Ayden

1

I turned the lights off, the cozy cafe now dark and desolate, I sighed a content sigh happy with how my life had gotten, I owned a cafe with a bookstore and a flowershop in it, It was pretty famous and it was all I've ever wanted in life.

I walk out, ready to lock up the main door when my foot hits something

Not again.

Annoyed, I sighed and picked it up. It had become a routine to find some new unsettling object—another note, another flower. This time, however, the box was different.

I opened it, a gasp escaped me, and the box fell to the floor.

Inside was a dead rabbit, its blood now dripping onto the cute rug I had so graciously placed at the entrance.

I felt my body start to shake. I needed to stay calm and figure out what to do.

he would know what to do.

With trembling hands, I found his contact and pressed the call button.

---

Xavier

"And that's the intel—" I was cut off by the ringing of my phone. Seeing the late hour and the caller ID, my concern spiked.

"Ayna, what's wrong?" I asked, my voice betraying my worry. The room full of conference attendees tensed at my abrupt tone.

Her words were hurried and jumbled, but My blood boiled nonetheless

"I'll be there," I said, ending the call abruptly.

"Ayden, get your team and come with me."

---

Ayden

"Ayden, get your team and come with me." Xavier's urgency was visible
His rare display of concern made me worry about her—even though I had only met her once before.

She seemed so delicate, almost like a fairy

I shook off my thoughts, signaling Bravo Team 1 to follow me. They were the best of the best on field agents we had

We arrived at the office building, staying alert, and moved quickly to the 6th floor. My heart raced at the thought of seeing her again, but I kept my focus on the task at hand.

As we reached the office, Xavier burst through the door, his body tensed as he took in the scene.

"What the hell?" Knox whispered beside me.

"I'm going to be sick," Caleb muttered, Knox gave him a disapproving look and Kade smacked him lightly. I scanned the room and froze.

"What the hell happened?" Xavier's voice was frantic as he checked her.

She sat on the couch, blood smeared across her rug and skirt.

"It's not my blood. Stop it, Xavier," she said, her voice trembling.

"Don't lie to me. Where are you hurt?" he demanded, pulling her up and turning her around.

"Stop manhandling me. I'm not hurt. It's not my blood."

Relief washed over Xavier's face as he finally stopped his frantic search.

"Whose is it, then?" This question came from me rather than Xavier

She pointed to the box, her gaze avoiding mine as she turned to face the window.

"Fuck," Xavier swore as a dead rabbit fell out of the box.

"Should we call animal control?" Caleb muttered, but the comment was met with silence and a smack from Knox.

"What is this? What's going on, Ayna?" Xavier asked concern evident in his voice.

She walked to the backroom and brought out more boxes, envelopes, and notes.

"Obsessive ex?" I asked, my voice rougher than I intended. She flinched, and I regretted my tone immediately.

"No, I don't think so. I started getting these about two weeks ago. At first, I thought it was just someone I knew playing pranks. But then the notes and gifts got weirder. I thought it would stop when they got bored. But today, this happened. I couldn't find a note. I'm sure there's one in there, but after this, it didn't feel like a joke anymore," she explained, her voice shaking.

"So I called you. I didn't know who else to turn to. I didn't expect you all to come out here, so I apologize for that. It's already late—"

"Shut up," Xavier grumbled, pulling her into a tight hug. He had never had a sister, but Ayna was close enough.

"Yeah, we don't mind. It's not like he was going to let us go home early anyway," Knox said, pointing to Xavier.

Ayna managed a small smile, and both Xavier and I sighed in relief.

"Knox, get me gloves," I said,

Xavier and Caleb began sorting through the old items scattered around the cafe.