More Than Friends

Chapter 15: Can't Trust Nobody

Nicole ain't slept a wink that night. The last message had her feelin' like she was on edge, like any minute somethin' bad was gon' happen. She tried to close her eyes, but every time she did, her mind raced back to that text. It's only a matter of time.

By morning, she felt drained, her nerves shot. She rolled outta bed and saw Devin in the kitchen, makin' coffee. His face looked tense, like he ain't get much sleep either.

"You good?" he asked, watchin' her carefully as she sat down at the table.

Nicole rubbed her temples, tryin' to shake the exhaustion off. "I'm just tired, Dev. I don't know how much longer I can deal with this."

Devin nodded, slidin' a cup of coffee her way. "We gon' figure this out, Nic. But we need to stay alert. Whoever this is, they ain't done. They tryna mess with your head."

She knew he was right, but it didn't make her feel any better. She hated the fact that somebody out there was playin' games with her life, and she couldn't even figure out who it was.

"Did the cops say anything?" Nicole asked, takin' a sip of her coffee, her voice a little shaky.

Devin shook his head. "They still lookin', but you know how they are. Ain't no urgency unless somethin' big happens."

Nicole sighed, feelin' even more helpless. She couldn't just sit around and wait for "somethin' big" to happen. She needed to know who was behind this—now.

Later That Day

Nicole met up with Tasha again, this time at Tasha's spot. She needed somebody to talk to who wasn't Devin, somebody who might help her think straight.

"So what we gon' do, girl?" Tasha asked, hand on her hip as she looked Nicole up and down. "We can't keep lettin' this person mess with you."

Nicole sat on the edge of the couch, her mind runnin' a million miles a minute. "I don't know, Tash. I just feel like I'm tryna piece together a puzzle, but I ain't got all the pieces."

Tasha paced the room, thinkin'. "We need to start eliminatin' folks. Whoever this is, they close enough to know your every move. So we gotta look at who's been around you the most."

Nicole nodded, but her stomach turned at the thought. "You really think it's somebody from the crew?"

"I don't wanna think that, but it ain't no other explanation. This ain't random, Nic. It's personal. And somebody who know you real well is pullin' the strings," Tasha said, crossin' her arms.

Nicole's mind went to everybody she knew—coworkers, friends, even some people from her past. But nobody stood out. It didn't make sense.

"Okay, so what's the move?" Nicole asked, tryin' to figure out the next step.

"We gotta watch how everybody move from now on," Tasha said, her eyes sharp. "Somebody gon' slip, and when they do, we'll know."

That Evening

Nicole was back at Devin's place, tryin' to keep it together. She was sittin' on the couch, goin' over everything again in her mind when her phone buzzed. She froze, scared to even look at it, but she knew she had to.

The message was short, but it made her blood run cold: I'm closer than you think.

Her heart pounded, and she showed it to Devin without sayin' a word.

Devin's eyes darkened with anger as he looked at the screen. "This ain't no game. Somebody's playin' with us, and I ain't havin' it."

"What do we do, Dev? This person knows everything. They could be watchin' us right now," Nicole said, her voice tremblin'.

"We ain't gon' sit back and do nothin'," Devin said firmly. "We gon' stay close, and I'm keepin' you safe. But we gotta start diggin' deeper. Somebody slippin', and when they do, we gon' catch 'em."

Nicole nodded, but the fear still gnawed at her. It was like a weight sittin' on her chest, makin' it hard to breathe. Every message felt like the walls were closin' in, and she didn't know how much longer she could take it.

The Next Morning

Nicole couldn't shake the feelin' that somebody was watchin' her. She couldn't even walk down the street without lookin' over her shoulder. She tried to act normal, but it was hard when every step felt like she was bein' followed.

Devin dropped her off at work that morning, tellin' her to text him if anything felt off. Nicole nodded, but the truth was, everything felt off.

She sat at her desk, pretendin' to work, but her mind wasn't on her job. It was on the message. I'm closer than you think.

She looked around the office, eyes dartin' from one coworker to the next. Could it be somebody she worked with? But why? She ain't done nothin' to nobody, at least not that she knew of.

Her phone buzzed again. Her heart dropped as she read the message: You lookin' nervous, Nicole. Relax. I ain't comin' for you... yet.

Nicole's blood ran cold. She felt trapped, like there was nowhere safe, not even at work.

She texted Devin, hands shakin': I got another message. They said they ain't comin' for me... yet.

Devin replied instantly: I'm comin' to get you. Don't leave without me.

Nicole put her phone down, tryin' to stay calm, but it felt impossible. The walls were closin' in, and the fear was gettin' too real.