Page 14 of Rescued Duty

Naya’s wide eyes stared up at him. “It’s a warning.”

“That’s okay, then. At least you don’t have to pay anything.” She had nothing to worry about, but his response didn’t seem to help ease her concerns.

Naya shook her head and handed him the piece of paper.

He scanned the note and clenched his teeth.

Quit investigating this story or your name will end up in the paper for a different reason.

This wasn’t a warning. It was a threat.

“Naya, what’s going on?”

FIVE

Naya wasn’t going to let anyone intimidate her into backing down from this story. If she had her guess, Tucker was the culprit behind this threat. Not some malicious outsider.

If she had learned anything during her time dating him, it was that his words were empty. He said one thing and did another.

So shedefinitelywasn’t going to be rattled by this.

Zack was waiting for an answer to his question.

“It’s just a stupid work thing. Nothing to worry about.”

Cars whizzed down the street and someone honked. Naya shielded her eyes from the setting sun and scanned the road, but thankfully, the driver’s impatience hadn’t been directed at her.

Naya sighed and turned back to Zack.

“I’ll be speaking with my boss about this tomorrow.” Naya took the paper from Zack. “Thanks for walking me to my car.”

“I could send it to my buddy at the station and have it run for fingerprints.” Zack frowned. “Or Icouldhave, but we both touched it.”

She shook her head. “Don’t bother. It was probably Tucker.”

“Tucker who?” Zack scrunched his brow.

“My coworker who’s up for the same promotion. Our boss is going to decide who deserves the position after we finish our next story.” She lifted the letter once more to read it before folding it and placing the paper in her pocket. “Plus, the handwriting is sloppy. Indicative of a guy.”

“How can you be certain?” His eyes widened like he was a little offended by that.

“I’ve seen some of Tucker’s notes before. His writing looks like this.”

Naya shifted her stance and averted her eyes to the sidewalk. Zack didn’t have any right to know her history. It’s not like they were friends anymore. Still, an urge to explain herself swirled in her stomach.

She sighed. “We dated for a time, and although things didn’t end well, he did write me letters. So I’m familiar with his handwriting.”

“I see.” Zack cleared his throat like this conversation was uncomfortable for him too. “Do you still have a letter? We could compare the two.”

Naya appreciated Zack’s willingness to help, but this nuisance wasn’t worth either of their time. She’d talk to her boss in the morning and address the situation. Drew wouldn’t allow a fellow employee to harass one of their own.

“I got rid of those notes a long time ago. I’ll file a complaint with my boss, and it’ll all be taken care of.” Naya waved her hand.

Her phone vibrated in her bag.

“I need to get going.” Naya fished her phone out of her purse. “I forgot my friend Ingram is coming over to help me with something.” The words rushed out.

Naya offered a wave before climbing in her car then answered her phone.

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