28. Ryan
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ryan
The photos were spread out on my kitchen table.
Black and white, a few in color.
Grainy.
Whoever took them didn’t care about art. They cared about causing pain.
Lila sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket Jaxon had thrown over her shoulders. Colt sat next to her, his arm draped protectively across the back of the couch. Jaxon leaned against the counter, arms crossed, jaw tight.
Me? I was focused.
The notes were short. Messy handwriting. Words meant to scare.
“Does Nate know?”
“How do you think this will look to the town?”
“You can’t hide forever.”
Bullshit. All of it.
“Who delivered this?” I asked.
“Came in the mail,” Lila said quietly. “Dad found it this morning.”
Her voice cracked on the last word, and I forced myself to keep my tone steady.
She was calm. That was good.
“Was it postmarked?”
She shook her head. “No. Just a blank envelope.”
That narrowed it down. Someone local. Or someone smart enough to avoid leaving a trail.
I looked at the photos again, each one a violation.
Each one was a reminder that someone was watching her.
All of us.
The anger simmered just below the surface, clawing to get out. But I shoved it down.
This wasn’t about me. This was about her.
I needed to keep my head on straight.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the best police officer Medford had.
“Davis,” I said when he answered. “I need a favor.”
“Sure thing, Marsh,” Davis said. “What’s up?”
“Something’s going on. Blackmail notes. Photos. I’m bringing them over.”
“Give me twenty minutes,” he said. “I’ll meet you at the station.”
“Bring Hall.”
“Done.”
I hung up and turned to Lila. “I’m taking these to the police. They’ll start digging.”
She nodded, her eyes wide and glassy. “Okay. But won’t they start?—”
“They won’t talk. They don’t do gossip.”
Colt frowned. “You think it’s someone here in town?”
“Maybe.” I grabbed the envelope and slid the photos and notes back inside. “Or someone with a reason to come after her.”
Jaxon’s brow furrowed. “Like her ex.”
The air in the room shifted. Things were getting heavy.
Lila flinched, her hands curling into the blanket. “You think… you think Rick could be behind this?”
“It’s a possibility,” I said. “He conned you before. He knows your weak spots.”
Her face crumpled, and Colt pulled her closer.
“That asshole,” he muttered.
Jaxon pushed off the counter, pacing. “If it’s him, we’re gonna make him regret it.”
I shot him a look. “We handle this the right way.”
Jaxon stopped pacing, his jaw tight. But he nodded.
“Lila,” I said, stepping closer. She looked up at me, her hazel eyes full of worry. “We’ll figure this out. Davis and Hall are good. They’ll find whoever did this.”
“And then what?” she whispered.
“And then they’ll deal with it,” I said firmly.
Her lower lip trembled, but she nodded. “Okay.”
“Stay here,” I said. “Colt, Jaxon, keep an eye on her.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Colt said, his voice low.
I grabbed my jacket and the envelope, then headed out the door.
Davis and Hall were waiting for me at the station. Davis was tall and wiry, with sharp features and a sharp tongue to match. Hall was his opposite. He was broad and steady, the kind of guy who didn’t say much but always got the job done.
I spread the photos and notes out on the desk in the back room.
“What the hell is this?” Davis asked, leaning over the table.
“Blackmail,” I said. “Targeting Lila Harper.”
Hall frowned. “Nate’s sister? Why?”
“Good question,” I said. “She’s been through a lot lately. Ex conned her out of everything. She moved back to town to start over. My guess? He’s trying to drag her down again.”
Davis let out a low whistle. “You think it’s the ex?”
“Could be,” I said. “Or someone working for him.”
Hall picked up one of the photos, studying it. “Whoever took these wasn’t subtle.”
“No,” I agreed. “And they weren’t careful, either. They sent them in an envelope with no postmark. Means they had to deliver it by hand.”
Davis nodded, already pulling out his phone. “I’ll check the footage from around the Harpers’ place. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“On it,” Hall said, heading for the door.
Davis stayed behind, his gaze on me. “You care about this girl, don’t you?”
I didn’t answer right away.
“Yeah,” I said finally. “I do.”
Davis nodded, a knowing look in his eye. “Then we’ll get this sorted.”
I left the station with a little more clarity but no less anger. Whoever was behind this had made a mistake. They thought they could scare her. They thought they could break her.
They didn’t realize they’d have to go through me first.
* * *
By the time I got back to my place, Jaxon and Colt were in full meltdown mode.
Jaxon was pacing the living room like a caged lion, fists clenching and unclenching. Every muscle in his body looked ready to snap.
“This is bullshit!” he growled. “Sick freak taking pictures of her like that, sending her threats. They want to mess with her? Let them try me next. I’ll…”
“Calm down,” I said sharply, cutting him off.
He spun on me, his blue eyes blazing. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Ryan. Someone’s threatening her. Someone’s messing with her . How the hell am I supposed to calm down?”
Colt, who was usually the joker of the group, wasn’t cracking any jokes now.
He was sitting on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees, his gray eyes dark and stormy. He kept running his hand through his hair, tugging at it like it might somehow pull an answer out of thin air.
“She shouldn’t even be dealing with this crap,” Colt muttered. “We should’ve seen this coming. We should’ve noticed that we were being followed.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, setting the envelope on the counter.
Colt looked up at me, his expression torn. “How can you say that? Look at this mess. She’s terrified, Ryan. And you’re just standing there like it’s another day at the office.”
“I’m standing here because someone has to,” I shot back. “You losing your head isn’t going to help her. Neither is Colt blaming himself. She needs us to keep it together.”
“She needs us to protect her,” Jaxon snarled.
“And we will,” I said, my voice steady and cold. “But we do it smart. Not hot-headed. Not impulsive.”
Jaxon stared at me, his chest heaving, but he didn’t say anything else.
“Look,” I said, softer now, “Davis and Hall are on it. They’re checking the footage around her dad’s place, seeing if Rick is in town, tracking any leads. We don’t know for sure who’s behind this yet.”
“But if it is him…” Colt said quietly, his voice laced with an edge that surprised even me.
“If it is him, we’ll handle it,” I said.
Colt nodded, but the tension in his body didn’t ease.
“Where’s Lila?” I asked.
“In the guest room,” Jaxon said. “She’s trying to rest, but…” He shrugged, his expression softening for a moment. “She’s still a mess.”
I nodded and glanced toward the hallway. I wanted to check on her, but first, there was something else we needed to address.
“Do we need to bring Nate into this?”