Page 77 of Take The Risk

​I hadn’t been happy when Wade called, demanding I haul ass over to his place. Phoebe had just fallen asleep in my arms, and I was too content to move. Still, I’d slipped out of her bed, left her a note and used the back path to Wade’s. I figured I’d grab a change of clothes from him while I was there. It was lucky we were practically the same size.

​I also wanted to talk to him about the threats to Phoebe.

​Unfortunately, no sooner had I had shown up and changed than Delilah showed up and decided to walk with us.

​By the time we’d finished walking Bones, Wade had gotten an emergency call. I could have kissed him when he asked me, right where Delilah could hear, if I could hang out with Bones for the night until he got back. Bones was getting old, and Wade claimed he was worried the old dog had been “off.”

​Yeah, ’cause age was Bones’s issue and not the large half of a chicken he’d devoured?

​Delilah stayed with me for a bit, and I tried to get her to talk to me. She’d been morose since her father left town to be with his mistress, but this was different. When she did talk to me, she was snippy, full of sass, and I had a feeling she was saying something I just couldn’t understand.

​She’d stayed another thirty minutes and then decided she had somewhere else to be. I didn’t miss the way she seemed to get more and more agitated each time her phone dinged. Still, teenage girls were strange creatures, and I chalked a lot of it up to that. I’d asked her to make plans with me for dinner. Just her and me. She’d given me the “Whatever” cliché and then left.

​“Yeah, and if D hadn’t been there, I’d bet Aunt Cady-Jo would have camped out at my place. She’s already confronted Phoebe once. You have to at least keep up public appearances…preferably by not eye-fucking her.” Wade bumped my shoulder with his. “There’s already enough attention on you two from the last couple of weeks. Jesus, put ice in your pants or something.”

​My attention had naturally resettled on Phoebe, and I enjoyed the way the sun lit her smiling face.

​Turning away from her felt wrong, but I did it anyway. Wade was right. We’d been the subject of far too much gossip.

​In fact, Phoebe being busy was perfect. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

​At my serious tone, the smirk on Wade’s face was wiped off. “What is it?”

​Shit. Looking around, I saw people mingling, some moving closer to us on the church’s immaculate lawn, some chattering, some getting snacks from the post-service community picnic table. There were too many eyes and ears.

​“Let’s take a walk,” I suggested, setting off in the direction of the nearby park.

​In silence, we walked until we came to the small ridge by the edge of the river. It gave us a good view of anyone coming and going. Or anyone who may decide to be overly curious.

​“What’s up?” Wade put his hands in the pockets of his khaki pants, waiting.

​“Phoebe’s being threatened.”

​Wade stilled, an edge of danger surrounding him. He didn’t like anyone being threatened, but he and Phoebe had grown close over the last couple of months, so this would piss him off personally.

​It fucking infuriated me.

​“Tell me.”

​I gave him a rundown of the notes she’d received and the how and when she’d received them. I had to physically fight not to punch a tree or to demolish something. I still couldn’t believe what they said. I also told him about the porch light. I’d checked with the electrician yesterday, claiming Phoebe had reached out—her hand reaching to pull me into bed was a form of reaching out—about the unfinished work. I’d found out it had been finished, which meant someone had tampered with it.

​“I haven’t told her yet. I wanted to loop you in first. She’s scared enough.” I knew I’d have to tell her today. I couldn’t let her go home with Lock and not know. It pissed me off I couldn’t go with them. But I had an idea about that…

​“There have been some vandals in the neighborhood.” Wade considered alternate angles. “A couple other homes have been vandalized in the area.”

​I knew that. “How would they know that she’s…her?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say the words aloud, my instinct to protect her making me extra cautious.

​“Does she still have the notes?”

​“She gave them to her agent and lawyer.”

​“I’ll need to get them and take a look. She should have come to the police, but if the notes only said those things, there isn’t much we can do.” Phoebe had said that, too. “Without a direct threat of physical harm or evidence of another crime, our hands are largely tied.”

​My stomach sank. It blew my mind that something had to happen to someone before law enforcement was able to act. Well, nothing was happening to Phoebe. I wouldn’t allow it.

​“Still, I can do a little off-the-books digging and see if I can’t find who’s behind this. When did they start?”