Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Nick
If JJ, Noel, or any of my other brothers knew what I’d been up to the last week, they’d ream me out. No question. I’d tracked down Greg Morgan and followed him…a lot.
He was oddly normal…boring, even. He was an accountant, lived in a nice apartment with his cats, and he was in every night by seven. His body type fit the person on the video; only two things were off. One, he didn’t seem like a motorcycle guy and two, I couldn’t find a motorcycle on the property.
I’d hacked into the police database and searched to see if the license plate number had been reported stolen. It had not.
Another thing I didn’t want to tell anyone was that I’d also hacked into Matt’s Ring camera. Not my proudest moment, but I was truly trying not to go to insane levels by adding cameras outside his building.
There wasn’t much. His landlords came and went at all hours, oftentimes peeking over at Matt’s door, but nothing out of the ordinary. He’d had food delivered, and a visit from a friend. When I’d listened in, all I’d learned was that his name was Darnell.
The cameras across the way had a view of his fire escape but it was grainy and if someone did try to climb it, I’d never get a clear view of them.
“Okay, we’re talking,” Noel said as he burst into my room and shut the door.
“Dude, get out!”
“No. Now, I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen.”
I sighed and spun my chair so I was facing him. “What?”
“All week you’ve asked me to cover for you and teach our moron brothers, not including JJ, how to break code and hack cameras. I said okay, figured you were into something, and you’d at some point tell me what’s up.”
I’d known this was coming. “I will.”
“You’re obsessed with something, Nick. And that means it’s serious or wrong.” He quirked a brow. “Tell me, or I go out there and call a family meeting.”
Shit . He’d do it too. “Fine, but maybe you keep it between you and me for now, please?”
He regarded me for a beat and nodded. “Okay, talk.”
I proceeded to update him on everything. From Matt telling JJ about the gifts to what I’d been up to the last week. He listened, made a few unsavory expressions, but didn’t interrupt.
“This is certainly more wrong than serious. You’ve found nothing, Nick, and you’re surveilling maybe an innocent person and listening in on Matt’s Ring convos. You’re tracking a maybe stalker by being one.”
I tried convincing myself that wasn’t true, but deep down I knew it was. “I got a feeling, Noel. Something isn’t right with this.”
“This past week, has he received any new packages at his door?”
I shook my head. “I think the Ring camera put a stop to that; it’s why there was a note on his car.”
“Since the car note, anything else?”
I ran my fingers through my hair tugging at the ends. “I don’t know because I haven’t asked. He’s said nothing, and regardless of what you think, I’m not following him around.”
Noel lifted a hand. “Okay, chill. So, what do you want to do?”
“He said he didn’t want help right now. I’m trying to respect that.”
He snorted and motioned to my computer. “No, you’re not.”
“You’d do the same thing.”
Noel’s nostrils flared, and I could tell he wanted to argue but I understood my brother, and that went both ways.
“Maybe I would. But, Nick, you’ve done all you can for Matt. If he needs help, he’ll ask for it.” He gently kicked my leg. “We all agreed when we decided we’d help people who needed it and couldn’t get it anywhere else, it would be because they asked for it or like in Four’s case, left us no choice. That said, it always gets a vote. You either stop this or take it to a family meeting.”
I wanted to be mad at him, but he wasn’t wrong. “Fine. I’ll back off.”
“If Matt gets in trouble he’ll reach out to us or the police, but the choice has to be his.”
“And if some psycho takes him? If I’m not watching, we won’t know. And he won’t be able to ask for it.”
“If—and that’s a big fuckin’ if—that happens, we vote and deal with it…as a family.”
That was our deal. If there was an issue that had the potential to be dangerous but would help someone who was in a bad way, we voted. Majority would win. I knew in my heart if I brought it to the table, it would be a unanimous yes. However, as it stood, there wasn’t enough to go on, and Matt had specifically asked for no help right now.
“Fine.”
“Good.” Noel stood. “You’re teaching for the next two days they’re scheduled. Gabe actually did pretty great with tracker location today. We may have found his strength.”
“Well, we have JJ and if Gabe can do that, it’s better than nothing.”
He chuckled. “It’s Friday. Mason is picking the movie, and Shep ordered Thai.”
“I’ll be right out.”
Once Noel left, I took one more peek at the Ring camera, and nothing. I put my computer in sleep mode and joined my family for movie night.
The entire week I’d planned to hack into Matt’s Ring camera and basically stare at it, waiting for someone or something that would tell me who the fuck was doing this. But every time I went to do it another thing came up. An alert for something I was watching or waiting on, an email that led me inevitably nowhere, but I was too stubborn not to follow any and all possibilities. I slept when I could and not for very long. By Friday I was itching to check the Ring footage, but Matt hadn’t reached out and I wasn’t going to be another creeper in his life.
After working with Angel on Friday afternoon, I needed a drink. In the kitchen, Matt and JJ were sitting and talking. The second I stepped in they quieted, and that wasn’t suspicious at all.
“What?”
“Nothing,” JJ said at the same time as Matt responded, “Huh?”
I narrowed my eyes and opened my beer. I didn’t look away as I took a few gulps, and neither did they. Thing was, I knew JJ, and he was tapping his fingers on the table.
“You’re lying.”
“Am not, how dare you!” JJ snapped, and I grinned. “Fuck. I was fidgeting, wasn’t I?”
“Yup.”
“What did I miss?” Matt glanced from me to JJ.
I tipped my bottle in JJ’s direction. “Everyone lies. Four told us each what our biggest tells are. For JJ, it’s his fingers. When he fidgets or taps them.” I smiled at Matt. “I don’t know yours yet, but JJ gave you both away.”
Matt pursed his lips. “And what’s yours?”
“Ha!” I took another sip and put my beer on the counter. “I’ll never tell.”
“JJ, what’s his tell?”
“Uh.” JJ’s gaze darted from Matt to me and back again. “I…I actually don’t know.”
“How is that possible?” Matt pointed at me. “You said Four told you all.”
“He’s figured out everyone’s but mine and Noel’s—at least, he hasn’t told me what mine is.”
Matt nodded. “Well, maybe I’ll ask him.”
“You’re changing the subject. What’s going on here?”
Matt sighed and relaxed in his chair. “I think I’m paranoid, is all.”
“Probably not. You told me about those weird gifts, and likely it’s sticking with you.” I wasn’t telling JJ about the note or anything else unless Matt mentioned it.
“And he told me he got a note last Friday on his car.” JJ’s brows rose. Okay, he did know.
“Is that why you think you’re paranoid?”
He shook his head. “I feel like someone is watching me all the time. Whenever I leave my apartment or I’m outside. I haven’t seen anything weird, but it’s like the hair on the back of my neck stands straight up.”
I glanced at JJ, who I could tell thought the same thing I did.
“Mattie, that reaction is a physiological response triggered by your ‘fight or flight’ system. You shouldn’t ignore it.”
Matt smirked. “Did you see that on one of your Netflix documentaries?”
“How’d you know Nick was obsessed with those shows?” JJ interrupted, but I waved it off.
“Maybe someone should hang with you for a few days. If they feel it too, maybe that’ll make you realize you’re not crazy.”
“Oh, and I wonder who you’re going to suggest.” JJ’s smile wasn’t cute. Nope, he was being his sarcastic self.
“No, that’s ridiculous.” Matt stood up and grabbed his bag. “It’s fine, I don’t want anyone shadowing me.”
“Matt, you really should take this seriously.”
Matt closed his eyes for a beat. “I swear, I am. I’m going to go down to the police station tonight with the presents and the note. Maybe they can do something.”
I wanted to argue, but I had to honor Matt’s wishes. At least he was doing something. I had zero faith in the police, but he’d have a record of it either way.
“You know where to find us if you need help, Mattie.” I grabbed my beer and as hard as it was, I walked out of the room.