Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 124

CHAPTER 77-2

There were two gloves.” I said as his eyes narrowed.

“What?” He asked.

“There were two.” I said as I looked back at the box.

“This is only one.” I added and the silence returned because now the message felt even stranger.

Someone had taken the pair. Then returned only half. Deliberately and intentionally. As though they

wanted me to know they still possessed the other one.

A chill crawled up my spine and I hated it. I hated how calculated it felt. I hated how personal it felt.

Most of all, I hated that it involved Uncle Will.

Because everything else I could handle. Threats, intimidation, property damage. Those things made me angry but this made me feel violated.

Uncle Will had been my safe place. My protector. My family. And now somebody was using his

memory to get inside my head.

I stood abruptly and walked toward the office window.

Outside, the garage continued operating normally and customers came and went.

Ben worked on an engine as Diesel wandered through the lot. Everything looked ordinary. Yet

nothing felt ordinary anymore.

Jace joined me a moment later and his hand slid gently against my lower back. The touch was comforting and steady so I leaned into him slightly. Not because I was weak but because I trusted

him.

“I don’t like this.” I said.

“I know.” He said.

“I’d rather they burned another fence.” I said as his arm settled around my waist.

“I know.” He said.

At first neither of us spoke and then he turned me toward him and his hands rested lightly on my

hips.

“We’ll figure it out.” He said as I looked up.

“How?” I asked.

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CHAPTER 77-2

“We start asking questions.” He said and his voice remained calm.

“We review security footage. We talk to people. We follow every lead.” He said as his thumb brushed lightly against my side.

“And eventually we find whoever sent it.” He added.

The certainty in his voice helped. Not because it solved the problem but because it reminded me l

wasn’t facing it alone.

A small part of the tension eased. Only a little. But enough and Mia cleared her throat.

“We should document everything.” Mia said and Jace nodded.

“Agreed.” Jace said.

The practical approach immediately helped restore order. Photographs were taken. The package

was documented and Sarah Collins was contacted.

The evidence was preserved and action always felt better than helplessness.

As the afternoon continued, I found myself staring at the glove repeatedly. Every time I looked at it,

memories returned. Uncle Will teaching me how to rebuild carburetors. Uncle Will showing me

how to identify engine problems by sound alone.

Uncle Will sitting beside me after my worst fights with Charlotte. Uncle Will reminding me that my

worth wasn’t determined by other people’s opinions.

The glove represented all of that. Which meant whoever sent it had chosen their target carefully.

They weren’t attacking Lawson Customs anymore. They were attacking me.

That realization followed me all evening and by the time the garage closed, I was exhausted.

Not physically. Emotionally.

The package had accomplished exactly what it was designed to do. It had gotten inside my head.

Across town, Victor Kane sat inside a warehouse office. A man entered the room carrying a phone.

“She received it.” The man said and Victor looked up.

“Confirmed?” Victor asked.

“Yes.” The man said.

“She recognized it immediately.” He added and Victor leaned back in his chair satisfied.

Not because of the glove itself. The glove was meaningless but the reaction wasn’t and that was what mattered. Fear and uncertainty. Those were useful tools.

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