Chapter 5

~LITTLE BIRD~

“Santiago is a fucking bastard. No wonder Gigi said he’s an ass. She never told me why. But now, I get it.”

Jessica is even more furious than I am. I came home late last night and crept into her bed, lying beside her. I didn't wake her up, but she opened her eyes and reached for me, cuddling me. I slept shortly after like nothing bad had happened. This morning, as I narrated the entire ordeal, Jessica’s face turned red with fury.

She lets out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. “I still can't believe it. Santiago... a literal human trafficker. Thank God you got a bad feeling and looked at that dresser. If you hadn't smashed that lamp over his head, Elena... I can't even think about it. I'm just glad you escaped.”

“Me too.”

My throat still aches from where Santiago's fingers had clamped down on my skin. I didn’t tell her the whole truth. That when I was fighting for my life, Santiago felt weak compared to the monster that had pinned me down in my own home two nights ago. I never told her that my stalker has been ruining my mind. He’s my deepest, darkest secret.

“You sure you have everything?” Jessica asks, scanning the room.

“Yes. It’s just for the weekend. I’ll be back by Monday.”

We walk to the living room to grab my luggage. My suitcase is sitting exactly where I left it the night before, right by the door. But my breath hitches when I see what is resting on top of it. A wrapped gift box.

“Oh Jess, you shouldn't have bothered with gifts.”

Jessica glances at me hysterically, shrugging her shoulders. “I didn't get that. I noticed it on your bag when I came out of the bathroom this morning. I thought it was yours. I was sure you put it there.”

My heart plummets into my stomach. “No. It's not mine. I didn't put it there.”

Jessica’s eyes widen. “Then who did?”

My hands tremble as I reach out. The silk ribbon slides away effortlessly. I lift the lid, and the air completely leaves my lungs. Resting inside the box are my high heels. The ones I left behind at Santiago's house when I fled for my life.

Jessica recognizes them instantly. “Didn’t you say you forgot those at Santiago’s?”

“What is it doing here? I’m sure I left them there. I didn't even remember—”

“Is that blood?” Jessica crunches her nose, staring at the shoes with disgust.

I turn the heels in my hand and notice they’re not clean. The patent leather is completely splattered with dark, crusted, drying blood. The sharp stilettos are caked in tissue and gore. A gasp tears from my throat as I stumble backward, dropping the heels and the box. It clatters against the floor.

He was there last night. He was inside Jessica's apartment while we slept. He knows exactly where I am.

“Elena? Oh my god, what is that?!” Jessica cries out, staring at the gory heels. “Santiago is a sick fuck for real. He sent back those heels. Whose blood is that? How did he break in?” She rushes to the door and yanks it. “It’s locked. We need to tell the cops.”

“No,” I blurt out.

Jessica looks surprised at my response. I gather the shoes and shove them back into the box, walking over to the trashcan by the kitchen and dumping the entire box inside.

“What’s going on?” Jessica asks, already panicking.

“Santiago didn't send back the shoes. I know who did. And I’m afraid he might have hurt Santiago.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Jess, lock your doors.” I start to panic too, grabbing my suitcase. “Lock everything. Change the deadbolts. I need to leave right now. If I’m gone, he won't bother you.”

“What? No, Elena, we need to call the police. Who is he?”

“No. No police! It won’t help. I don't know who he is. But he’s here because of me. I can’t put you in harm's way, Jess. If I stay here, I don’t know what he’ll do to you. I have to get to the airport.”

Jessica insists on driving me, refusing to let me take an Uber. In tears, I finally tell her the entire truth during our ride to the airport. By the time she drops me off at the terminal, I am a shell of a person. I can tell my best friend is disappointed that I didn't trust her enough to tell her about my stalker, but she didn't want to pass blames. Jessica believes passing blames never solves anything. My stomach hurts as I imagine meeting my family.

“I can’t believe I’m going to Claire’s wedding without a plus one. I wish Santiago had killed me. It’s better than letting my family chew off my head.”

“I can take the next flight out there and pretend to be your toxic lesbian lover just to give your mother a stroke,” Jessica promises darkly.

“She’s not going to have a stroke. She’s going to have a fit of laughter because she knows I’m straight. I like dicks, not chicks.”

“People change.”

I sigh. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and sit next to a handsome man who’s willinging to accompany me.”

“This isn't a fairytale, Elena. Just go home and tell them you and Nathan are over.”

I let out a depressed sigh. Jessica’s right. I force a brave face, hug her tightly, and beg her to stay safe. She leaves. I check in at the counter. The agent takes one look at my pale face and trembling hands.

“Miss Beaumont?”

“Yes,” I answer.

“First Class. Follow the priority lane.”

I do as she says. I just need to get on the plane and put thousands of miles between myself and the monster in the dark. Soon, I’m stepping into the quiet luxury of the first-class cabin. I find my row and slide into my seat, letting my head fall back against the leather.

And then, I feel a shift in the air that pulls me from my chaotic mind. My breath leaves me as I watch a tall man walk into the cabin, and the entire space suddenly feels incredibly small. He is the most captivating, terrifyingly handsome man I have ever seen in my life. He has the kind of chin you can cut glass with. I wonder if he’s some fallen god whose coordinates glitched and dropped him off on earth.

He is wearing a designer black shirt with the top few buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of dark tattoos creeping up his chest and wrapping tightly around his muscular neck. Intricate ink covers his forearms as well.

He’s wearing dark sunglasses, masking his eyes, but his presence alone is suffocating me already. He doesn’t look like a content creator like myself. It’s not like it's written on my forehead that that’s what I do. But you can tell that he looks like power. Real, dangerous power.

Oh Lord, he’s walking toward me.

My heart begins to race. The next thing I know, he’s sitting in the empty seat beside me. Maybe luck has finally looked in my direction at last. I’m sitting next to a handsome man who looks a hundred times better than my ex. He’s perfect.

A reckless idea hits me. My mother is expecting a man on my arm at the wedding. If I show up alone, she’ll dismantle the last shreds of my sanity piece by piece. I swallow the lump of fear in my throat and dare myself to look up at the eighth wonder of the world.

Why not invite him?

Ordinarily, I would've just admired him and not say a word. But today I’m desperate as hell. And desperation makes people reckless. I lean across the small divider separating our seats. I force the most charming, confident smile I’ve ever mustered.

“Hi,” I say sweetly, extending my hand toward him. “I'm Elena.”

The man doesn’t move. He doesn’t turn his head either. He just sits perfectly still, his unbuttoned shirt faintly shifting with his deep breaths. Maybe he didn't hear me.

“Hello,” I try again.

He doesn’t even glance at my outstretched hand. He completely dismisses me, staring straight ahead as if I were nothing but an invisible nuisance. My hand hovers in the air for five humiliating seconds before I slowly pull it back. My cheeks burn with humiliation.

Okay. He is a cold, arrogant prick. But no one ignores me like that.

“What’s your problem?” I snap. “You don't have to be a jerk just because you’re extremely good-looking.”

Jesus! Why did I just say that?

He turns to me and my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. I hold my breath as he takes off his sunglasses smoothly, and when my gaze meets his crystal blue eyes, I have a feeling they look hauntingly familiar.

“Have we… have we met?” I ask, lost in his ocean eyes.

He doesn't respond. He just smirks.