camera view of my front porch. Nothing. Probably just a cat or something. I go back to my oranges. MOTION DETECTED: GARDEN I pause, gripping the handle of the knife. That’s weird. Two alerts in under a minute? MOTION DETECTED: BACK PATIO Now, my heart starts to race. I drop the orange, wipe my hands on a towel, and grab the tablet with wet fingers. The screen shows multiple camera views. I tap on the back patio feed. A rather solid lump grows in my throat. There’s someone there. A figure in a black hoodie. The face is completely covered, but the stance lets me know it’s a man. A rather short man. Looking directly at the camera. What the— Before I can process what I’m seeing, the figure reaches into their pocket. Pulls out a gun. My entire body goes cold. The person aims at the camera. “No!” The screen goes black. I stare at the dead feed, hands shaking so badly I almost drop the tablet. Okay. Okay. Think. Call the police. Call the brothers. Call—The tablet flickers. Then goes completely dark. I tried to reach for my phone, but it’s off. Fuck me. My charger is upstairs in my bedroom. I need to get to it. I need to call someone. Anyone. I turn toward the stairs and the entire house plunges into darkness. Complete, absolute darkness. The power’s out. Oh God. Oh God. oh God. oh God. I can’t see anything. Can barely breathe. My heart is hammering so hard it hurts. Move. I need to move. I feel my way toward the stairs, hands outstretched over the railings. I’m making it up the stairs when my ankle connects with a step and I cry out, stumbling forward. My knees hit the steps so hard the pain shoots up my thighs. “Fuck!” I press my eyelids shut, and proceed to crawl up the stairs. I have to make it upstairs at least. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Someone’s entering the alarm code at the front door. I freeze on the stairs, my right hand gripping the railing so tight my knuckles hurt. Who is it? No one has that code. No one should have it besides me, Kevin, and the brothers. So who… The beeping stops. Click. The front door opens. Someone is in my house. I can’t see them. Can’t see anything in this darkness. But I can hear footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. Moving through my living room. I’m still on the stairs. Still completely exposed. I need to hide. Or run. Or—The footsteps stop. “Sarah?” The voice is unfamiliar, and rather young. Like a teenage boy’s. My blood freezes in my veins. “I know you’re here, Sarah. I can hear you breathing.” No. “Come out, come out, wherever you are. I just really want to talk to you. I have a flashlight, you know.” A small beam of light appears in the living room, casting a little to the corridor. The footsteps start again. Coming closer. Toward the stairs. Toward me.

Who the fuck is he supposed to be?