2026-09-03 18:40:38
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Chapter 78
Tyler crossed the street at a steady, unhurried pace, keeping his eyes locked on the sedan, not wanting to spook whoever sat inside into doing anything rash. He'd barely made it halfway across when the engine suddenly roared to life, tires screeching against the pavement as the car peeled away from the curb and sped off down the street, disappearing around the corner before he could get anywhere close.He didn't chase it. Running after a car on foot wasn't going to accomplish anything except burning energy he didn't have to spare, and he'd learned by now that whoever was behind these little appearances wasn't interested in a direct confrontation.He stood there a moment longer, mentally cataloguing what he could. Dark sedan, tinted windows, no visible plate number from this distance, gone before he could note anything more useful. Not much, but something.Brett caught up to him a minute later, having watched the whole thing unfold from the station's entrance. "That the same car from b
Chapter 77
Tyler pulled into the station's lot a week and a half after the stitches first went in, feeling steadier than he had in days, though the ache along his side still flared occasionally when he reached too far or twisted the wrong way. Brett was waiting for him near the truck bay before he'd even made it through the door, arms crossed, expression unreadable in a way Tyler had learned usually meant trouble."You're cleared for light duty," Brett shook his head. "Not full duty. Light.""I know what cleared for light duty means, Brett.""Do you, though?" Brett fell into step beside him as they walked toward the locker room. "Because the way I heard it, you tried telling the ER nurse you were 'fine' while actively bleeding through a towel. That's not exactly a man with a healthy respect for his own limits."Tyler let out a frustrated grunt, "That was a different situation.""Was it? Because I've also heard you tried walking fifteen minutes home after a restaurant exploded instead of just cal
Chapter 76
The drive back to the motel was rather calm, Fae's usual chatter noticeably absent, her eyes fixed on the road, one hand tapping an uneven rhythm against the steering wheel. Tyler watched the streetlights slide past the window, Preston's warning still sitting heavy in his chest."You've gone silent," Fae said eventually, glancing at him. "I mean, you don't talk much but this is worrying.”He gave a simple response, "Thinking…""About what?"Tyler hesitated, weighing how to approach it. "Preston said something to me before we left. I want to ask you about it, but I don't want it to come out like an accusation.""Okay," Fae nodded slowly, her grip on the wheel tightening slightly. "Ask.""Is he just being possessive," Tyler started, "or is there something more serious behind why your family wants you with him specifically? He made it sound like more than just personal preference."Fae exhaled slowly, pulling into the motel's lot before answering, cutting the engine and sitting there for
Chapter 75
The dinner started with the usual polite greetings exchanged at the door, drinks offered, small talk carried along by people who'd clearly rehearsed it well before anyone sat down. Tyler kept close to Fae's side, her hand occasionally brushing his as they made their way through the entry hall, both of them braced for whatever the evening had in store.Preston's parents arrived not long after, dressed in an understated elegance that still somehow managed to cost more than Tyler's monthly rent, their greeting to Fae warm and familiar in a way that made it clear this wasn't their first time at this particular table."Fae, darling, you look wonderful," Preston's mother appreciated, pressing a light kiss to each of Fae's cheeks before her eyes drifted toward Tyler, assessing him with a politeness that didn't quite mask the skepticism underneath. "And this must be your companion.""Tyler," Fae introduced smoothly, looping her arm through his. "Tyler, this is Margaret and Phillip Kane, Pres
Chapter 74
"Tell him no," Tyler rejected immediately. "You're recovering from someone sending armed men after you, I've got stitches, and your father wants a dinner party. Hold your ground, Fae. He can wait.""It's not that simple," Fae answered, setting her phone down with a small sigh."It kind of is. You just say no.""You clearly haven't met my father properly yet." She dropped into the chair across from him, rubbing her temples. "He asked to meet you. Properly, this time, outside of a formal dinner with twenty other relatives watching every word. He's never done that before. Not with anyone I've dated."Tyler frowned slightly. "That's unusual?""Extremely." Fae crossed her arms, something thoughtful crossing her face. "I've brought exactly two other men around my family in my whole life, both disasters, by the way, and my father barely acknowledged either of them beyond polite small talk. This is different. He wants an actual conversation.""You think it's about the alley?" "I think it mig
Chapter 73
"It's probably nothing," Fae eventually answered, setting the phone down on the table a little too quickly. "People send threatening messages to wealthy families all the time. It's practically a hobby for some of them. Half of it's just cranks trying to scare money out of us.""Fae." Tyler's voice was quiet, but firm enough to cut through the deflection. "It mentions me specifically. By name. And it came in less than forty-eight hours after I got stabbed defending you from four men in an alley."She shrugged, "Coincidences happen.""Not like this."Fae busied herself with the edge of the blanket draped over the back of the couch, smoothing it unnecessarily, avoiding his eyes. "I'm just saying, it doesn't have to be connected.""You went pale reading it," Tyler said. "You recognized the phrasing. That's not nothing."She was quiet for a long moment, her hands still fussing with the blanket. "I don't know who sent it," she said finally. "I want to be clear about that. I don't have a nam
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