Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 26

CHAPTER 17

ལང་

+25 Points

CHAPTER 17

stared at the monitor for several long seconds without saying a word. The workshop was

completely silent except for the quiet hum of the computer.

Ben replayed the footage and then replayed it again. Neither of us needed to watch it a third time.

Charlotte had been careful.

She had waited until I was distracted helping another customer before wandering across the workshop floor. She’d smiled at George on her way past, complimented a customer on his motorcycle and acted as though she was simply looking around.

Then she’d checked over both shoulders before the movement was made very subtly. It was quick

and deliberate.

She crouched beside the customer’s bike for less than five seconds before standing again and

casually walking away.

Five seconds. That was all it had taken and Ben leaned back in his chair.

“I don’t understand.” Ben said.

“Neither do I.” I said.

“She could’ve gotten someone hurt.” He said.

“I know.” I said.

My voice came out quieter than I expected and the thought made my stomach twist.

Charlotte had lied before and manipulated people for years. She had destroyed friendships, blamed me for things I hadn’t done and somehow managed to convince our parents that I was

always the problem.

But this was different. This could have caused an accident and someone could have lost control of

that motorcycle on the highway.

Someone could have died and Ben looked over at me.

“What do we do?” Ben asked.

I crossed my arms while watching the paused image of Charlotte on the screen.

“We save every copt of this footage.” I said and Ben nodded immediately.

“I’ll back it up.” He said.

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“Three copies.” I said and he looked surprised.

“Three?” He asked.

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“One stays on the computer, one goes onto a flash drive and another one goes onto an external

hard drive.” I said.

“You really don’t trust people.” He said and I smiled faintly.

“I grew up with Charlotte.” I said and he didn’t ask any more questions.

Within the next fifteen minutes we’d copied the footage onto multiple devices.

I labeled each one carefully before locking two of them inside the office safe.

Only then did I finally let myself breathe and Ben looked at me again.

“We should call the sheriff.” He said.

The suggestion hung in the air and part of me wanted to agree. The evidence was clear and the video showed exactly what she’d done. But another part of me remembered every single time

Charlotte had talked her way out of trouble.

She had an explanation of everything. An excuse for everything and a smile that convinced people to ignore the obvious so I slowly shook my yet.

“Not yet.” I said.

“Why?” Ben frowned.

“Because one video won’t stop her.” I said but he looked confused.

“It proves she tampered with the bike.” He said.

“It proves she touched it. If it turned into her word against mine, she’ll tell everyone she noticed something loose and tried to help.” I said as I rested my hands on the desk and Ben’s shoulders

dropped.

“You think she’d do that?” He asked.

“I know she would.” I said so he was quiet for a moment before nodding.

“So we wait.” He said.

“We watch. And next time…she doesn’t get another chance to explain anything away.” I said looking back at the frozen image on the monitor.

The office door opened behind us and Jace stepped inside carrying two coffees before stopping when he saw our expressions.

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CHAPTER 17

“Something happened.” He said and I turned the monitor toward him.

“You should probably see this.” I said.

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He watched the footage without interrupting and when it finished he didn’t speak immediately.

Instead, he looked at me.

“You’ve already backed it up.” He said.

“Three copies.” I said and a small smile cross his face.

“I figured.” He said.

“I’ve also decided not to go to the sheriff yet.” I said and he studied me for a second.

“I would’ve found that decision difficult.” He said.

“So have I.” I said.

“But you’re thinking ahead.” He said.

“I’m tired of reacting. For once I’d like to be ready.” I shrugged and Jace gave me a small nod.

“That’s patience. It takes strength.” He said and I laughed softly.

“I was aiming for stubborn.” I said.

“I noticed.” He said.

For the first time that morning, the tightness in my chest eased slightly.

Having proof didn’t solve everything. But it meant I wasn’t imagining who Charlotte really was anymore. I finally had something she couldn’t erase.

The rest of the afternoon settled into it’s usual routine.

Customers came and went, Ben carefully worked through the next service on the schedule and I buried myself in work because engines were far easier to understand than people.

An engine always gave you clues. People usually hit theirs.

Just before closing, I realized I was out of coffee which was rapidly becoming a workplace

emergency.

“I’ll be back in ten minutes.” I called to Ben.

“I’ll guard the kingdom.” He said and I looked around the workshop.,

“It’s more like a greasy castle.” I said.

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