Page 107 of Guarding Over You
The closer he got, the more the skin prickled on his arms.
He could see the pink handlebar sticking out and hoped it was just someone who had thrown it out as a joke. Or better yet, that it wasn’t Gracie’s at all.
He knew better though. It was going to be.
He stared into the dumpster, his pulse already pounding before he even leaned in. Gracie’s bike.
The Barbie stickers were a dead giveaway. And both tires were slashed, clean punctures that made his stomach twist. Exactly like Arden’s car.
A note was taped to the seat rather than under a windshield wiper.
“Motherfucker,” he muttered under his breath. Every muscle in his body went rigid. He wanted to rip the damn thing off and read it, but he forced his hands to stay still.Don’t contaminate the evidence.
He snapped a quick photo and sent it to Arden.Stay inside,he texted.I’m calling Ford.
Ford answered on the second ring. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“I’ve got a problem. Clay filled you in about Arden and the notes?” Not something his brother was happy about when he learned the details earlier this week at the same time he found out about his girlfriend.
“Yeah. Something else happen?”
“Sending you a picture now. This one’s outside the city.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Ford’s voice sharpened. “I’m on my way. Don’t touch a thing.”
“That’s the plan.”
He turned just as Arden appeared in the distance, her stride quick and uneven. The fear in her eyes hit him square in thechest. He started toward her before she could get closer to the dumpster. She didn’t need to see this up close.
“This can’t be happening,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it in ways that went far beyond the ruined bike.
“What does the note say?”
“I didn’t touch it. Ford’s handling it. He’ll loop Tate in so expect Glens Falls PD here also if Tate is on duty.”
“They came here,” she said, her voice breaking. “They touched something of my daughter’s. This isn’t good. This is—this is terrifying.”
He didn’t hesitate. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him. “I’ve got you,” he said low against her hair. And he wasn’t letting go. “Where’s Gracie?”
“Inside. Watching a cartoon. I can see her from here if she opens the door, but she knows she’s not allowed to.” She looked back toward the house, tears glinting in her eyes. “I don’t want her to see what they did. She’s already upset that someone stole it, but I said that maybe there was another child out there who needed it more than her and I’d get her another.”
“I can do it tonight.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “There is too much going on. She’ll be fine.”
“She will be,” he said firmly. “Because we can’t let this touch her. Let Ford handle it.”
“I saw the picture. Is it bad?”
“Bad enough. Whoever did this wanted you to get the message. Wanted you to know that everything around you isn’t untouchable.”
She pressed a shaking hand to her forehead. “Message heard loud and clear. But why the dumpster? What if I’d never looked there? Maybe they wanted me to think it was stolen.”
“That’s possible,” he said. “Which means they’re not done yet. This is too close now, Arden. I can’t risk you or Gracie being alone tonight. Or at all right now.”
She looked up at him, startled. “Gracie won’t understand?—”
