Nico (Pecan Pines #13)

11. Nico

NICO

There was a note on the windshield of Isaac's truck addressed to the Orc King again.

With it was a single long-stemmed daisy, tucked beneath the windshield wiper, the stem carefully folded around the edge so it wouldn't blow away.

I took them to the Pecan Pines police station and had the note analyzed alongside the previous letters Logan had received.

And just like before, there was nothing conclusive.

I went back to digging through the forums and blogs. This time, I paid particular attention to the photographs people had been leaking from the set. Earlier, the pictures had almost always focused on Logan.

Lately, though, that had changed. Isaac was appearing in more and more of the photographs.

Sometimes he was in the background, standing beside Logan. Other times, it was obvious the photographer had made an effort to include him in the frame.

I started going through the posts and tracing the accounts that had uploaded them. The usernames themselves didn't tell me much.

Most were variations of elf character names, which wasn't unusual given how popular the elf class was in the game.

On the surface, the accounts looked completely unrelated. Their posting histories were different, and there was nothing obvious connecting them.

But when I dug into the files themselves, I found that the photographs all carried the same digital fingerprint, something most people would never notice and most fans wouldn't think to hide. Different accounts, different posts, different character names, but the same underlying data.

I checked the older posts I'd investigated weeks ago when I'd first started looking into the fan accounts surrounding Logan. The obsessive fan had used a different username back then, but when I compared the files, the same technical fingerprint was there.

It was the same person.

At least, I was as close to convinced as I could be without having their computer sitting in front of me.

It was the same person who had obsessively followed Logan online, whose comments had grown increasingly hostile toward anyone who got too close to him, and who had made it clear that Isaac, as Logan's bodyguard, was getting in the way.

And now they were posting photographs of Isaac.

It didn't make sense.

Had they switched targets? Or had Isaac somehow become part of whatever fixation they had with Logan?

I didn't know.

What I did know was that the timing was too convenient to ignore. Whoever was behind the accounts had been watching Logan from a distance before filming started, but now the photographs were clearly being taken from close enough to the production to capture what was happening on set.

Which meant they might actually be here. In Pecan Pines.

The thought sent a prickling sensation down the back of my neck.

I started asking around, trying to find out whether anyone had noticed someone unusual, anyone who seemed overly interested in Logan or Isaac.

I got more or less the same answer every time. There were simply too many people coming and going. Everyone was too busy to notice anyone who wasn't directly in their way.

With that lead going nowhere, I turned to the security footage.

The parking lot cameras covered the area around Isaac's truck, and after going through several hours of recordings, I finally found something. About an hour before filming wrapped that night, someone approached the truck.

I rewound the footage and watched it again, then again, hoping I'd somehow missed something the first time around. Unfortunately, the camera wasn't much help.

During the day, it recorded in colour, but once the light dropped, it automatically switched to infrared. The resulting footage was grainy black and white, useful for capturing movement in the dark but almost useless for anything beyond that.

All I could make out was a dark figure approaching Isaac's truck and stopping at the front for a few seconds before walking away.

I couldn't see what they'd done, but I had a pretty good idea.

The possibility that the person I'd been tracking was actually somewhere in Pecan Pines didn't seem quite so far-fetched anymore.

I just needed more proof. Better cameras would help, preferably ones that could capture clear footage in low light, so that if someone approached Isaac's truck again, we'd have a real chance of identifying them.

Getting approval, however, turned out to be another matter.

Tony had been warning me to keep my distance from Logan and Isaac, and the cafeteria incident hadn't exactly made things easier.

Logan had made it painfully obvious that something was going on between Isaac and me, so convincing Tony that I needed to spend even more time monitoring Isaac's surroundings wasn't going to be easy.

In a moment of desperation, I even promised that any additional expenses would come out of my own pocket. Looking back, that probably hadn't helped either.

Cooper still gave me permission, along with a very stern warning about keeping things professional.

Tony's contribution was a long, disapproving look that somehow managed to say more than an entire lecture ever could.

Several hours later, I was unloading boxes of cameras and equipment from Isaac's truck. I was glad he'd lent it to me. Without it, I'd have had to make several trips back to the compound, and I really didn't have the patience for that tonight.

I spotted Logan and Isaac walking over from the set, fresh from filming.

Isaac stopped when he saw the pile of equipment surrounding me. "You weren't joking when you said you wanted to put in more cameras."

Logan picked up one of the smaller boxes and glanced at the label. "Is this really necessary?"

This was the part I'd been putting off. I hadn't told either of them about my theory yet because, as far as anyone else was concerned, that was all it was. A theory. A collection of coincidences that I couldn't prove were connected.

But keeping them in the dark didn't feel right either. If I was wrong, I could explain that. If I was right, they deserved to know what I'd found.

"I think there's a chance the person who's been targeting Logan has changed targets."

Isaac's expression tightened. "Changed targets?"

"To you." The words sounded even more ridiculous out loud.

Isaac stared at me. "Why?"

"The notes are similar to the ones Logan got. The photos from the set have started focusing on you, too. And now someone's approaching your truck and leaving things under the windshield."

I hesitated, then admitted, "I don't know why they'd switch to you. That's the part I can't figure out."

Isaac frowned. "Do you think it's someone I've interacted with?"

"Maybe. That's what I'm trying to work out." I glanced at him. "Have you noticed anyone? Someone who stood out? Someone who seemed unusually interested in you or Logan?"

Isaac frowned as he thought about it, then shook his head. "Logan deals with fans every day. Signing things, taking pictures, talking to people. I wouldn't even know where to start."

I sighed. "Yeah. That's what I figured."

Isaac was silent for a moment before looking back at me. "Except it doesn't really make sense."

"What doesn't?"

"The note was left on my truck, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was meant for me.

If someone wanted to get something to Logan and couldn't get close enough to him, my truck would've been an easy alternative.

" He looked at me. "Everything you've told me points back to Logan. Why would that suddenly change?"

I didn't have an answer.

"Maybe because you're always with Logan," I said eventually.

Isaac gave me a look. He wasn't being dismissive. If anything, he seemed to be trying to understand where I was coming from, which somehow made it harder to argue with him.

"I just don't see why someone obsessed with Logan would suddenly look to me."

“Look, I’m not saying I'm right. I'm saying I don't think we should ignore the possibility."

Isaac considered that for a moment before looking at the equipment again. I knew that expression. He still thought I was overreacting, but at least he hadn't told me to put everything back.

I glanced at Logan, hoping for some kind of backup.

He hadn't said much, but worry was written all over his face. His grip tightened around the camera box he was holding.

"If there's a chance someone is hanging around the parking lot, I'd rather have better security," Logan said quietly.

For a moment, it seemed like Isaac was about to argue again. Then Logan quietly looked away, giving us a moment alone.

I reached for Isaac's hand, taking it gently and brushing my thumb over his knuckles. I wasn't entirely sure what I was trying to say.

Somewhere beneath all the doubts and unanswered questions, I was almost certain Isaac was the new target. I couldn't prove it. I couldn't even explain why I felt so strongly about it, only that something inside me kept insisting he was in danger.

My wolf had been restless ever since I'd found the note on his truck, pacing beneath my skin with an agitation that had grown harder to ignore. It was as though it wanted me to do something about the threat, even though I had no idea what that something was.

I'd never experienced anything like it before. I didn't know whether it was instinct, fear, or simply the result of caring too much about someone who had suddenly become very important to me.

What I did know was that I needed Isaac to trust me.

Something in my expression must have gotten through to him, because his face softened.

Before I could say anything else, he pulled me into his arms and pressed a firm kiss to my temple.

His hand came up to the back of my neck, rubbing gently, and the tension I'd been carrying for days seemed to ease all at once.

"I can't lie to you and say I'm convinced you're right. I still don't think I'm the target." His thumb brushed gently over my cheek before he continued. "But if putting up these cameras gives us a better chance of catching whoever's doing this, then let's do it."

That was all I needed to hear.

I handed him the keys to his truck. If I wanted even a few hours of sleep tonight, I needed to get started as soon as possible.

Isaac closed his hand over mine. "You drive Logan back."

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"I'll start setting these up."

For a moment, I could only stare at him.

Isaac always drove Logan back to the cabin. Always. Even when his own security duties had him running in three different directions, he never handed Logan over to someone else unless there was absolutely no alternative. He didn't even trust Vic or Fiona with it.

Apparently, tonight was different.

Isaac was already opening the passenger door and ushering Logan inside before I could get another word in. I was still standing there with the keys in my hand.

"You can't be serious."

"I remember what you taught me that night." He gestured toward the equipment piled around us. "These are the same cameras, right? Same setup?"

"Yes, but it's faster if I do it."

"I'm better at climbing and working at heights," he said, as though that settled the matter.

He wasn't wrong. The last time we'd installed cameras together, Isaac had handled everything faster than I'd expected, climbing and positioning the cameras with an ease that had made me wonder why I'd bothered worrying about him getting it wrong in the first place.

Still, I wasn't completely convinced.

Isaac glanced around the parking lot, his attention moving over the entrances and exits, the buildings surrounding the lot, and all the places someone could approach from without being noticed.

Was that why he wanted to stay behind? To check the parking lot himself? Despite what he'd said, maybe he wasn't quite as unconcerned about the threat as he wanted me to believe.

Either way, I wanted to get Logan back to the cabin and return as quickly as possible. If Isaac was determined to do this himself, I might as well let him.

"Fine," I said eventually. "But do it properly. I don't want to come back and have to redo everything."

"I'll do it perfectly. And I'll be finished in no time. I might even be done before you get back."

I stared at him, unsure whether I was too stunned by his confidence to respond or simply annoyed by it. Isaac looked even more pleased with himself.

"Where do you want them?"

I pulled out my phone and brought up the map of the parking lot, showing him the positions I'd marked out and the areas I wanted each camera to cover. Once I'd finished explaining everything, I sent the map to his phone.

I got Logan home and headed straight back to the set, fully expecting Isaac to have left me at least a few things to fix.

The cameras were spread throughout the parking lot, covering far more than just the area around Logan's designated parking spot. He'd positioned several to cover the blind spots I'd been worried about, while others were angled toward the entrances and exits.

One of them had even been moved from the position I'd originally marked on the map, but when I checked the angle, I had to admit Isaac had been right. From there, the camera had a much better view of the section of the lot I'd been trying to cover.

I checked each camera and its connections, waiting to find something wrong. Other than a few minor adjustments, there wasn't much to fix.

It was almost too good.

"How did you manage to do all of this so fast?"

"I told you I could." The corner of his mouth twitched, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Isaac."

He laughed, giving himself away before finally admitting, "Vic stopped by."

"You had help."

"Maybe."

I lightly punched him on the arm. "Cheater."

Isaac laughed again, the sound low and deep as it carried across the nearly empty parking lot. A smile tugged at my mouth.

There was something about hearing that laugh that made my heart flip in my chest. Maybe it was because I'd spent so much of the evening worrying, or because I was relieved to know he was safe. Or maybe I was simply getting far too attached to the sound of it.

I leaned back against the hood of the truck beside him, and for a while, neither of us said anything.

The set looked completely different at this hour. Most of the crew had gone home, leaving the parking lot quiet and the sprawling set beyond it strangely peaceful.

During the day, everything had been a blur of people, noise, and movement. Now, with the lights dimmed and the crowds gone, I could finally appreciate it.

It was peaceful. Nice, even.

And it was even nicer when Isaac slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

The night air had grown cooler, the warmth of summer beginning to give way to the first hints of fall. Soon, the leaves would start changing, and the mornings would carry a sharper chill.

I settled against him, letting myself relax.

"Should we get back soon?"

Isaac's gaze wandered toward the set before coming back to me.

"Logan has a late day tomorrow. He'll probably sleep in."

I smiled. "So we're not in a hurry."

“No. Not tonight."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, and for a while, we watched the early-morning crew go about their work.