Chapter 6
Chapter Six
A fter almost a week of spending the majority of his workdays watching over Beth, they finally got a break. He watched on the security screen as the dark sedan pulled into the camp’s parking lot and parked next to her car.
The image was very clear, and he and Brett watched as a dark figure got out of the sedan and put something on Beth’s car before taking off.
Brett leaned back in the leather chair as the glow of multiple monitors reflected off his face.
Aaron rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to shake the tension that had built up over the past week. Every day since the first incident with the sedan, Beth had been a quiet magnet for his focus, and he hated feeling like a shadow in her life.
But now he had proof that this one thing wasn’t just paranoia on her part.
“Right there,” he said, tapping the screen over the license plate. Aaron’s stomach tightened. “We got him.”
Brett nodded and started typing on his computer while Aaron replayed the scene and paused.
“He put something on her car,” he confirmed.
“Damn,” Brett muttered. “Camera angle’s a little shitty, but that’s enough to prove that he put something on the wheel well. I’m having a connection run the plates.”
Aaron leaned forward, jaw tight. “I’ll bet you a week’s pay that it’s a tracking device.”
“No one would take that bet. It’s obvious.” Brett leaned back. “Why don’t you head out and remove whatever was put on her car while I wait for my buddy to get back to me. Whatever you find, bring it back here so we can see it for ourselves.”
Aaron stood and let out a long breath. As he thought about it, he realized something.
“Since we can’t confirm that it was Ian in the sedan, there’s no point in calling the police.
Besides, he’s a cop. And if we clue him in to the fact that we know he placed a device on her car and is watching Beth, he’ll just cover his tracks or, worse, try something different when she’s not at the camp. ”
Aaron felt like slamming his fist on the desk. Instead, he paced the small space and took several deep breaths. “I’m going to tell her, after I remove whatever it is and deal with it, I’m going to tell her. She should know.”
Brett leaned back, shaking his head. “I’m not sure we should tell her just yet. I don’t want her to have one more thing to freak out over. She’s already been on edge since the sedan followed her.”
“For the past four years, her entire life has been centered around caution. Not clueing her in that someone is tracking her isn’t protecting her.
It’s lying to her. She has a right to know the full story, and we need to help her take the right steps to protect herself.
I’m sure there’s a lot Ian kept from her when they were together.
We don’t want to be grouped in with the likes of him. ”
Brett was quiet for a moment and then nodded. “You’re right.” His eyes were sharp as he ran a hand over his face. “Go grab whatever it is. I’ll let you know when I hear from my contact. I’m going to call Zoey and the others.”
Aaron stopped pacing. “You should wait until after I tell Beth.”
Brett looked down, his jaw tight. “I can’t hold off for too long, just until I get confirmation on the plates and you find out if it’s a tracking device.”
“Fine,” he agreed. “I want to tell Beth myself.”
Brett’s eyebrows shot up. “It might be better if she had her friends?—”
“I’ll tell her,” he said again, knowing in his gut it was the right thing.
She wouldn’t want Zoey and the rest of the Wildflowers to fuss over her.
Besides, he understood now that she hated making a scene or being the center of attention.
It would be best if it was just him and her in a room where she could react honestly without worry.
“Be careful. The sedan could come back,” Brett warned.
“Understood.” Aaron headed towards the door. Once outside, he moved quickly down the pathway towards the parking lot.
Since the first incident, they’d assigned Beth a parking spot closest to the cameras and the pathways.
The late-afternoon sun was low enough to cast long shadows over her car, but it was still bright enough that he could see every shadow.
He crouched carefully near the front bumper, his fingers working with precision.
The small, nondescript device was tucked neatly under the wheel well, just enough to avoid her notice.
How long would it have stayed there if they hadn’t added the extra cameras?
Or if it had been put on her car in the middle of the night?
Within seconds, the device was in his hand. He studied it quickly, noting the AirTag case that held it secure to the vehicle.
As he stood, he pocketed the tracker before taking a deep breath. Before he left, he scanned the parking lot for any sign of the dark sedan or anyone watching.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he quickly texted Brett: Tracker removed. Car clear. No signs of the sedan.
Satisfied, he leaned back against a tree in the shade, letting himself exhale slowly. He imagined Beth’s reaction when he told her. That thought made the tight line of his jaw soften slightly.
Brett texted back.
“We got the license plate info. It’s registered to a local PI. I’m calling him now.”
He waited, watching his phone as a breeze blew over him, slightly cooling him off. He wanted to head to the water and jump in to cool off or, better yet, head to the main building and get one of those smoothies and sit with Beth until he had answers.
Almost five minutes passed before Brett got back to him.
“The man claims that he was hired by Ian.”
Aaron punched Brett’s number.
“Seriously? He gave you the info?” he said when Brett picked up.
Brett chuckled. “I have my ways of getting info. Apparently Ian, the doting husband, was worried that his wife, Beth, was having an affair.” He spat out the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth.
“So he hired this PI to monitor her. The man is twisted and has a serious problem with control,” Brett added.
“This PI is a noob. He’s had his license for less than a year and didn’t do his homework.
If he had, he would have found out that Beth had several restraining orders against Ian and that they’ve been divorced for almost five years now,” he said, and Brett could hear his keyboard clicking away.
“I’m filing an official complaint now against the man’s license. ”
“You’re scary sometimes,” Aaron joked.
“He claims that he disabled the AirTag and that it was the only one he placed on her car. If you want, stomp on it or throw it in the bay.” Brett chuckled. “We should check for more, just in case Ian hired other incompetent PIs.”
He nodded and headed back to her car. “I wish I could turn the tables on him.” He fingered the small device in his pocket, then sighed and pulled it out.
After a moment of consideration, he chucked it into the deep retaining pond that sat behind the admin building as he passed by it.
“I’ll check her car and then make my way to Beth to tell her,” he told Brett.
“Good. Are you going to tell her everything?” Brett asked.
Aaron’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Yeah.” He exhaled. “I can handle any fallout. But I’m sure that she’ll handle it better than you think.”
Brett finally let out a long sigh, muttering, “Yeah, I realized that if I kept anything like this from Lea, she’d have my hide.” Brett was quiet for a moment. “Jesus, I’m slow. Are you two…”
Aaron winced. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just being a protector.”
“Right.”
“I’m going to crawl under a car now. Thanks for checking on things.”
“Yup,” Brett said and then hung up.
Half an hour later, after confirming there were no other tracking devices on Beth’s car, he stood just outside the main building, the late-afternoon sun glinting off the large windows of the building.
Beth was still inside, finishing her shift, but it wouldn’t be long before she stepped through those doors and headed towards her car.
He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled, already anticipating her reaction.
It was now or never, he thought as he walked into the lobby. She was sitting behind the front desk, focused on her computer screen. Her fingers flew over the keys as Julie, or Jules, as a lot of them called her, smiled up at him.
“Evening, Aaron,” Jules said with a smile.
The pair of them had been working behind the front desk together on and off since he’d started working at the camp. He understood that they were more than coworkers; they were best friends.
Beth looked up when Jules mentioned his name and gave him a small, polite smile.
“Hey,” he said softly, keeping his tone steady as he stopped directly in front of her. “Do you have a few minutes?”
“Um…” Beth glanced over at Jules.
“Go, I’ll close out for the night.” Her friend nudged her.
“Sure, give me a minute,” she said quickly. Her brows furrowed slightly as she gathered her things and shut down her computer.
When they stepped outside the main doors, he took her arm and instead of heading towards the parking lot, took the pathway that would lead them towards the boathouse.
The evening’s sunset sail, which was hosted by Damion, Jules’s husband, had left the dock half an hour before, so he knew they could be alone there.
“What’s up?” she finally asked when they stopped on the middle of the dock. Her voice carried an undertone of unease that he recognized immediately. Something about his posture, the slight tension in his jaw, had clued her in that there was something wrong.
Aaron leaned against the railing, folding his arms. “I need to update you on something.”
“Okay…” She took a deep breath. “You found the sedan?”
He nodded quickly. “It circled the lot about an hour ago,” he began, keeping his voice calm and even. “We got a good picture of the plate and traced the car. It belongs to a private investigator who was hired by Ian to watch you.”
He watched for her reaction and was slightly surprised when her eyes narrowed.
“That idiot.” Her voice cracked, disbelief bleeding through.
Aaron’s gaze softened at her strength. “The PI claims that Ian was worried that you might be… seeing someone. So he had the man watching you.” He let the words sink in.
“Up until about an hour ago, he’d just been following you.
However, when he came onto the grounds, he put a tracking device on your car.
” Her eyes went wide with worry. “Don’t worry, I’ve already removed it, and I threw it in the pond. ”
He watched her eyes water as she bit her bottom lip with worry.
He moved closer, one hand resting lightly on the railing near hers, careful not to crowd her. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now. I promise. I’m right here.”
“I… I can’t… I can’t believe he is still at it. It’s been almost five years.” She turned slightly towards him. “Isn’t he bored? Why can’t he move on? It’s not like I’m anything…” She dropped off.
“What?” he said when she didn’t continue. “Special?” His voice went softer, more grounding.
“Yeah. Look at me.” She motioned to herself. “He told me often when we were married that he never liked anything about me. From my hair to the color of the nail polish I used on my toes.” She waved her hand over her body as if that somehow explained everything.
“All I see is a very attractive, kind, and incredibly strong woman,” he said, instantly regretting that he didn’t have better words. Soft, romantic words that she deserved.
She seemed to soften though. “Why can’t he just leave me alone?”
“I imagine that you’re the only thing that has gotten away from him,” he said, somehow understanding. “He’s a child.”
Beth’s eyes flicked up, meeting his. “Is that what you think?”
He nodded. “I took a few psychology classes. Men like him are controlling abusers. They want what they can’t have.
He had you, lost you, and now wants you to pay.
In his mind, you’re at fault. He thinks he can get away with it, but…
”—he shifted slightly, bringing them a little closer—“we’re here to protect you. ”
There was relief in her eyes, gratitude… and a little something more.
Her hand shifted slightly closer to his, not quite touching but close enough to make him acutely aware of the move.
When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “You’re here. You told me instead of keeping me in the dark.” His eyes narrowed slightly and she smiled. “I have a confession.”
His eyebrows rose. “Okay,” he said a little slowly.
“Brett told Lea, who told Zoey… so naturally, all of the Wildflowers know everything. I wasn’t told all the details, but I was told enough about fifteen minutes ago.
I held it together since I also know that everyone was on standby if I couldn’t handle the news.
” She rolled her shoulders slightly. “I must admit, I’m trying to not have a panic attack right now. ”
“I get it,” he said in a low tone. “And if you need to have a full panic attack, I’ll be right here.”
Beth blinked, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. “I think I’m over it. I mean, how much he’s put me through.” She shook her head. “I’m just numb to it all now.” She turned slightly towards him. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said, feeling his gut twist. He didn’t want her gratitude.
What he wanted was to gather her up and kiss her until they both forgot time and place.
Every time she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, his insides did little flips as he dreamed of what her lips would taste like.
He wanted to press her body against his, please her until the sun came up, and then do it all over again.
This thought had him taking a giant step backwards and saying loudly, “I should walk you to your car.”
She blinked a few times and then nodded. He felt like a heel for wanting something he had no right to.