Page 15 of Creep

“Lia? What are you doing out here?”

I let out a small sigh, feeling the tension falling from my shoulders. “I thought I heard something,” I answered.

She shot me a soft smile. “Come on, let’s go back inside. It’s probably just a bear.”

“Maybe,” I said softly, letting her pull me back, even if I didn’t truly believe it was a bear or some wild animal I heard.

No, I heard a man.

Melody went back to her cleaning duties while I got everything ready for tomorrow’s morning shift, my mind moving at a thousand miles an hour.

My phone vibrated in my apron, drawing my thoughts, and I looked down to see Leo calling me. I made sure Melody wasn’t in hearing distance before I picked up.

“Hello?”

“Lia, how are you?”

“Good,” I answered evenly. “Did you find something?”

He let out a small sigh, the noise telling me the answer before he spoke. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. There is nothing indicating you might have a stalker.”

I blinked away the tears of frustration.

“Maybe my men missed something. We should go to the police and report it.”

“I don’t have any proof,” I said, knowing the police wouldn’t be able to do anything for me. And Leo couldn’t find anything. Either this guy was good, or… this was all in my head.

“Why don’t you move back home? Or stay with me?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t going to be driven out of my apartment over a feeling. I was almost angry just thinking about it.

“Maybe I’m wrong,” I said.

“Lia…”

I shook my head. “Thank you for looking into this for me. If your men can’t find anything, I think… maybe I’ve just been tired lately and imagining things.”

Which was plausible, considering Leo’s men were trained for these kinds of things. Perhaps I was just seeing things because I had been distracted lately. And maybe it really was some wild animal I heard outside just now, like Melody had suggested.

“I still don’t think you should live by yourself.” I almost forgot Leo was still on the other line.

“I’ll be fine,” I said with conviction. “But I’ll let you know if something else comes up.”

“Promise?”

I nodded, feeling my heart softening for the man I had thought of as my second dad. “I promise.”

He grunted through the line. “Good. And call me if you need anything.”

“I will,” I mumbled. “Talk to you later.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”

The line clicked, and I stood where I was, thinking over everything. I didn’t know how long I stood there, but it was long enough for Melody to finish up.

She frowned when she noticed me. “Are you still thinking about what happened outside?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, just some family stuff.”

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