My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 187: Tessa Is In Trouble

Catherine’s POV

The sound of the door of Julian’s room cracking open made my hair stand. I couldn’t let him see me, so I didn’t wait to see how far the door would open. I turned on my heel and ducked back into my room, pulling my door shut until only a tiny, sliver-sized gap remained. My heart was thumping so loud against my ribs that I was sure that if vampires existed and he was one, he would hear it from the hallway.

I pressed my face against the wood, peering through the opening. Julian stepped out of his room. He didn’t look like the stupid, smug man who had cornered me in the lecture hall earlier. He looked wrecked. His hair was a mess, his shirt was rumpled, and he kept rubbing his face with his palms as if he was trying to scrub something off his skin. He stood there for a moment, staring at nothing, looking completely frustrated and disheveled.

I held my breath, praying he wouldn’t turn his head and see me watching. If he came to my door now, I didn’t have the energy to fight him off or play the devoted fiancée to a man who wasn’t here.

Luckily, he didn’t look toward my room. Instead, he turned the opposite way and marched toward Gabriel’s door. He didn’t bother with a light knock; instead, he hammered his fist against the wood twice and waited. A second later, the door opened, and Julian vanished inside.

The moment the door shut behind him, my legs moved. I bolted out of my room, my feet moving lightly on the floor. After I passed Gabriel’s door, I practically flew down the stairs. I needed food, but more than that, I needed to make sure I wasn’t trapped with him again. I reached the kitchen, my hands shaking as I grabbed a bowl and some cereal. I didn’t care about a proper meal. I just dumped some oats into a bowl, splashed some milk over them, and hurried back upstairs like a thief in the night.

I made it back to my room and locked the door, leaning against it while I took my first spoon of food. My stomach was in knots, but I forced myself to eat. Halfway through the bowl, my phone began to vibrate on the bed. I stretched my hand and grabbed it.

The caller ID was that of Tessa. We hardly talked via phone calls, so I was a bit surprised to see she was the one calling.

I swiped the screen immediately. "Hey Tess? Feels weird that you are calling me. Everything okay?"

She was breathing hard and answered about three seconds after. "Catherine," she whispered. Her voice was thin, vibrating with a terror I had never heard from her before. "Catherine, someone is following me."

I dropped my spoon. It hit the bowl with a loud clatter. "What? How? Sorry... Where are you?"

"I’m on my bike... no, I just got off. I thought I was being paranoid, but there’s a black car. It’s been behind my bike for four stops, and now it’s just idling at the curb near the park. Two men are inside. I think... I think it’s Lucy that sent them."

"Are you sure? What if it’s just a coincidence?" I asked, hoping this was the case.

Her voice cracked. "That’s not it. I faked four stops and they also stopped all through. They are after me. I tried calling Ethan but his number isn’t going through. I’m so scared."

"Tessa, listen to me," I said, my voice rising as panic flared in my chest. I thought about the baby, about Lucy’s threat in the courtyard earlier. A pound of flesh. "Share your location with me right now and find a place to hide or a crowded area if you can. I’m coming to you."

"There’s no one here. It’s getting dark. I’m currently hiding but I can feel them getting close."

"Enough. Don’t say another word. Just send the location. I’m coming to get you. Right now."

The map popped up on my screen a second later. She was near the old outskirts, a place that was mostly deserted this time of day. I threw on my shoes, my mind racing through a dozen horrific scenarios. Lucy was vengeful, but I didn’t think she was capable of kidnapping... Then again, I didn’t know the limits of a mad woman fighting for a man who didn’t care about her.

I stormed out of my room and ran straight to Lucy’s door. I didn’t knock; I turned the handle. It was locked. I banged on it. "Lucy! Open this door!"

There was no reply. I tried the handle again, then looked down the hall toward the driveway through the window. The car Richard gave us wasn’t there, meaning that she wasn’t in the house.

"Damn it," I hissed. If she wasn’t here, she was out there, and Tessa was the target.

I needed a car, and I needed someone who could actually fight if things got ugly. Dante was too far away. I turned toward Julian’s room, but the door was still open and the room was empty. Then I remembered he entered Gabriel’s room.

I didn’t pause to think about a lie to give Gabriel if he started to ask those of his annoying questions. I just ran to his room and threw the door open without a single thought for privacy or decorum.

"Julian!" I shouted.

Inside, Julian and Gabriel were sitting near the window, mid-conversation. Both of them jumped, their heads snapping toward me in complete fright. Gabriel looked stunned, his mouth slightly open, while Julian stood up immediately, his eyes scanning me for injuries.

"Catherine? What is the—" Gabriel started. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

I ignored him entirely and marched over to Julian, grabbing his hand, my fingers digging into his skin. "I need your help now. We have to leave here."

I started dragging him toward the door. Julian didn’t resist; he moved with me, his expression shifting from confusion to grim alertness.

"Wait a minute," Gabriel said, stepping into our path. He looked insulted, his eyes darting between my hand on Julian’s arm and my panicked face. "What’s the problem? Why are you barging in here and only talking to him? What’s going on?"

"Not now, Gabriel. Please," I snapped, trying to pull Julian around him. "We don’t have time for this."

Gabriel’s face hardened. He didn’t move. "Stop fucking shoving me aside, Catherine. I’m standing right here. I can be useful too. If there’s a problem, why don’t you just involve me? Why do you guys never tell me anything?"

I didn’t even look at him. My eyes were on my phone, watching Tessa’s GPS dot move slowly. "I said not now!"

Julian put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, pushing him back gently but firmly. "Hey. Calm down, Gabe. Just let it go for now. I’ll talk to you when I get back."

Gabriel looked like he wanted to hit something. He watched us leave, his jaw tight and his eyes full of a bitter pride. I knew I had handled it wrong. I knew I had made him feel like he was unhelpful in his own house, but I couldn’t care about that now, not when Tessa was out there alone.