The room was pitch black except for the green light of the digital clock on the nightstand.

It was three in the morning.

My phone was buzzing on the bedside table, its screen illuminating the dark.

I picked it up, expecting a message from Dante or perhaps Mrs. Patel from the other room.

It was a text from an unknown number.

I unlocked the screen, my eyes straining to read the text in the bright glow.

There was an attachment.

It was a live-stream video link.

I tapped the link with a trembling thumb.

The screen loaded a grainy, night-vision video feed.

It showed the front door of my old apartment building.

A man in a heavy dark jacket was standing in the hallway, looking directly into the security camera.

He took off his baseball cap and grinned.

It was James.

My phone buzzed again with a new text message from the same number.

*I know you’re not there, Sophia. But I know where the boss keeps his favorite things now.*

My breath caught in my throat.