Page 142 of Stalkers Anonymous

“Hailey. You came.”

“I did.” My voice comes out softer than I want it to, and I’m instantly furious at myself for making myself smaller for him.

“You said you wanted to talk.”

I swallow hard, struggling to find words. My brain is short-circuiting with him this close to me. I’m sweating, and it’s suddenly too hard to breathe.

He steps closer. Eight feet. Six. Four. My hands are shaking inside my pockets.

“So talk,” he spits, his words venomous.

I open my mouth, and nothing comes out.

His smile widens. He sees it. He sees the shake in me. He likes it.

“What’s wrong, Hailey?” His voice dips. “You were so brave when you texted me. So sure of yourself. Cat got your tongue?”

I make myself breathe. In and out. I can’t pass out now.

I am not alone.

They’ve got me. Cole has me.

“You ran from me last time,” he murmurs. He’s inching closer now, so close I can smell the alcohol on his sour breath. “You ran. And you screamed. You bled all over that little parking garage. You really made a mess, Hailey.”

I cannot make my mouth move.

He tilts his head, studying me. His smile spreads into something vile and vicious.

“God. You’re so pretty when you bleed. So pretty when you break. And fuck, if I don’t love breaking pretty things.”

Something inside me cracks.

No, it explodes. Into a million sharp, deadly pieces, each aimed at him.

I think about a future where this man stands this close to another woman, uttering that exact sentence. I think about her being smaller than me, or younger than me, or alone in a way I am not alone right now. I think about the fact that I am, at this very moment, the only thing standing between this man and that woman.

The shaking in my hands stops, and I lift my chin.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

His smile flickers, and he clenches his jaw before responding. “You should be.”

“I’m not.” My voice is stronger now. It surprises both of us, but I don’t let it show. “I’m really not. I spent too much time being afraid of you, and I don’t even understand why. You’re not as tall as I remember. You’re not as big as I remember. You’re a small, broken man who likes hurting women because nothing else in your life has ever made you feel powerful, and I am done giving you that.”

“You stupid bitch—”

I cut him off before he can continue. “The parking garage was the last time you’ll ever hurt a woman. Tonight is the last time I will ever look at your face. After this, you don’t exist. Do you understand me, or are you having a hard time keeping up?”

His face shifts, his smile gone. The last time he looked at me like that was right before he put his forearm against my throat.

“Hailey—”

Behind me, I hear Cole step out from the shadows. To my left, Jessica emerges from behind the concrete pier. Thirty feet up, Grant rises into a crouch on top of the bridge, two cameras still rolling, and lets his camera flash one time to let Lars know he’s there. To my right, Zach appears, holding what looks like a length of nylon rope.

Lars sees Jessica first, then Zach. Then he turns and sees Cole.

His face drains of color, and he’s frozen in place.