He was comparing.
The man in front of him was shorter. Narrower shoulders. Completely different build. And his face, even in fear, even in shadow, did not match.
Leo’s mory pulled up the photo Bella had sent. The hooded figure outside the lounge. The stance. The angle of the head. The way he had stood, still and patient, watching.
This man could not have stood like that. His posture was wrong. His proportions were wrong.
And the photo.
The photo Bella had taken from the security feed showed the figure positioned at a specific angle to the window. A specific distance. If this man had been the one standing there, the height would have looked different. The perspective would have been off.
It was not him.
Leo’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
Because sowhere in the dark, the real watcher was still out there.
This man was a photographer. A creep. A predator of a different kind.
But he was not the one who had stood in the dark and stared at Bella through the glass.
Which ant soone else had been watching tonight.
Soone else had stood in those trees, hood pulled low, face hidden, while this fool snapped his pictures from a different angle.
Soone else had vanished without a trace while Leo’s n swept the periter.
Soone else was still out there.
Leo’s jaw tightened. His hands remained still at his sides. His expression showed nothing.
But inside, sothing cold and lethal began to coil.
The photographer was still babbling, still pleading, still utterly unaware that his confession ant nothing compared to the real threat.
Leo looked at him one last ti.
Then he turned and walked out of the shed without a word.
His n exchanged confused glances. One of them followed quickly.
"Boss? What do we do with him?"
Leo did not slow. "He’s not our target. Get the information. Nas, clients, everything. Then hand him over to local authorities. Let them deal with the stalking charges."
"And the real one?"
Leo stopped.
For a mont, he simply stood there, silhouetted against the dark trees, the mountain wind moving through his hair.
"He’s still out there," Leo said quietly. "And he knows we’re looking."
He pulled out his phone and typed a new ssage to Bella.
Be careful. It wasn’t him. There’s soone else.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
The party had finally wound down, the last of the won drifting out of the lounge in small groups, their laughter echoing softly in the mountain night. Hazel had been the last to leave, hugged Bella tightly, and disappeared into her own car with Rika.
Bella stepped outside, the cool air hitting her warm cheeks, her heels clicking against the stone path.
And there he was.
Leo leaned against the car, arms crossed, his dark silhouette unmistakable against the low glow of the parking lot lights. He had been waiting. Probably for a while. His gray eyes found her the mont she appeared, and sothing in them softened, just slightly, just for her.
She did not hesitate.
Bella walked straight into his arms, wrapping herself around him, burying her face in his chest. His arms ca up imdiately, pulling her close, one hand cradling the back of her head.
"You okay?" he murmured against her hair.
Bella froze.
Then pulled back just enough to look up at him, her brown eyes wide.
"You called love," she whispered, as if she had just realized it fully.
A deep pink flush spread across her cheeks, visible even in the dim light.
Leo’s lips twitched. "What? I can’t call my wife love?"
"You’ve never," she said softly, still blushing. "You’ve never called that before."
"There’s a first ti for everything."
She stared at him, heart hamring, the cold night air forgotten. "Leo..."
He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing gently over her cheekbones. His gray eyes held hers, warm despite the darkness around them.
"You must have been scared tonight," he said quietly. "I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner."
"I’m okay," she whispered. "You ca."
"Always."
He leaned in and kissed her.
Soft at first, just a brush of lips, a question. Then deeper, warr, his mouth moving against hers like he was morizing the feel of her. One hand slid into her hair, tilting her head gently, while the other stayed warm against her cheek.
Bella lted into him, her fingers gripping his jacket, the world fading away until there was only him, his warmth, his scent, the steady beat of his heart against her chest.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing a little harder, Leo rested his forehead against hers.
"My n are still searching," he murmured. "We’ll find whoever was out there. I won’t let anyone near you."
Bella nodded, her eyes still closed, still lost in him.
"I know," she whispered.
He kissed her forehead. Then opened the car door.
"Co on, love. Let’s go."
She slid inside, still flushed, still smiling.
Leo walked around to the driver’s side, his gaze sweeping the tree line one last ti before he joined her.
The mountain night held its breath.
"You’re driving today?" Bella asked softly as he opened the driver’s side door instead of sliding into the back.
Leo glanced at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly. "I feel like it."
She studied him for a mont, the relaxed set of his shoulders, the way the low light caught the sharp lines of his jaw. He looked calm. In control. But she knew him well enough now to see the subtle alertness beneath the surface, the way his eyes kept sweeping the darkness beyond the parking lot.
"Okay," she said softly.
The car humd to life, warm air replacing the mountain chill. Leo pulled away from the lounge smoothly, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the console between them.
The road curved through the trees, dark and quiet, only the headlights cutting through the night.
"How did you know soone was watching you?" Leo asked, his voice calm but edged with sothing harder beneath it.
Bella turned to look at his profile. "A girl nad Lyra told ."
Leo’s brow furrowed slightly. "Lyra?"
"She’s young. Maybe sixteen. She ca with her sister." Bella paused, rembering the serious dark eyes, the steady voice. "She noticed him first. Twenty minutes before anyone else. She ca over and warned without causing a scene."
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