Chapter 2 - The Man Who Knew Her Secret
Harper barely slept.
At 6:30 the next morning, she was still sitting on her couch, staring at the locked door.
Dominic Russo knew her fake name.
That meant one of two things.
Either he was very observant.
Or he had investigated her.
Neither option made her comfortable.
At 7:15, Harper called the building manager.
"Hi, I have a question about my neighbor."
The manager hesitated.
"Apartment 4A?"
Harper frowned.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Is there a problem?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."
The manager lowered his voice.
"Ms. Collins, Mr. Russo has lived here for six months."
"Do people know him?"
Another pause.
"People know of him."
That answer bothered her more.
"What does that mean?"
The manager sighed.
"It means nobody bothers him."
---
That evening, Harper returned home after another exhausting shift.
The hallway was quiet.
Too quiet.
She unlocked her door.
Then stopped.
Something was wrong.
Her apartment looked exactly the same.
Nothing was missing.
Nothing moved.
But someone had been inside.
A nurse learns to notice small things.
A chair angled differently.
A curtain moved slightly.
A picture frame turned two degrees.
Harper slowly reached for her phone.
Then a voice came from behind her.
"You should not enter a room if you believe someone has already been inside."
Harper spun around.
Dominic stood near apartment 4A.
Her heart jumped.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough."
"Did you go inside my apartment?"
"No."
The answer was immediate.
She believed him.
She hated that she believed him.
"Then how do you know?"
Dominic looked at her door.
"Your lock has scratches."
Harper stared.
"What?"
"Someone tried to pick it."
Her face changed.
"Who?"
Dominic didn't answer.
"Dominic."
His eyes met hers.
And for the first time, Harper saw something beneath the control.
Concern.
Real concern.
"You need to leave this building."
Her stomach tightened.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I just moved here."
"I know."
The words hit harder than she expected.
"You know everything about me, don't you?"
Silence.
Then Dominic said:
"No."
Harper laughed once.
A humorless sound.
"That is a terrible lie."
Dominic stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Careful.
"Harper Bennett."
The hallway went silent.
Her entire body froze.
Nobody had said that name in eleven months.
Nobody.
"Don't call me that."
His expression changed slightly.
"I know why you changed your name."
Harper stared at him.
"Who are you?"
Before Dominic could answer, her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She looked at the screen.
And all the color disappeared from her face.
Dominic noticed.
"Who is it?"
She didn't answer.
The phone continued ringing.
Finally, Dominic spoke quietly.
"Harper."
She looked at him.
"Don't answer."
Her eyes widened.
"Why?"
Because for the first time since she met him, Dominic Russo looked genuinely dangerous.
"Because whoever is calling you already knows where you are."
The phone stopped.
Three seconds later—
A message appeared.
Harper opened it.
One sentence.
One name.
I found you. — Brandon
Her hands started shaking.
Dominic read her expression.
He didn't need to see the message.
He already knew.
"Your ex."
Harper looked at him.
"How do you know?"
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Because Brandon Hale has been looking for you."
A cold silence filled the hallway.
"Why would you know that?"
Dominic looked toward the elevator.
Then back at her.
"Because he asked the wrong people for help."
Harper swallowed.
"And those people were you?"
"No."
A pause.
"They were afraid of me."
For the first time in eleven months, Harper felt something strange.
Not safety.
Not yet.
But maybe...
A chance.
Because Brandon Hale had spent years making people afraid of him.
May you like
And now, for the first time—
Someone was making Brandon afraid.
