For the first time in weeks, Vinny left the apartment alone.
Well.
Technically alone.
Griffin stood by the front door adjusting the collar of Vinny's jacket for the third time.
"You have your phone?"
"Yes."
"Charged?"
"Yes."
"Portable charger?"
"Griffin."
"What?"
Vinny laughed despite himself.
"You asked me that already."
Griffin looked completely unapologetic.
"And?"
"And I answered."
"Good."
Vinny shook his head.
Something about the exchange felt normal.
Comforting, even.
Yet another part of him found it strange.
The way Griffin worried.
The way Griffin checked.
The way Griffin always seemed reluctant to let him out of sight.
Still.
Today was different.
Madam Grace had insisted Vinny stop by the shop.
Apparently a delivery had arrived incorrectly and she wanted his opinion.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing dangerous.
Just work.
Normal work.
At least that was the excuse.
…
Across town, Shane lowered her binoculars.
"He's leaving."
Finn immediately looked up.
"Alone?"
"Looks like it."
Liz nearly dropped her coffee.
"Alone?"
Even Shane looked surprised.
That almost never happened anymore.
For months Griffin had found reasons to accompany Vinny nearly everywhere.
Now suddenly he was letting him leave by himself.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"Stay on him," Shane ordered.
Finn nodded.
Already gathering her things.
…
Meanwhile, Griffin remained standing by the apartment window long after Vinny disappeared from sight.
His expression was unreadable.
His phone vibrated.
West.
Again.
The message contained a single photograph.
Vinny walking down the street.
Taken less than a minute ago.
Griffin's jaw tightened.
Another message arrived.
Do you miss him already?
For several seconds Griffin simply stared.
Then he locked the screen.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Deliberately.
The calmness was more frightening than anger.
…
Vinny arrived at the shop twenty minutes later.
The familiar scent of herbs immediately relaxed him.
Madam Grace smiled warmly.
"There he is."
"Morning."
"You look healthier."
Vinny laughed.
"Thanks?"
"It wasn't a compliment."
"Wow."
Madam Grace cackled.
The interaction felt normal.
Comforting.
Safe.
For the first time in weeks, Vinny felt almost like himself again.
Almost.
Then the bell above the door rang.
A customer entered.
Vinny froze.
The man looked vaguely familiar.
Tall.
Dark hair.
Glasses.
Nothing unusual.
Yet something about him felt wrong.
The stranger smiled politely.
Then looked directly at Vinny.
Not the way customers normally looked at employees.
Something else.
Something deeper.
Like recognition.
The feeling lasted only a second.
Then it vanished.
The man turned away.
Browsing shelves.
Acting normal.
Vinny convinced himself he was imagining things.
…
Outside the shop, Finn sat inside an unmarked car.
Camera ready.
Observing.
Recording.
Waiting.
Her phone buzzed.
Shane.
Everything normal?
Finn glanced toward the shop.
For the most part.
Then she noticed something.
A man across the street.
Watching.
Not the shop.
Not traffic.
Vinny.
Finn straightened immediately.
The man wore sunglasses and a baseball cap.
Impossible to identify clearly.
But his attention never moved.
Not once.
"Shit."
She immediately grabbed her camera.
Taking several photographs.
The moment the shutter clicked, the stranger turned.
Looked directly toward her vehicle.
And smiled.
Then walked away.
Finn's stomach dropped.
Because he knew.
He absolutely knew.
That had been intentional.
…
Later that afternoon, Liz met Evelyn again.
This time neither bothered pretending the conversation was casual.
The investigation had progressed too far.
"He let Vinny leave alone today."
Evelyn nearly spilled her tea.
"What?"
Liz nodded.
"I know."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't."
Evelyn looked genuinely unsettled.
"Griffin doesn't do that."
The certainty in her voice caught Liz's attention.
"What do you mean?"
Evelyn hesitated.
Then sighed.
"When Griffin becomes attached to something…"
She stopped.
Corrected herself.
"Someone."
Liz remained silent.
Waiting.
Evelyn continued.
"He gets nervous when they're out of sight."
That matched everything Shane had observed.
Everything.
"Then why let Vinny go?"
Evelyn looked troubled.
"Because he's planning something."
A chill ran down Liz's spine.
"What kind of something?"
"I don't know."
And somehow that answer was worse.
…
That evening Vinny returned home.
The moment he stepped through the door, Griffin wrapped his arms around him.
Tightly.
Almost desperately.
The intensity startled him.
"Everything okay?"
Griffin buried his face against Vinny's neck.
For several seconds he didn't answer.
Then finally:
"Did anything unusual happen today?"
Vinny blinked.
"No."
A lie.
Not intentional.
He had already forgotten about the strange customer.
The weird feeling.
The man watching him.
All of it.
Because none of it seemed important.
Unfortunately.
It was important.
Very important.
Griffin studied his face.
Searching.
Analyzing.
Then slowly relaxed.
"Good."
Vinny smiled.
"You worry too much."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Immediately Griffin froze.
Only briefly.
But long enough.
Long enough for Vinny to notice.
The exact same phrase.
You think too much.
You worry too much.
Something about the symmetry felt strange.
Griffin laughed softly.
"Maybe."
Then he kissed Vinny's forehead.
Gentle.
Loving.
Possessive.
And just a little unsettling.
…
Later that night, West sat alone in darkness.
A dozen photographs covered his desk.
Recent photographs.
Old photographs.
Evidence.
History.
Patterns.
Obsessions.
And at the center of all of it sat a single picture.
Vinny.
West studied it quietly.
Then picked up another photograph.
Griffin.
Years younger.
Watching from a distance.
The same look in his eyes.
The same fixation.
The same obsession.
For years.
West smiled.
Because tomorrow he intended to make his first real move.
And when he did, everything would change.
Including Vinny.