Chapter 13: Counter-Strike

Detective Santos looked older than he was the day before, with severe wrinkles around his eyes from fatigue. The coffee spill on his shirt and the stack of documents on his desk suggested he'd been working on Derek's case all day.

"The phone call changes things," he remarked after hearing their story. "Direct threats, specific timeline, personal surveillance……….we can move forward with formal charges."

"What kind of charges?" Grace asked.

"Illegal harassment, stalking, and threat with the intent to coerce." "The issue is getting him to court before your deadline expires."

Max leaned forward in his chair. "You think he'll follow through?"

"Derek Voss served eight years in maximum security. In his viewpoint, backing down from a proclaimed threat results in irreversible credibility loss. "Yes, he will follow through."

The conviction in Santos' voice made Grace's gut tighten. She'd thought the detective would provide some reassurance, some proof that Derek was just bluster. Instead, he confirmed their darkest worries.

"We need more than reactive measures," Grace told me. "What can we do proactively?"

Santos looked at her with intrigue. "Most people in your circumstances want to learn about protection programs and relocation aid. "You're asking about offense."

"Because defense hasn't worked so far."

"Fair point." Santos removed a file from his stack. "Derek has been busy since his discharge. We've linked him to at least three previous harassment campaigns targeting former colleagues. His approach is to escalate until he achieves acquiescence or moves on to easier targets.

"What made the others comply?" Max asked.

"The majority of dangers are family-related. Parent, sibling, and child. People have vulnerabilities that he could exploit. Santos paused thoughtfully. "You two don't fit his usual victim profile."

"How so?"

"No children, few family links he can track, steady employment, and resources for security precautions. Most critically, neither of you has a criminal background that he can use."

Grace sensed a spark of hope. "So we're harder targets than he's used to?"

"Considerably. Which means he'll either give up faster or escalate more dramatically."

"Helpful," Max muttered.

Santos continued reading from the file. "His previous victims all had something concrete he wanted…….money, information, connections. With Max, his demands are vague. 

"'Help establish new operations' could mean anything."

"Maybe that's the key," Grace suggested hesitantly. "He is fishing." He understands Max has abilities and connections in the restaurant industry, but he doesn't have a clear strategy."

"That's actually worse," Santos cautioned. "Desperate criminals with vague goals make dangerous decisions."

Before anyone could reply, Grace's phone rang. Elena's name displayed on screen.

"I should take this," Grace remarked, entering the corridor.

"Grace, thank God." Elena's voice was tense and panicked. "Someone broke into your apartment."

Ice flooded Grace's veins. "What? When?"

“About an hour ago. When I returned to get my laptop, I noticed your door was open. I phoned the police right away, however..."

"But what?"

"They did not take anything. They merely organized everything. Your clothing is strewn out on the bed as if you were playing dress-up. Your laptop was transferred to the kitchen table and connected to your social media accounts. "It is psychological warfare."

Grace closed her eyes, fighting off nausea. Derek had not only breached their physical space; he had made it personal, intimate, and frightening.

"Are you safe?" Grace asked.

"I'm with the responding officers now. "They're treating it as part of your harassment case."

"We'll be right there."

Grace returned to Santos' office, walking to hold her composure while relaying Elena's story.

"Son of a bitch," Max grumbled, squeezing his fists. "He was inside our bedroom. He touched her belongings.

"This is good news," Santos declared, dismissing Max's outrage.

"How is this possibly good news?" Grace demanded.

"He made a mistake. Breaking and entering leaves behind evidence such as fingerprints, DNA, and security footage from surrounding buildings. Plus, he escalated to property crime, giving us greater legal leverage."

"He violated our home," Grace said, her voice shaking with anger she didn't recognize in herself.

"Yes. We can now arrest him for it."

Twenty minutes later, they stood in their apartment doorway, staring at Derek's handiwork. The violation was worse than Elena had described. He'd gone through their personal belongings with meticulous care, leaving everything technically undamaged but fundamentally contaminated.

Grace's favorite sweater was draped across the bathroom mirror. Max's culinary knives were set in exact patterns on the kitchen counter. Photographs of them together were spread around the coffee table, some with minor changes…... .faces highlighted in red pen, dates scrawled in an unknown handwriting.

"He spent hours here," the crime scene technician stated. "This level of staging takes time and planning."

"How did he get past the new security system?" Max questioned Marcus, who had arrived within minutes of their call.

"He didn't trigger it because he never actually left the building from yesterday's installation," Marcus responded with a sigh. "I found evidence that he was hiding in the basement utility room." He waited until we finished, then exploited maintenance access to get to your floor."

The understanding struck Grace like a physical punch. While they were congratulating themselves on their better security, Derek was lurking twenty feet below them, waiting for his chance.

"We're moving you to a hotel right away," Marcus added. "This location is compromised."

"No." Grace's statement surprised everyone, including herself.

"Grace, he was in our home," Max stated softly. "We can't stay here."

"We cannot keep fleeing. Every time we recede, he advances. Every time we display weakness, Satan gains strength."

"This isn't weakness……."

"Yes, it is." Grace approached the kitchen table, where Derek had placed her laptop, its screen still displaying her F******k profile.

Look at this. He's studying us, understanding our habits, relationships, and vulnerabilities. He

knows Elena's schedule, the timescale for our security installation, and most likely our work routines as well."

"All the more reason to disappear for a while," Santos said.

"Or all the more reason to turn his surveillance against him." Grace peered around the room, seeing things through new eyes. "He believes he knows us now. "He believes he knows how we'll react."

"What are you suggesting?" Max inquired warily.

"I'm suggesting we give him exactly what he expects, right up until we don't."

Santos leaned forward with eagerness. "Explain."

"Derek's entire technique is based on psychological pressure. He wants us terrified, lonely, and reacting. So we pretend to be just that while gathering information on him."

"That's incredibly dangerous," Marcus warned.

"More dangerous than waiting around for his next escalation?"

Grace checked her laptop's internet history, noting the websites Derek had visited while using it. He'd been collecting dating profiles, social media accounts, and online buying data to get a complete picture of their lives.

"He thinks he's invisible," she said. "However, surveillance works both ways. If he is observing us, we can see him watching us."

"You want to spy on Derek Voss," Santos replied slowly.

"I want to collect evidence against Derek Voss while appearing to comply with his psychological manipulation."

Max stared at her. "Who are you and what did you do with my lover?"

"Your girlfriend got tired of being a victim."

The room grew silent as everyone considered Grace's idea. It was daring, hazardous, and against every item of professional advice they had received.

"It could work," Santos finally said. "With proper support and coordination."

"It could get you both killed," Marcus responded.

"So I could do nothing," Grace said. "At least this way, we're fighting back."

As they debated the advantages and perils of her approach, Grace felt something moving inside her…….a fundamental change in how she understood herself and their predicament. The old Grace was reactive, cautious, and constantly looked for the safest path forward.

The new Grace was prepared to hunt.

Derek Voss had no idea what was waiting for him.