His Obsession || Book One

Tears

Days had passed and more and more things of mine were beginning to disappear.

I stormed into Santiago's room to find him on his computer. "Stop taking my stuff Santiago! It's so frustrating!"

He stared back perplexed, "What are you talking about?"

I scoffed throwing my arms in the air, "Oh, please! Just give me my stuff back, dammit!"

He laughed without humor and stood up to me, "I didn't take anything. Stop acting so delusional, Danica. You've just been misplacing your things."

I raised my voice, "I'm not going crazy! My things are going missing."

He inhaled and sighed heavily, "Okay. So, what's "missing" from your room?"

"My pillow, some shirts, underwear and bras. They're all disappearing and it's not Alessandra."

His eyebrows rose when he heard the words underwear and bras. It must've caught him by surprise.

"Are you positive you haven't misplaced them?" Santiago rubbed his temple in distress and closed eyes.

"No. They're nowhere to be found."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Danica. I can't imagine any other reason as to why this is happening." He shrugged returning back to his computer.

I decided to speak my mind, despite my voice trembling, "I don't feel safe, Santiago."

He spun in his chair, "Why? Because the washer machine's eating your clothes?"

I rolled my eyes at his immature joke. "No." I debated in my head whether or not I should tell him about the anonymous phone calls.

Then I remembered that I'd probably just been overreacting. It's was most likely just a glitch in the machine.

"Then...?" He wondered.

I shook my head trying hard to sound nonchalant. "Nothing, never mind."

**

I never found my clothes. And it drove me crazy.

I ended up having to shrug it off due to the fact that there was no reasonable explanations as to why it was happening.

The phone calls continued as well. I wanted to disconnect my phone, but I stopped myself from doing that since that was the only way I got in touch with my mom.

We weren't on the best terms, but we made it work.

I had to explain to her why I've been M.I.A., without getting into details. If anything, she was obviously glad Eric was gone.

"Do you like Noah?" Alessandra interrupted my thoughts.

"Um," I glanced up automatically and scrambled for the words at first. "Yeah he's an amazing person."

She pursed her lips, "Oh, c'mon. You know what I mean."

I smiled slightly, "Honestly... he makes me feels better. He's such a caring person, I'm blessed to have Noah in my life." My smile faded, and Alessandra's brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

I look up, "Nothing, why?"

"You looked sad when you said that."

My eyes immediately dropped to the floor as the memories came flooding in. I tried hard to stop the tears from pouring down my face, but they were too heavy to hold.

"Aw, Danica. Come here, love." She reached in and held me close.

I clung onto her as I let out the tears I'd been holding in for weeks.

"What's bothering you?" Ales asked softly.

I muffled, "I'm trying to move on. But I can't. Everywhere I look, everyone I meet... its all just a constant reminder of what I lost. At the end of the day, I just lie to myself when I say I've moved on... because I haven't."

"What is it about Eric that makes him so... unforgettable?" She pulled away gently.

I sighed in the thought, "After my father died, there was something about Eric that just made me feel safe."

She chuckled, "Safe? Danica, he's a mafia leader."

I nodded, "I know, it sounds crazy. But it was different. He was different. He never thought about hurting me. Eric protected me in a way no one else would've."

She didn't say anything. Instead, her gaze dropped to the floor as she took a step back. "I understand what you're feeling. I've gone through it. When I lost my husband, Rico, my life turned into one consuming, dark hole. It felt as if I couldn't crawl out. But you'll find the light at the end of the tunnel."

"What was your light?"

She took a deep breath. "Letting go."

It made me weak. I couldn't let go. As much as I'd try, my heart wouldn't let me.

Panic arose in me, "I can't. I can't. I cant! You gotta have his number, or an email? Please, let me talk to him, one last time. Just a goodbye? Please! Please! Please, Alessandra!"

Santiago annoyingly couldn't help but stumble across our conversation, giving his unnecessary opinion. "Danica, we don't know where he's at, or what he's doing. He's completely vanished."

My knees were shaking, and my vision was beginning to get gloomy.

His name was on repeat in my head, it drove me into madness.

Eric... Eric... Eric... Eric

"He can be in trouble. The other leaders..." I paced around frantically.

Santiago clasped onto my shoulders to hold me steady, "He can take care of himself, Danica."

But I needed Eric. I could be in danger.

The calls, the missing clothes. Someone's out to get me. I need Eric. I'm vulnerable without him.

I needed to message him, to tell him I'm being stalked. Or worse, a target. Again.

He has to come back. He has to.

"Danica! Snap out of it! He's not here and he won't ever be. Stop throwing a tantrum, you're acting like a child." He mumbled under his breath as he walked away, "Maybe that's why Eric left you."

He whispered it loud, loud enough for both of us to hear.

Alessandra gasped, "Santiago! Shut up! You wouldn't know a thing about love."

Santiago froze in his tracks, his hands balled up in fists. He slowly turned around angrily.

He forced himself to stay quiet, clenching his teeth in the process. As he groaned, he stormed off into his room.

Ales turned to me, "Don't listen to him. Eric left for your safety."

"What if I choose to risk my life to be with him? I want Eric to know that. Could you tell him?" My voice sounded more desperate than ever.

She frowned. "His phone has been disconnected for months. I don't know where he's at."

"Do you think he's okay? I'm worried."

She smiled small, "I'm sure he's alright, Danica. He recovers in isolation and distance. It's a Laven thing."

I let out a breath of relief. "I hope so."

**

I received yet another silent call. This time with an inaudible mumbling. It freaked me out. I didn't know what to do.

A month later, and two more undergarments were gone. I can't sleep here another night.

Something wasn't right.

Something, or someone... was in my room. With my things.