"Just make sure he doesn't run. I'm calling the sheriff."
"He's not going anywhere." Rob ripped the knit cap off, exposing Thayer's face contorted with rage. While Julian spoke on the phone, he cursed nonstop.
"What's going on with his phone?" Rob asked once Julian was done taking to the sheriff's office.
"This isn't his phone. It's cheap," Julian said as he started looking at it again.
"A burner phone?" Rob said.
"I don't know. But it's unlocked. He was trying to delete something." Julian was looking at a dialog asking him to confirm that he wanted to delete a folder.
"That's not mine!" Thayer screamed while Julian clicked cancel and opened the folder.
"What's on there?" Rob asked.
After a long pause Julian gave him the shortest possible answer. "Me."
"You? What do you mean?" Rob asked and he pushed Thayer down angrily.
As Julian stared at the contents of the folder, he went numb inside and his answers came out too slow. He knew he was worrying Rob, but he couldn't make himself react any faster as the past replayed in front of his eyes. "Video. Photos," Julian finally said.
"He was stalking you? This creep took pictures of you?" Rob said and he twisted Thayer's arms a little more.
Julian shook his head. "These are from years ago, from school. They were taken by his brother and his friends."
"They're not mine!" Thayer yelled. At first Julian didn't understand why he was so desperate to deny it, then Rob made it all clear.
"Are you by any chance underage in those pictures?" Rob asked.
"Very much so," Julian said.
"Like hell! That's a lie. You can't prove it," Thayer screamed.
"I'm pretty sure I can." Julian didn't say anything more as the sound of a police siren reached them. Lights flashed somewhere up the road and then the sheriff's car stopped right beside them.
At the same time, Julian spotted Mitch, Rico and Wyatt making their way toward them. "Everything OK?" Wyatt called out as the sheriff and one of her deputies got out of the car.
"We're fine," Julian told them then he explained things to the sheriff in broad strokes. He also handed over the phone, which she bagged. Now that the deputy and the sheriff were there, Rob got off Thayer and let them take him.
Coming over to Julian, Rico pointed at Thayer. "I did say I wanted to see Rob mash his face into the dirt but...What the hell is going on?"
"That dirtbag came after Julian," Rob said answering Rico, and at the same time letting the sheriff know what happened. "He had a knife. He threw it in the bushes over there."
"It's not mine," Thayer claimed, but in no time, he was cuffed and in the back of the police car.
The sheriff was taking Julian's statement while Rob updated the guys. When it was Rob's turn to give his statement, Julian found himself surrounded.
Rico gave him a tight hug and asked, "Are you really OK?"
At the same time, Wyatt squeezed his shoulder and Mitch patted his back.
"Why did you guys come out here?" Julian wondered.
"Rico told us that Rob rushed out of the house, so we came to check on you two," Mitch explained.
"Sam stayed behind to make sure the kids wouldn't worry. I texted him that you are OK," Wyatt said.
"And you are OK, right?" Rico asked.
