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Griffin snapped to his feet, rounding his coffee table so fast that Juliet flinched and took a step back. He stopped a foot away before wrapping his arms around her like he wanted to.
“Nothing that man did was ever your fault. Anything he would’ve tried to do to me or Bryce or anyone else would not have been your fault.”
She released a heavy breath, taking a step toward him. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t think it. He knew that. His threats worked for a long time.”
He couldn’t resist any longer, pulling Juliet into his arms. She held on tight, accepting his comfort and providing him with some of his own.
“I want in on this,” Bryce pouted next to them.
Griffin opened his arm, yanking him into the circle. The way Bryce had said it and the way Griffin had added him made Juliet giggle. Which had been the point—mostly. Griffin knew Bryce hadn’t wanted to be left out. They were in it together. The hard nasty stuff as much as the joyful things that happened in life.
They broke apart, stepping back but not completely where they couldn’t start another round of hugs.
“So you think Darrian threatened me somehow? That’s why she left?”
Juliet shrugged. “It’s a possibility. How did she seem this morning? I didn’t see or talk to her at all. Only you would know if the thought of leaving was on her mind.”
“She was excited to bake this morning. She intended for all of us to try out the goodies this weekend. Nothing gave me cause for concern.”
“Then something spooked her. Most likely Darrian.”
Griffin had to agree with Juliet. It made the most sense. While he hated that Eve left, he understood the reason behind it.
“Let me check my cameras from today. I set up the same thing on my house as I did the cottage.” Griffin ran to his office, Juliet and Bryce tailing him.
They crowded around his computer as he pulled up the software and started looking at the footage. They finally found what they were looking for in the afternoon. A man, not anyone they recognized, though it was hard to tell as his face was covered by the brim of a hat, approached the front door. He didn’t knock, but he did shove a folder underneath the door. Since Griffin didn’t have cameras inside his house, they had no way of knowing what was in the folder.
“I’m assuming she didn’t mention this mysterious envelope to you,” Bryce said, the first to break the silence after a long time staring at the screen.
Griffin shook his head and stood up from the chair, moving to the other side of the room. “What do we think was in it?”
“Something that scared her enough to run,” Juliet said simply.
Yes, that much he knew.
“There’s no way of identifying who that was,” Griffin ground out, shoving a hand toward the screen. “You can’t even see his face. He didn’t park in the driveway, so he most likely parked farther down the street. No plates to run. We have nothing to go on, and I doubt if I try calling Eve, she’ll answer.”
“Well, I’ll try then.” Juliet pulled her phone out, groaning in frustration when Eve didn’t answer.
They all tensed when the doorbell went off. Griffin rushed out of the room, swinging the door open, hope filling him up. He deflated when he saw Duke standing on the other side.
“I feel like I should apologize,” Duke said with a chuckle.
“Sorry, man,” Griffin sighed, waving him inside. “It’s been a shitty night.”
“Yeah, I know. Eve left.” Duke nodded to Juliet and Bryce, who had entered the room, his eyes lingering on Juliet a moment longer than usual.
“How do you know that? Did you see her leave town? Which direction did she go?” Griffin tensed, waiting with bated breath for Duke to tell him something even better, like he saw her recently drive back into town.
“I received a call from Judge Rider not too long ago. He told me.”
Griffin’s brows puckered, not sure if this would be good news. “What’s going on, Duke? Spit it out.”
“Eve received some photos this afternoon. Of the three of you. Doing mundane things. Someone’s been following you all. There was one little note on it saying call me. Eve knew it was from Darrian, so she called him. He told her if she didn’t come home, he’d kill all of you. The photos were proof it could be done easily and without anyone knowing. She didn’t doubt him for a second.”
“I knew it,” Juliet said, pointing at Griffin. “I told you. He threatened the one thing she wouldn’t be able to ignore. Not just you, but all three of us because we welcomed her into our family and we threaten Darrian and what he wants.”
“How does Judge Rider know all of this?” Bryce asked.
