I turned around just before reaching the door to see Tobias heading toward me. He was slightly red in the face, which I recognized as a sign of his agitation about something. I swallowed nervously, thinking about what had transpired between me and Anderson just hours ago in the supply closet. Terrified, I started thinking about security cameras, wondering if any had caught us in the act. I tried to recreate that particular area of the building in my head, trying to recall if there were any surveillance cameras somewhere near it that we’d had the misfortune of overlooking. Neither of us wanted to tell Tobias what was going on between us yet, so the last thing we needed was for him to find out by accident, courtesy of unsuspecting surveillance images.
But Anderson should have known better if that was the case. As long as he’d been working with my brother, he should have known the building inside and out just as much as Tobias. If we had been in danger of being caught by a surveillance camera, certainly he wouldn’t have let us fall into such a trap.
“Yeah,” I said, gripping the handle of my briefcase so tightly that my fist began to ache. I stared into Tobias’s eyes, trying to determine just how upset he was and if it really had anything to do with me.
“How far did you guys go today?” he asked. I raised my eyebrows, taken off guard by the question. Tobias sighed in frustration and snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Come on! I’m working a ton of extra hours here. How are the new set of numbers going? When will you have them done?”
“Oh!” I said, breathing a sigh of relief and having to keep myself from laughing. “They’re coming along well. Should be done in another day or two.”
“Let’s shoot for another day,” Tobias said, already turning on the spot and heading back to his office. “The sooner the better.”
“Got it,” I said. “I’ll work on them some more tonight.”
He briefly glanced backwards, flashing me a thumbs-up.
Relieved, I headed on my way, afraid that if I stuck around any longer, Anderson and I would somehow get exposed.
Once I made it outside, I tightened my jacket around myself against the cool breeze. It was in such contrast to the weather earlier in the week. But that was Chicago for you; every Chicagoan knew it was plausible to experience all four seasons within a single week.
Suddenly, a chill went down my spine that had absolutely nothing to do with the weather. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I froze on the spot defensively.
It felt like someone was watching me.
I looked around the parking lot. Rows of empty cars surrounded me, their windshields each looking like prying eyes. My own eyes darted from one car to the next, looking to find an occupant inside one of them. But I saw no one. Nevertheless, I couldn’t shake the feeling and knew in my gut that someone was there. And judging from the way dread steadily coursed through my system, there was one person in particular standing out in my mind…
No. Don’t be stupid. It can’t be…I thought to myself.
But I knew better than to not trust my gut instincts.
I took a deep breath and reached into my purse for my phone. My first thought was of calling Anderson to ask if he would mind escorting me home. However, I knew there was a chance he was with my brother. With the exception of the brief break Anderson and I had shared together, today had been a busy day for him, and he’d been at Tobias’s side for the majority of it.
My fingers flying across my phone’s screen, I hurriedly called Tobias instead. As I listened to the rings, I scanned the parking lot agai
n, the feeling of being watched growing by the second. Shakily, I walked backwards, heading back to the building in case I needed to dash back inside.
“Yeah?” said Tobias’ voice on the other line.
“Tobias…” I said, my voice quivering in ways I wished it wouldn’t. If I was truly being watched by—I couldn’t even bring myself to think the name—I didn’t want him to hear and see how frightened I was.
Tobias, on the other hand, instantly knew something wasn’t right. “Joanna, where are you? What’s wrong?”
“I’m in the parking lot. I was about to leave, but…I think I’m being followed. Someone is watching me.”
“Okay, relax. Calm down and come back inside. Who’s watching you?”
Without wasting another second, I rushed back into the building, feeling close to hyperventilating. Standing behind the safety of the door, I closed my eyes and rested my hands on my knees, forcing a series of deep breaths to slow my speeding heart. Now that I was no longer out in the open, the feeling of being watched dissipated and my ability to think logically returned. I also was no longer afraid to think his name.
Zander.
He couldn’t have been out there though. He just couldn’t. I had been so sure it was him, but now, the thought seemed preposterous—or at least I hoped it was.
I stood up straight, having successfully gotten my breathing and heart rate back under control. Just as I was about to head farther into the building and up to Tobias’s office, I heard the ding of the elevator around the corner. Mere seconds later, Tobias was rushing down the hall.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I shook my head as he waved me over toward him. We met each other halfway, standing in the middle of the hall. “Uh…never mind. It’s nothing,” I said.
“What do you mean nothing?” Tobias demanded. “Joanna, who’s following you? I know you’ve been holding something back from me. Enough is enough. Tell me what’s going on.”