Page 23 of Stalked By Raiden

“Thankfully, no.” My chest tightens at the thought of how close it was.

River exhales. “Thank fuck.”

“He left a message. Wilted roses stamped into her carpet after she threw away the bouquet he sent her on Friday.” I look at my friends. “It’s time we take him down.”

The room goes quiet. Finally, Roman says, “If we move now, we lose our advantage.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should.”

“He broke into her home. He threatened her. I don’t give a fuck about an advantage,” I state.

“I know you’re on a rampage, Raiden, but we need to have a plan. You know that,” Royal interjects.

River looks around. “We could use Elodie.”

My head snaps toward him. “No.”

“Raiden. If Drake thinks she’s vulnerable—”

“I said no.”

River raises both hands. “I’m thinking strategically.”

“So am I.”

I meet his eyes. “Elodie is not bait.”

“Rule three,” Roman says quietly. “We don’t put innocents in harm’s way. That’s not up for a vote.”

River nods once and lets it go. We wrote those rules the first year, sitting in this room when it still smelled of wet concrete. Unanimous on every target. Nobody works alone. And nothing lands on someone who didn’t earn it. They’re the only thing standing between what we do and what Drake does, and every one of us knows it.

Roman nods slowly. “I agree. Why don’t we bring her in, then?”

“We can’t do that. I don’t want her to know what I do. What if she can’t accept it?”

Royal sighs. “You know she’ll know when he goes missing. Drake is too notorious to disappear without a trace. What are you going to say then? Because you can’t hide everything from her. And if you want her to stay clueless, you better come up with a really good plan.”

“Fine,” I agree. “We move carefully, and we move soon. In the meantime, I’ll keep Elodie safe with me.”

Chapter Six

Elodie

My life settles into a routine so naturally that I almost forget it hasn’t always existed. Every morning, Raiden walks me to school. Every afternoon, he’s waiting across the street when the final bell rings.

At first, I protested. The walk home takes less than five minutes. His presence wasn’t necessary.

Raiden simply looked at me with that steady, unreadable expression and growled, “Humor me.”

Somehow, I always do. I told myself it would be temporary. That once everything with Drake settles down, life would return to normal. But Drake disappeared. No more notes delivered through Teddy. No more flowers. No more lingering outside the school gates.

The silence should reassure me. Instead, it makes me uneasy. People like Drake don’t simply give up. They wait.

It’s a Wednesday afternoon, three days after the incident. By three o’clock, the students have all left, leaving the hallways strangely quiet. Luckily, I have an hour to myself before the staff has to be in the conference room.

I spend it the way I spend most afternoons. Sorting the reading bins back into levels. Laying out tomorrow’s counting stations, twenty-two little trays of buttons and beads. Scraping a dried glue stick off a chair leg with my thumbnail. It’s mindless work, and I love it. It’s the only hour of the day that belongs entirely to me.