CHAPTER 5 — THE WOMAN BEFORE HER
Ariel didn't remember walking back up the stairs.
She didn't remember dropping the file on her desk or sitting down.
All she remembered was the cold weight in her chest—the feeling of eyes on her even now.
Someone had been watching her.
Even before Kade.
Even before the SUV.
So this was never about coincidence.
This was never about a wrong place at the wrong time.
This was planned.
Her fingers clenched the armrests of her chair as she took a shaky breath.
Who was "her"?
And why did the threat feel so… personal?
She wiped her palms against her skirt, forcing herself to steady her breathing. She needed clarity. She needed answers. She needed—
"Ariel."
She jumped.
Kade stood at the entrance of her workspace, face carved from shadow and tension. Even without touching her, his presence filled every inch of air around her.
"Your break is over," he said softly. "Come into my office."
She followed him silently, clutching her badge like a lifeline. The moment the door clicked shut behind them, Kade turned, studying her face.
"You're pale," he said. "What happened?"
"Nothing," she lied.
His jaw tightened.
"Ariel. Lying to me is not an option."
Her throat closed. What could she even say?
I found a file with photos of my life?
Someone has been stalking me long before we met?
Someone mentioned a woman you destroyed?
She swallowed hard.
"I just needed a moment," she said quietly. "That's all."
Kade didn't look convinced, but he didn't push further… for now.
Instead, he walked to his desk and pulled out a thin, sealed envelope.
"For you."
Ariel stared. "What is it?"
"Your employment confidentiality agreement… and your protection pass."
"My what?"
He exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Ariel, I can't force you to stay here. You can walk away if you want. But whether you stay or leave, someone has already targeted you. So I created a security-level badge that keeps the cameras—and the guards—tracking your location."
Her stomach tightened.
"You're… tracking me?"
"Yes."
No shame. No hesitation.
Just fact.
"But why?" she whispered.
Kade met her eyes then—slowly, like he was revealing something dangerous.
"Because I won't let what happened before… happen again."
Ariel froze.
"There was someone else?" she whispered.
Silence.
The air in the room shifted—dense, heavy, full of an ache she didn't recognize in him before.
Kade's voice dropped.
"Yes."
Her pulse raced.
"Who was she?"
He didn't answer immediately.
He moved to the window, staring out at the skyline as though it held memories he'd buried.
"It doesn't matter."
"It does," Ariel said gently. "Because she's the reason someone is threatening me."
Kade turned sharply.
"Ariel—"
"No. Don't protect me from the truth. I need to understand what I'm walking into."
Kade's jaw flexed. His eyes—gray, cold, stormy—softened just slightly.
"She was someone I cared about," he said at last.
Ariel's breath halted.
Care?
Past tense?
"But I failed her," he continued, voice rough. "And someone… someone blames me for her death."
Dead.
The woman was dead.
Ariel's blood chilled.
"And now they think you're trying to replace her."
Ariel stepped back involuntarily.
Replace her?
Why? How?
"Why would anyone think that?" she whispered.
Kade's gaze flicked to her lips—barely perceptible, but enough to make her heartbeat trip.
"Because I saved you," he said quietly. "Because I didn't save her."
Ariel swallowed hard.
"Kade…" She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what to feel.
But before she could speak again—
BANG.
The office door burst open.
Noah stormed in, face hard, tablet in hand.
"Kade, we've got a problem."
"What now?" Kade asked, ice settling back into his tone.
Noah turned the tablet toward him—and Ariel.
It showed a live feed from the security cameras.
From outside the building.
A figure stood across the street.
Hood pulled low.
Backpack on.
Still as stone.
He wasn't looking at the building.
He was looking at Ariel.
Through the camera lens…
straight at her.
Her heart stopped.
"That's him," Noah said. "He's been standing there for forty minutes. He hasn't moved."
Ariel felt her breath slip from her body.
Kade stepped in front of her instinctively—protective, rigid, lethal.
"Get the guards," Kade ordered. "Now."
But Noah shook his head.
"They're already out there. They can't get near him."
Ariel whispered, "Why not?"
Noah zoomed in on the tablet.
The man was holding something.
A small cardboard sign.
On it, written in smeared black ink:
HIS LOVE IS A LIE
YOU WILL DIE LIKE SHE DID
Ariel staggered backward, hand flying to her mouth.
Noah snapped, "Ariel, step away from the window."
Kade didn't let her.
He grabbed her waist and pulled her behind him, shielding her completely.
His voice dropped to a dark, deadly whisper.
"He wants you to see it," Kade said. "But he doesn't get to touch you."
Ariel's eyes burned.
"Why me?" she choked out. "Why is he doing this?"
Kade turned, gripping her shoulders gently but firmly.
"Because you're innocent," he said. "And my enemies thrive on de
stroying innocence."
Her knees weakened.
Kade steadied her.
"You're not alone in this," he whispered.
But even as he said it, Ariel could see something flicker in his eyes—
fear.
Not for himself.
For her.