Living ghost

"Nyx, baby, please just hear me out."

The voice came from behind me while I was locking up the restaurant days later, I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Sven.

I turned slowly, keeping the door at my back. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize." He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, flowers dangling from one. "I know showing up like this is crazy, but you weren't answering my calls or texts. I needed to see you face to face."

"I wasn't answering because I have nothing to say to you."

"But I have things to say to you." He took a step closer and I fought the urge to back into the door.

"I've changed, Nyx. I've been seeing a therapist, working through my issues. I realize now how badly I treated you and I want to make it right."

"How did you even find me?" I asked.

"I have my ways." He smiled like this was charming instead of disturbing. "Anna posted a photo from that café the other day. You were in the background."

The fact that he'd been monitoring my friends' social media made my skin crawl.

"You need to leave, Sven."

"Just give me five minutes to explain everything and show you I've changed."

He moved closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne. "Don't you think I deserve a chance to make things right?"

"No, actually, I don't."

"Nyx, come on." His voice took on that edge I remembered, the one that said his patience was wearing thin.

His expression shifted, the charming mask slipping just slightly. "So that's it? You're just going to throw away everything we had?"

"We didn't have anything. You had control and I had Stockholm syndrome."

"That's not fair."

"Neither was the way you treated me."

"I made mistakes, okay? I admit that." He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, a gesture I recognized as calculated frustration.

"But I can't stop thinking about you. I know I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you walk away, I'll do whatever it takes to win you back."

"She's not interested."Gus's voice cut through the air not so loud but fully dangerous.

I turned to find him standing a few feet away, tools in hand like he'd been working on something nearby but his eyes were fixed on Sven with an intensity that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Sven straightened, sizing up Gus with obvious disdain.

"You again? This is between me and her, baby please." Sven's tone shifted to pleading. "Just think about what you're throwing away."

"You’ve always been good at making me think I was the problem."

I moved away from the door, away from him. "Now get out of my town."

"Your town?" Sven laughed, the sound bitter. "Last I checked, you're back here running your dead mother's restaurant because you have nowhere else to stay. Who's really losing in this scenario?"

Gus moved before I could process what was happening. One second he was standing near his tools, the next he had Sven pressed against the wall, one forearm across his throat.

"I'm going to say this once." Gus's voice was deadly calm.

"You're going to take your flowers and your fake apologies and you're going to leave. If you contact Nyx again, if you so much as think about her, I'll make sure you regret it. Understand?"

Sven's eyes were wide with shock "I understand."

Gus released him and stepped back. Sven straightened his jacket, his charming mask completely gone now, replaced with cold anger.

"This isn't over, Nyx," he said as he dropped the roses on the ground and walked away, The moment he was out of sight, my legs went weak. Gus caught my arm, steadying me.

"I'm okay," I said, even though I wasn't.

"You're shaking."

"I'm fine."

He pulled me to my feet. "Go inside, lock the door, try to get some sleep."

"Gus."

"Tomorrow, Nyx. I promise we'll talk tomorrow."He walked me to the door and waited until I was inside before turning away to go to his room upstairs.

I locked up and went to my room, every step feeling heavier than the last.

Sven showing up had shaken me more than I wanted to admit because I'd worked so hard to escape him and here he was, invading the one place I'd felt safe.

I was getting ready for bed when I heard Gus pacing around upstairs like a caged animal.

My phone buzzed with a text from him asking if I'm okay. I typed back quickly.

Me:Yes. Are you?

Gus:No.

Me: Want to talk about it?

The dots appeared and disappeared several times.

Gus:Not over text.

I was about to give up when I heard his door open, heard his footsteps down the stairs. My heart started racing as I opened my apartment door.

Gus stood in the hallway, looking wrecked. His hair was disheveled like he'd been running his hands through it.

"I need to tell you something," he said.

"Okay."

"About your ex and why I reacted the way I did."

"I'm listening."He stepped inside, and I closed the door behind him. "I recognized something in him," Gus said.

"The way he talked and the tattoos I could see on his wrist."

"What about them?"

"They're symbols certain organizations use to identify their members."

"What kind of organizations? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying your ex isn't just an abusive boyfriend, Nyx. He's connected to people who are dangerous and the fact that he showed up here, in this specific town"

He met my eyes. "That's not a coincidence."

"You think someone sent him?"

"I think you need to be very careful. I think you need to trust me when I say that man is more dangerous than he appears."

He moved toward the door. "Lock your door tonight. Don't open it for anyone except me."

"Gus, wait." I grabbed his arm. "You can't just drop that and leave. You have to explain."

"Tomorrow. I promise I'll explain everything tomorrow."

He was almost to the door when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out, looked at the screen, and I watched all the color drain from his face. He showed me the screen.

It was a photo of us from earlier, me sitting on the bench, him crouched in front of me.

Someone had been watching. Below the photo was a single message.

*She's pretty. It would be a shame if something happened to her.*

My blood went cold but before I could ask him questions, the power went out and the entire building plunged into darkness.

Gus pulled me close, his hand over my mouth.

"Don't make a sound," he whispered against my ear.