Tina was going through her emails when she heard something from outside. She had been finishing up any arrangements that needed to be done because of her small “vacation” of sorts, because of the danger in her life. She and Bette had each taken some time off of work for that very reason – they needed some time to withdraw from their busy lives.

The sound perked her ears, drawing in a breath. After she’d made love to Bette the night before, she had gained a sort of confidence and protection that made her angry instead of scared. She wanted the stalker – Sophia – to leave them alone. She wanted her old life back.

Quietly standing from her chair, Tina listened very carefully to what sounded like the side sliding door into the kitchen. A moment of panic swept through her, but then she closed her laptop and tip toed to the large bedroom window, and opened it just enough to slip through.

The alarm hadn’t gone off, but she knew Bette wasn’t home because they warned each other and called out once they’d entered. Had Sophia somehow learned the alarm code? Tina didn’t know what Sophia had planned to do in there, but whatever it was, Tina would be watching from the outside, looking in.

It was difficult to be silent, but she did finally manage to slip out the window. It was harder than she’d imagined to keep quiet while doing so, but she managed it. She ducked low enough to keep hidden, and waited. She waited and waited as she checked her pockets to find that she’d left her cell phone next to her computer.

“Shit!” she whispered under her breath, resigning to watch from her safe distance – feeling safe that Bette wasn’t due home for another few hours to enter the dangerous area. Tina would simply watch.

Ten minutes after Tina had crawled from her window, she heard something from down the hall. She would have been terrified if she were in the house, but because she felt safely deposited outside, she could watch with rapt fascination. Her fingers were pressed to the bottom of the windowsill. She was holding her breath. What would that woman do?

Eerily, Sophia stood in the doorway – unexpectedly and with a certain calmness that had Tina cringing with disapproval. But Sophia was taken aback herself, because she had clearly felt she would be face-to-face with Tina. Sophia’s lip twitched again, and then her shoulders sank – and was that a knife? Tina’s eyes widened as her eyes settled on the weapon Sophia had in her hand – a knife from a set she and Bette had received as a wedding gift years back.