Chapter 16 #2
Dallas and Tiago arrive and park behind the sheriff in front of the house.
“Fuck,” Dallas growls as they approach.
They both shake Johnston’s hand.
“Any idea who did this?” Tiago asks.
“Not yet,” Johnston says. “But it’s a small town. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Dallas winces as he points to the package. “This isn’t random.” My brother is a smart guy. He caught on quickly just like I did.
“No.” I sigh and pull Melody’s keys out of my pocket. “I’ll unlock the door, and then I’ll go talk to Melody while you clear the house.”
Johnston nods in agreement.
Luckily when I open the door, I don’t see a shred of evidence that anyone’s been inside, but I’m not taking any chances. I’ll let the sheriff ensure it’s safe before I bring Melody inside.
Dallas and Tiago pat my back as I go by them. Now I have to tell my girl someone has discovered her.
When I open the truck door, Melody is rubbing her temples. I crowd in close to her and cup her face. “It’s going to be okay.”
She sighs, slumping. “Someone found me, didn’t they?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry.”
She glances at the cottage. “I’ve lived here for three years. Now I’ll never feel safe enough to sleep here again.”
“You don’t have to, baby. I bet the girls are rushing around the mansion as we speak to make sure our new rooms are ready to move into this evening.”
She dabs at her eyes. She’s not crying, but she’s barely holding the tears back. I understand her frustration. No one wants to come home and find their place covered in obscene graffiti. She’s been violated.
Tiago joins us. “It’s safe to go inside,” he says softly. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, Melody.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I lift her out of the truck and set her on her feet. Taking her hand, I lead her to the house. “Don’t touch the package,” I say, pointing to where it’s propped against the siding.
Her breath hitches. “Fuck. That’s book-shaped.”
“Yep,” I agree.
Dallas is in the living room. “Can you give me access to your Ring account, Melody? I’ll see if the camera caught anything today and then go back in time and look for anything suspicious.”
“Yeah…” She’s resigned, deflated. I hate it.
I guide her into her office and wait while she powers up her computer.
I haven’t been in this room before, but I’m kind of surprised to see there is not a shred of evidence to indicate who she really is.
It looks like a standard office with a large desk, a monitor, a router, the usual.
She has it all plugged into a small electric generator.
As she sits in her comfortable chair, she gestures toward the closet. “There’s a safe in there. At some point, I’ll need to deal with it.”
I open the closet door, only half surprised to find an enormous safe. No one is going to hack into it or steal it without difficulty. This is where she keeps everything related to her business. I’m sure of it.
After she gets the computer running and opens her browser, loading the Ring camera footage, she stands.
Dallas takes her seat and immediately starts scrolling through footage.
Melody heads to where I’m waiting at the door, but suddenly she stops dead, not moving. She stares at the floor for a moment and then jerks her gaze up. “I know what’s in the package and how it got into the wrong hands.”
Tiago and Johnston are behind me in the hallway. There’s a collective gasp.
“What are you thinking, baby?” I ask.
“My assistant mails me a copy of every book when the first print batch arrives at her house. I keep them in my safe. The last one never arrived. We assumed the post office lost it.”
I step to the side as Johnston groans. “Mail tampering is a federal offense.”
I nod. “So someone stole it out of the mailbox before Melody got the mail one day.”
“Or it was intercepted and never made it to the mailbox,” Dallas suggests without taking his gaze off the screen.
That idea is even more horrifying.
Melody cringes. “There’s no way my postman, Jessop, would steal my mail. He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met. The entire town loves him.”
“I agree,” Johnston replies. “That’s incredibly unlikely.
But there are other possibilities. It could have been stolen before it got to Jessop, like Dallas suggested.
But I’m betting someone waited for the mail to arrive and took it out of the box.
I’m going to try to pull prints off the package.
I’ve got gloves and a secure bag in my patrol car. ”
Dallas nods. “I’ll try to find someone stealing from the mailbox, but that’s going to take time.”
I glance at the monitor. “Is that today?”
Dallas sighs. “Yes. It’s no help. Whoever vandalized the front of the house knew they needed to black out the camera. They came from the side on foot and reached around to spray the lens. Then the footage goes black.”
That sucks, but I’m not surprised.
I pull Melody into my arms. “Let’s pack up some of your things.”
She slumps against me as we step out of her office.
In her bedroom, I shut the door and cup her face. There are no words to express what I’m feeling, so I decide to give her the only thing that matters. “I love you.”
She smiles and wraps her arms around me. She doesn’t say anything back, but that’s okay. She will when she’s ready. For now, all that matters is me supporting her the best I can. That means moving her into the mansion and making sure she has everything she needs to write in a new office space.
“Suitcases?” I ask.
“I have two in the back of the closet.” She releases me and heads that way.
I follow her and reach around her to haul them to the bed and open them. “Do you have any boxes we can use, too?”
“I have a few, but do you really think I need to bring that much stuff with me today?”
“You take whatever you want, baby. We can make as many trips as we need until we get all your personal things moved. We’ll need to get a hold of your landlord, too.”
She starts laughing.
I furrow my brow. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m pretty sure you are my landlord, Brody.”
My brows lift now. “Really?”
“Yeah. You can’t possibly know how many properties in this town are owned by the estate.
The previous owner passed away during my first lease.
The Wilde estate bought this house at that time.
Your grandfather was doing a shitty job of taking care of his properties, but he didn’t hesitate to buy damn near everything that became available.
He was seemingly fixated on owning as much of Wilde as possible. ”
I cringe. “We’ll be working on rectifying that. Once we get renovations going, we’ll see about selling the properties to the people who live or work in them. Every effort will be made to ensure they are offered a fair price, taking into consideration the rent they’ve been paying for years.”
She stares at me. “Wow. That’s very generous.”
I smirk. “You’re not marrying an asshole, baby. My family intends to right a lot of wrongs caused by Amos Wilde in this town.”
“While single-handedly doubling the population?” she teases.
I’m glad she’s relaxing a bit. I don’t want her to feel so much weight on her shoulders over this vandalism.
I know it’s much bigger than that. It’s not about the graffiti or the cut electrical lines.
It’s about someone knowing who she is. And what the fuck do they intend to do with that information?
Blackmail her? Or just harass her because they don’t like what she writes?
Melody picks up a pile of clothes from a drawer and carries it over to one of the suitcases. She sobers again. “I don’t want to bring my problems to your family home.”
I shake my head and grab her shoulders. “Baby, don’t think that for a single moment.
For one thing, everyone living there has had their own baggage at some point.
Claire and Ryder managed to handle her crazy ex who thought he could kidnap her.
Reagan and Tiago had to deal with his crazy ex who thought she could extort him for money.
Then Dallas and Arianna dealt with her being discovered by more crazy people who hounded her over her notoriety.
Your situation isn’t much different from hers. ”
“She was tracked down and exposed eventually,” Melody notes with a shudder.
“Yes, and the town stood behind her. They supported her and still do. That kind of shit isn’t welcome in Wilde.
If anyone harasses her and tries to get an interview about her parents’ deaths, they will be run out of town in a heartbeat.
The same thing will happen if we have to cross that bridge for you, little pixie. ”
“I hate the idea of being doxed. I just want to live my life in peace. I don’t want anyone to know who I am.”
I cross to her and pull her into my arms. “I know, baby. I’ll do my best to keep that from happening.
But it was always a possibility, and it’s obvious someone has discovered you.
No matter what, the security at the mansion is now top-notch.
The gate is always shut and locked. The cameras around the property are updated and monitored twenty-four-seven.
We have full-time guards. No one is sneaking up on the mansion without our knowledge. You will be safe there.”
“Yeah, but there’s a difference between being physically safe and emotionally. I’m not sure I’m prepared to be outed to the world.”
I kiss her forehead. “We’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it, okay? Together.”