A muffled groan echoed through the hallway as the man crumpled to the ground, clutching his side where the bat had hit him.

I didn’t give him a chance to recover. Pressing the bat against his chest, I leaned in for a closer look.

It wasn’t Ashton.

This was a complete stranger.

"Who sent you? How did you get into my apartment?" I demanded, my voice sharp.

The man shook his head, refusing to answer. His defiance ...