Chapter 9: Followed in the Dark

Juliet stood in the hallway long after Adrian walked away. Her wrist still burned where his fingers had touched her and she could hear his words repeating in her head on loop.

If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.

She pressed her hand to her chest and tried to breathe normally. The ache between her legs hadn’t gone away. It only got stronger every time she remembered the way he looked at her, dark and hungry like he wanted to pull her into the nearest empty room and do everything he promised.

She finally started walking again and her legs felt unsteady. Students passed her, laughing and talking about normal things and none of them knew her heart was racing or that her body was still reacting to a man she wasn’t supposed to want.

Her phone buzzed in her bag. She pulled it out, hoping it wasn’t another threat and when she checked, it was Mia.

“Hey,” Mia said when Juliet answered. “You ran out of class so fast. Is everything okay? You looked weird when Chloe was flirting with Professor Knight.”

Juliet swallowed hard. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Mia’s voice softened. “You keep saying that. I’m worried about you, Jules. After what I saw in your bag yesterday… the costume… I can’t stop thinking about it. If you’re Luna, you can tell me. I won’t judge you.”

Juliet stopped walking near the campus gate and her hand tightened on the phone. “Mia, please. Not right now. I can’t have this conversation over the phone.”

“Then meet me after your last class,” Mia said. “We’ll get coffee. You can explain. Or at least let me help carry whatever is weighing you down. You don’t have to do everything alone.”

Juliet closed her eyes for a second. “I’ll think about it. I have to go. Talk later.”

She hung up before Mia could push more. The lie sat heavy in her stomach again. She hated hiding from her best friend, but telling the truth right now felt impossible.

She kept walking off campus toward the street that led home. The sun was starting to set, and the sidewalks were quieter than usual. Her mind kept drifting back to Adrian in the hallway and the way his thumb had brushed her skin. The way he said her name like it belonged to him.

She wanted him so badly it scared her. The fear and the need mixed together until she felt dizzy. She imagined his hands on her again, this time not stopping at her wrist. Imagined him pushing her against the wall, kissing her hard, telling her she was his.

A car horn honked somewhere behind her but she didn’t turn around. Her phone buzzed again and this time it was a message from an unknown number.

She opened it with shaking fingers and a photo filled the screen.

It was a photo of her walking out of the Literature building earlier today. The same clothes she was wearing right now and the timestamp showed it was taken only twenty minutes ago.

Under the photo, one line of text:

“I see you, Luna. Even when you think you’re safe on campus.”

Juliet stopped walking and her breath caught in her throat. She looked around quickly but the street was almost empty. A few students in the distance, but no one close enough to have taken that picture.

Another message came right after.

“VIP is getting impatient. He wants that private show tonight. Say yes or this photo goes to every student on campus. Along with the video of you dancing.”

Juliet’s legs felt weak. She leaned against a lamppost and tried to steady herself. The roses from last night. The note in her bag. Now this. Someone was following her real life, not just her nights at the club.

She typed back fast. “Leave me alone.”

The reply was instant.

“Wrong answer. See you tonight, little dancer.”

She deleted the messages and kept walking faster. Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her ears. The ache Adrian left in her body was still there, but now it mixed with real fear. She wanted to run back to campus and find him. Tell him everything. Let him wrap her up and make her feel safe.

But she couldn’t and not without destroying both of them.

The street got darker as she turned onto the quieter road that led to her apartment. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and walked faster.

Her phone rang and it was the unknown number again. She almost didn’t answer, but something made her swipe the screen.

“Hello?” she said, voice barely above a whisper.

A man’s voice came through low and rough and it was the same one from the VIP at the club. “Luna. You’ve been ignoring my requests. That’s not very nice.”

Juliet kept walking. “I told you I don’t do private dances.”

“You’ll change your mind,” he said. “I have pictures now. Nice ones. You leaving class. You talking to your little friend Mia. You look good in daylight too.”

Her stomach dropped. “How do you know my real name?”

He laughed softly. “I know a lot more than that. I know where you live. I know your mother’s in the hospital. I know you’ve been spending a lot of time with that professor of yours. Be smart, Luna. Come to the club tonight. Private booth. One hour. Make me happy and all these problems go away.”

Juliet’s voice broke. “I’m not doing it.”

The line went quiet for a second. Then he spoke again, colder this time. “You will. Or tomorrow everyone at Veridian University gets a nice package. Your face. Your real name. Your professor’s name. Everything.”

He hung up.

Juliet stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and tears burned in her eyes, but she blinked them back hard. She couldn’t cry here. Not where someone might see.

She started walking again, faster now. The street was empty. Her apartment building was only two blocks away. She just needed to get inside and lock the door.

Headlights appeared behind her.

She didn’t turn around at first. But the car didn’t pass. It stayed right behind her, moving slow.

Her steps got quicker and the headlights stayed with her. She glanced back once and saw a black car with tinted windows and expensive looking.

The car slowed even more and Juliet’s heart slammed against her ribs, then she started to run.

The car sped up just enough to stay close. She reached the corner near her building. The street was completely empty now. No other people. No other cars.

The black car idled behind her on the empty street and the window rolled down.

“Luna,” a voice called out. “The boss says it’s time for that private show and right now.”