Devil's Due [h.s.]

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Harry's news about the security cameras had me paranoid for the majority of the night. Granted, everything else I'd learned about him should have had me paranoid as well, but for some reason, the cameras were my biggest issue. It felt like I couldn't even be comfortable in my own home.

I knew he said that they'd been installed in the hall, but when I went outside after he'd left to check, I couldn't find a thing. I got so caught up in snooping that Martha actually came out at one point and asked if I'd lost something.

I told her my sanity. She laughed, probably thinking that I was joking, but after everything that had happened – I most definitely was not.

The documents that Harry had left behind only became increasingly ominous as time ticked on as well. By the time the morning rolled around, I barely wanted to touch them. Having my photo's all over everything was one thing, but my fingerprints were a whole other.

Though as I was nearly out the door for work, thankful to be able to get out for a while and clear my head, something made me pause in the doorway. A thought crossed my mind – angry and intimidating – reminding me of what I was currently caught up in and I found myself rushing back to scoop all of my new identification into my purse.

All of which ended up staying by my side for the remainder of the week. I brought those stupid documents with me everywhere, worried that on the off chance one of Harry's scary men found me, I'd somehow be able to prove my stolen identity.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway though, considering I was still being stalked. Yes, it was a lovely surprise to walk out of my apartment the morning after Harry left and be greeted again with that stupid, black SUV.

I still couldn't see who was driving it, thanks to the tinted windows, but that didn't stop me from freezing in the parking lot and staring at them as intently as I could, hoping that maybe it would scare them off.

It didn't though. They were fucking everywhere. For the whole next week, every time that I turned around, they were there. At one point on the weekend, I was supposed to go to Olivia's place to meet everyone else and actually ended up asking them all to come to mine. The last thing that I wanted was for them to take note of the scary SUV trailing my every move. There was no way I could explain my way out of that one.

Despite my nerves and the unsettling stalking going on, the days actually passed quite normally, something that I was all too grateful for. I was busying myself as best as I could at the studio, lengthening my painting classes and trying not to be alone, because it was when I was by myself that the crazy overthinking started.

Olivia had been nice enough to come into the studio when I'd asked her to, after making up something about how I hadn't been feeling well and could use the company. It wasn't entirely a lie. Whenever I thought about Harry or what he was involved in, my stomach turned, and I was again pushed to the brink of a panic attack.

Speaking of Harry, I hadn't heard from him since the night he'd left me after the warehouse incident. Every time I showed up at my apartment after work, I always half-expected him to be there, only to feel an unending sense of relief when the place was empty.

As Thursday neared, I was actually beginning to think that he'd forgotten. That maybe he'd been so busy, it had just slipped his mind that I even existed. It was wishful thinking, but a girl could dream, right?

Though the notion didn't put me at ease as much as I thought it would. Mainly because I knew that had he forgotten, a number of other people most likely hadn't. A certain man named Damien to be exact. I figured that if Harry didn't show up, I'd probably end up having to trek my way down to the tattoo parlour and figure out myself what was going on.