en

ound of loading a gun. Zane heard it, too. His body went rigid, and before I could blink, he was pushing me toward the passenger side, unlocking the door with a swift movement. "Now, Sienna." There was no room for argument in his tone. My pulse thundered as I slid into the car, barely getting the door shut before Zane was behind the wheel, the engine roaring to life. The moment he pulled out of the lot, I found my voice. "Are you following me?" I snapped, my nerves stretched thin. His hands flexed on the steering wheel, his expression carved from stone. "You're welcome." "Answer me, Zane Calloway." His jaw tightened, he let go of the wheel, using the button to steady the drive. Then he turned his head towards me, gazing into my eyes like he was searching for something in them. That set off several alarms in my body and I had to slouch away from him to feel my breath again. He took back the wheels, and I instantly felt at ease without his eyes on me anymore. "I had a feeling you might run into trouble and see I am right." He said with a shrug of his shoulders, I stared at him, disbelief warring with suspicion. "A feeling?" His silence was answer enough. I let out a bitter laugh. "Right. So, walk me through this, you just happened to be a few blocks from my car at the exact moment I needed saving?" His gaze flicked to me, a smirk was visible yet I ignored it, "It wasn't a coincidence." I swallowed hard, my skin prickling. "Then why? Were you watching me, do you watch all your Pas are you that paranoid of your employees?" The car pulled to a stop at a red light, and I could hear my pulse racing. "Answer me!" I yelled through gritted teeth. Zane turned toward me again, his blue eyes seemed unreadable. The space between us felt too small and for a second, I believed he was going to grab my hands and..... "Because someone else is watching you too." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper cutting through my thoughts. The words crashed over me, sending waves of panic inside me. The traffic light turned green, but I barely noticed. My mind was tangled in the weight of his statement. "What?" I forced a swallow past the lump in my throat. "What do you mean?" My voice was quieter now, the sharp edge dulled by something dangerously close to fear. Zane didn't answer immediately. He kept his hands on the wheel, fingers flexing like he was considering how much to tell me. "I need to know, Zane." My breath was shallow. "Do you think I am in danger?" Of course I knew I was, I was merely testing the waters to hear just how much he knew already. His jaw clenched. That was all the confirmation I needed. Heat rushed up my spine as frustration ignited my blood. My hands curled into fists. "And you weren't going to tell me?" His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You do not need to know. Not yet." I let out a hollow laugh. "Not yet?" The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. "Someone was following me, Zane Calloway! You think I wouldn't notice?" His gaze flicked toward me, something unreadable behind his ice-blue stare. "You almost didn't." I sucked in a breath, my skin going cold. He wasn't wrong. I hadn't noticed soon enough. If only I had felt and sensed the stalker before my brain caught up. "I would have handled it," I said. A muscle in his jaw ticked. "I know," Zane replied. The certainty with which he said it made my stomach twist. His gaze flicked back to the road as he turned onto a quieter street, the hum of the city fading into the background. "Who was the stalker back at the