Chapter 8

Aria didn’t speak after he told her to look, she just stayed there with her hand still on the wheel and her phone pressed lightly against her ear, eyes fixed on the car across the street like if she stared long enough it would turn into something normal, but it didn’t, it stayed exactly the same, engine running, windows dark enough to hide details but not enough to pretend it wasn’t there for a reason, and the longer she looked at it, the clearer it became that this wasn’t random and it definitely wasn’t a coincidence.

“Don’t move yet,” Sebastian said, his voice low and steady like he already expected her to react in a way that would make things worse, but she didn’t answer him, not because she was ignoring him but because her focus was somewhere else now, locked on the small details that didn’t make sense, the way the car wasn’t parked like someone just stopped by, the way it had been running, the way it didn’t shift or leave even after she pulled over.

“How long has it been there,” she asked finally, her voice calm even though her grip on the wheel hadn’t loosened.

“Long enough,” he replied, and that didn’t help, it just made everything sharper.

She leaned back slightly in her seat without taking her eyes off the car, like creating distance would somehow make it easier to think, but it didn’t change anything, it just gave her a second to breathe without breaking focus.

“You said someone asked about me,” she said, “this is connected to that?”

“Yes,” he replied, no hesitation, no second guessing, just a straight answer.

She let that sit for a second, because that meant this wasn’t just someone watching randomly, this was deliberate, planned, and that made the situation different from anything she had been dealing with before.

“Do they know I’m here,” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said, and for the first time since the call started, there was something slightly off in his tone, not uncertainty exactly, but something close to it.

That didn’t sit right.

Because if he didn’t know, then that meant this wasn’t something he fully controlled, and that made it worse.

“What do I do,” she asked, and she didn’t think too much about the question before saying it, because right now she needed information more than control.

“Stay where you are,” he said immediately, like he had already decided that part before she even asked.

“I’m not staying here,” she replied, because that didn’t make sense, not when someone was already watching her.

“If you move now, they’ll follow,” he said.

She didn’t respond to that, but her eyes shifted slightly back to the car, because that was the problem, if they were already watching, then moving too soon would only make it obvious that she knew.

“And if I stay,” she said.

“They wait,” he replied.

She let out a slow breath, because neither option sounded good, and that meant she needed a third one.

Her eyes moved quickly around the area, not turning her head fully, just enough to take in what was around her, the other cars passing, the small shop at the corner, the people walking like nothing was wrong, like this wasn’t happening right in the middle of everything.

“How far are you,” she asked.

“Close,” he said again.

“That doesn’t answer anything,” she replied.

“It will in a minute,” he said.

She didn’t like that answer either, but at this point she didn’t have many options, so she stayed where she was, not moving, not reacting, just watching, because the only thing worse than being watched was making it obvious that you knew.

Seconds passed, minutes, then more.. nothing changed.

The car stayed there, the figure inside barely visible, not moving enough to notice clearly, but not still enough to ignore either.

“You see them,” Sebastian said after a moment.

“Yes,” she replied.

“They haven’t moved,” he added.

“Neither have I,” she said.

“That’s good,” he replied.

She didn’t respond to that, because this wasn’t something she could measure as good or bad, it just was, and she needed it to change.

Her phone shifted slightly in her hand as she adjusted her grip, not taking her eyes off the car for even a second, because the moment she looked away might be the moment something changed.

Then it did.

The driver side door opened slightly, not fully, but just enough.

Aria’s focus sharpened immediately, her body going still without her thinking about it, because that small movement meant everything else was about to follow.

“Something’s happening,” she said quietly.

“I see it,” Sebastian replied.

The door didn’t open further, but the figure inside shifted, enough for her to catch a clearer outline this time, and even though she still couldn’t see the face, she knew one thing immediately.

It wasn’t random.

Because the way they moved wasn’t hesitant, it wasn’t unsure, it was controlled.

“Don’t react,” Sebastian said.

“I’m not,” she replied, even though her fingers had tightened again on the wheel.

The door closed again, slowly, like nothing happened, but something had, because now they knew she was watching, and she knew they knew.

“That changes things,” Sebastian said.

“How,” she asked.

“They’re not just waiting anymore,” he replied.

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed against her ear, not from the call, but another message coming through.

She didn’t need to check who it was, but she did anyway.

Her screen lit up.

Unknown number.

Her breath didn’t change, her expression didn’t shift, but her attention moved completely now.

“Read it,” Sebastian said.

She opened it.

One line. Simple and clear.

"We see you too.

She didn’t speak, she didn’t move, just stared at it for a second longer than she should have.

“Aria,” Sebastian said, his voice sharper now, like he already knew what it said without her telling him.

“They know,” she said quietly.

There was a pause, short, then...

“Listen to me carefully,” he said, and this time there was no calm in his tone, no distance, just focus, “when I say go, you drive, no hesitation, no second guessing, just go.”

She didn’t ask why, she didn’t question it, because at this point, she didn’t need to.

“Okay,” she said.

Her eyes went back to the car, the engine was still running, the figure inside hadn’t stepped out, but something about it felt different now.

Closer.

Like the moment had already started moving forward whether she was ready or not.

“Get ready,” Sebastian said.

Her hand shifted slightly on the wheel, her foot moved to the pedal, her eyes stayed locked ahead.

Waiting.

Then..

“Now.”

She didn’t think, she didn’t hesitate, she drove.

Fast as she can, straight into the road without looking back,... the car behind her started moving immediately, and that was when she knew.

This wasn’t just someone watching.

They were following.