Page 33 of Pike’s Redemption

?

“Enzo and Luca are handling that. They’re doubling patrols, and we’ve got more men coming in. We’ll have eyes on every inch of this place.” Maddox said this time. “Cross is helping, too.”

I leaned against the desk, crossing my arms. “This feels personal. It’s not just some random attack.”

Dimitri met my gaze, his expression unreadable. “I know. We’ll find out who’s behind this, and when we do…”

“Yeah.” I didn’t need him to finish the sentence. Whoever was responsible, they’d pay for it. We both knew what was at stake.

“What was thrown at the window?” I asked.

“Rabbit,” Maddox answered, his eyes on me carefully. “A small one, but skinned. Fresh.”

“Jesus. That’s creepy.”

“Agreed.” Maddox nodded.

After a few more minutes of discussing security details and confirming the new measures, I pushed off the desk. “I’m gonna check in with Ronnie.” I was concerned for her. I knew it was necessary to get all the information, but I was also worried about someone leaving her things. Concerned that it was Eli who had an interest in her. How fucked was that.

Dimitri gave me a chin lift and then indicated to his screens. “Watch her. She’s been holding back.”

“I know. I’m just worried for her.” Maddox and Dimitri just nodded at me, relieved that we were all thinking along the same lines. I left the study, my thoughts shifting to Ronnie. She was sharp, no doubt, but she had a way of keeping things close to the chest. I needed to find out if she knew more than she was letting on.

The stairs to the daylight basement creaked slightly under my weight as I descended. The lower level of the house was cooler, quieter, almost a world apart from the rest. Ronnie had taken up residence down here, her little den of secrets where she could work undisturbed.

When I reached the bottom, I found her hunched over her laptop, a small desk lamp casting a circle of light over her workspace. She didn’t look up when I approached, too absorbed in her work.

“Ronnie,” I said, keeping my tone even but firm. “We need to talk.”

She glanced up, her expression guarded. “About what?”

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You’ve been holding out on us. What else have you found?”

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I’ve told you everything I know.”

“Don’t bullshit me,” I snapped, the frustration from earlier bubbling up again. “You said there’s been a pattern. Things left on the patio? What things, Ronnie?”

She hesitated, and I could see the gears turning in her head, trying to decide how much to reveal. Finally, she pushed her laptop aside and crossed her arms over her chest. “Small things. Flower petals sometimes, but mostly small stones. I thought they were just some prank, maybe someone trying to mess with me.” She bit her lip, uncertain. “Then I realized that they were gifts. Tokens.” She clicked a few buttons and tilted her screen towards me. A man’s face was frozen as he placed a small rock on the corner of the table near her patio door. I watched as he walked up, hands in his pockets. It replayed over and over. He set the rock down, looked directly at the camera, paused, smirked, and walked away. He knew the camera was there.

“That’s Eli, right?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He had brown hair and a scar by his eye.

“I didn’t know who it was until you mentioned the conversation tonight. I’d been running facial recognition software but wasn’t getting any hits.

“And you didn’t think that was worth mentioning?” My voice was tight, struggling to keep my anger in check, but it burned bright that she’d keep something like this from her sister. “You have some strange man so close to the home you sleep in.”

“I didn’t want to worry anyone,” she shot back, a flicker of defiance in her eyes. “It didn’t seem like a big deal that someone left me rocks.”

“Ronnie, this isn’t a game.” Suddenly, I was mad. The anger stoked hot like a blacksmith’s fire. “If this is Eli, he isn’t someone that you just play with. He isn’t some high school boyfriend.” I threw up my hands in frustration at the implacable look on her face. “Someone is targeting us, and you keeping quiet could get someone hurt.”

Her shoulders slumped slightly, and the defiance faded. “I know. I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t think it would go this far.” She seemed to be thinking through something, and I was hoping she’d speak, but she stopped herself before she said anything. Fuck.

I softened my tone, trying to reach her. “Ronnie, you’ve got to tell us everything. We can’t protect you if we don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

She nodded, her eyes dropping to the floor. “I get it. I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

“Good.” I pushed off the wall and moved closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, her bones so delicate under my hand that I feared I’d break her to touch her. “We’re all in this together, okay? You don’t have to handle it alone.”

---