Always Watching
Chapter 4
Lita took a sip of the water before her, surveying the dance floor with her eyes. 'One of them out there could be my stalker,' she thought, and turned her eyes to the group of friends who surrounded her. 'One of my friends could be my stalker.' The thought was not a settling one, and Lita pushed it away. She took note of each of the people around her: Chris Benoit, Edge, Christian, Chris Jericho, Stacy, Rob Van Dam and Shane Helms. By some unspoken agreement, no one mentioned anything about Lita's predicament.
"All right, Red, you're just too quiet for your own good," Chris Jericho declared suddenly, looking at the redhead next to him on his right. "C'mon," he insisted, grasping her hand and pulling her out of the large booth.
"Chris!" she protested as she followed him to avoid being dragged.
He stopped in the middle of the dance floor, and tapped her on the nose, "C'mon Li, let's turn that frown upside down," he told her, grinning widely. Lita rolled her eyes at his childishness, but nonetheless started to dance with him.
Chris Benoit looked at his two friends on the dance floor, smiling slightly as he took a small sip of beer. He was glad that, after Jeff Hardy had left the WWE, Chris Jericho had slowly become Lita's best friend. Jericho was there for her when Jeff couldn't be—and Benoit was noticing that it was becoming more and more. He wondered if he should have a talk with the younger Hardy, but decided against it.
"Hello? Hello? Sorry, I can't hear you... Can I call you back in just a second?" Next to him, Edge tried to communicate on his cell phone. Chris stood and let Edge out of the booth as the blonde Canadian hung up the phone. "I'll be back in ten," Edge told Benoit, and disappeared through the throngs of people by the door. Chris leaned back, taking another sip of his beer, and struck up a conversation with Rob Van Dam.
Lita smiled at Chris Jericho, stepping away from him as the chords of 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You" faded away. Chris opened his mouth to say something, but the shrill ringing of Lita's cell phone cut him off. With a guilty smile, the redhead flipped it open. Jericho looked at her, satisfied that her spirits had been lifted for the moment.
"Hello?" she said into the phone, her tone light and airy.
"Hello, Lita," the voice was smooth and slow.
"Who's this?" the redhead asked, her forehead creasing.
"You know who this is," he replied. Lita pressed a hand to her forehead and pursed her lips. No...not now. Not when she was just beginning to enjoy herself. Across from her, Chris set a hand on her shoulder, his face suspicious and worried. The redhead bit her lip, not saying a word. "You shouldn't dance with other men, Lita," the voice on the other end told her. "You should save all of your energy for me. We'll go out dancing night after night... You're my girl, Lita," he told her, his words slow.
Lita froze as the words sunk in. "I'll never be your girl!" she shouted into the mouthpiece suddenly, and hurriedly shut the phone, hanging up the call.
"Lita?" Chris asked hesitantly.
She looked at him, her pulse racing. He was here. "I've got to get out of here." Nodding, and not asking any questions, Chris grabbed her hand, and pulled her through the crowd and out the door.
"Hey, Edge," Chris Benoit greeted as the other man walked back to the table. "Who were you talking to?" he asked, curious.
"Vince," Edge answered as he slid into the booth. "He wanted to discuss a new angle for me," he rolled his eyes. "You know how it is."
Ten minutes later, Chris's cell phone rang. Rolling his eyes, and wondering why he bothered to bring it, Benoit answered it, plugging his other ear to hear better. "Benoit," he answered.
"Chris!" it was Lita's voice. Benoit looked up, immediately searching for her on the dance floor, and realizing she wasn't there. Worry shot through him. Where was she? What if the stalker found her? 'Damn it. I should've kept a better eye on her!' he cursed to himself.
"Where are you?" Chris asked quickly.
"I'm in the hotel room with Jericho," Lita answered.
"Are you okay? Why did you leave without telling me?" Benoit asked, his questions rapid-fire. She was nervous, he could tell that from her voice.
"He called me while Chris and I were dancing," she told him. "He said I shouldn't dance with other guys...I hung up. He's at the club. Jericho and I came back here. I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." she trailed off.
"That's okay, don't worry," Benoit reassured her, but her words bothered her. The stalker had called her. How did he get her phone number? Chris's eyes moved next to him, catching sight of Edge. His throat caught. Edge had gone outside and made a call. "When did you leave?" Chris asked hurriedly.
"Ten minutes ago," Lita answered. Ten minutes ago, Edge had returned from outside. Was it more than coincidence? Benoit swallowed.
"Stay there with Jericho," Benoit ordered, "I'll be there as soon as I can," he broke the connection, grabbed his jacket, and departed.
Maybe—and maybe not—Edge's call had been a coincidence, but the fact that Lita had received a call on her unlisted cell phone number only pushed a theory that Benoit didn't like at all:
Lita's stalker was one of her friends.
Author's Note: A little shorter than usual, but I hope you like! Please review!
