Dirty little Summer

Someone is watching

JACK'S POV

I didn't even turn off the truck properly before I jumped out.

The sun was dropping fast, bleeding dark orange and red over the lake. My eyes scanned the patio automatically, searching for dark hair and a sharp attitude.

Empty.

I shoved the glass doors open, stepping into the main living room. Anna was sitting on the couch, calmly scrolling through her phone.

"Where's Rory?" I asked, my voice tight.

Anna didn't even look up. "She went down to the dock for some fresh air. She had her headphones in."

"Are you kidding me?" I snapped, stepping right into her line of sight. "Anna, we literally just got a threat wrapped in a ribbon two hours ago! We agreed she wasn't supposed to be alone!"

Anna dropped her phone, her eyes widening as she realized her mistake. "s**t. Jack, I'm sorry, I thought she was just standing on the patio for a second—"

"I'll get her," I growled, turning on my heel toward the back patio.

Before I could even reach the glass doors, the handles turned.

My father walked in first, his face set in stone. Right behind him was Aurora. Her cheeks were pale, her full lips pressed into a thin, tight line.

I exhaled sharply, marching straight up to her. "Where the hell were you? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Aurora rolled her eyes, popping her hip out. "Relax, Captain. I was at the dock, not launching a missile. Your dad found me before you could send a search party."

"It's not funny, Rory," I said, stepping closer into her space. "We don't know who delivered that box."

"Well, whoever it is just sent a follow-up text," Aurora said, her voice dropping its playful edge.

I froze. "What?"

"Both of our phones buzzed at the same exact second down at the water," my dad said, his low voice cutting through the foyer. He pulled his phone out and handed it to me. "Same number. Same message."

I snatched the phone and read the screen.

*I can see you.*

Rage slammed straight into my gut. "Show me your phone, Rory."

She handed it over without arguing for once. I checked the contact info, tapping the screen aggressively. "Blocked number. Sent through a web server. Whoever this is knows what they're doing."

"Security is sweeping the compound right now," my dad said calmly, though the flex in his jaw told me he was just as pissed off as I was. "Nobody leaves the house tonight. Is that clear?"

Aurora groaned, throwing her head back against the wall. "Great. First I get a stalker, now I'm a prisoner in a mansion. This weekend keeps getting better and better."

"Rory, shut up," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "I'm trying to keep you alive."

"I don't need a twenty-four-seven bodyguard, Jack!" she shot back. She stepped up to me, her chest practically brushing against mine. The heat coming off her skin hit me like a punch. "I've handled crazy guys before."

"Not like this," I muttered, my eyes dropping to her mouth before I forced myself to look away. "Just stay inside."

By 1:00 AM, the entire house was dead silent.

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that dark handwriting on the note. I saw Nick's swollen lip, his bitter smirk, and the sudden fear in Aurora's eyes when her phone buzzed.

I pulled on a grey hoodie, kicked off my covers, and decided to walk the halls.

I headed down to the basement level where the security office was located. The door was half-open, casting a blue light onto the hallway floor. Inside, one of our guards, Marcus, was leaning close to a bank of monitors, replaying video footage.

"Find anything?" I asked, pushing the door open.

Marcus jumped slightly before relaxing. "Mr. Jordan. Nothing solid yet. The front gate camera caught zip after that courier left."

"Show me the dock feeds," I demanded, stepping behind his chair. "From twenty minutes before my dad went down there."

Marcus typed on his keyboard, pulling up the thermal and night-vision feeds from the lake.

"Rewind that," I said sharply, pointing at the top-right screen. "Right there. Stop."

Marcus hit pause.

At the very edge of the woods, right where the tree line met the grass near the dock, a shape stood half-hidden in the shadows. A dark hoodie. A baseball cap.

My blood ran hot. "He was right there."

"I searched that section ten minutes after the text came through, sir," Marcus insisted, zooming in. "There was nobody—"

"Look at where he's facing!" I cut him off, leaning over his shoulder.

The hooded figure wasn't looking toward the main house. He wasn't looking at the security cameras. His head was tilted directly toward the dock—right at the spot where Aurora had been sitting with her feet dangling over the water.

"He was watching her," I whispered, my hands clenching into tight fists. "Send this feed to my dad's study right now."

I took the stairs two at a time, striding down the carpeted hallway toward my dad's office. The door was open, light spilling out into the dark hall.

My dad was standing behind his desk, staring at his laptop screen. He had already opened the file Marcus sent.

"You saw it?" I asked, slamming the door shut behind me.

"I saw it," my dad said quietly. His shirt was still unbuttoned at the collar, his dark eyes fixed on the frozen frame of the hooded guy. "He was less than fifty yards away from her."

"This isn't just Nick throwing a bitter tantrum," I said, pacing in front of his desk. "Nick is an i***t. He's loud, he's arrogant, and he punches walls when he's mad. This guy is quiet. He's tracking her."

My dad crossed his thick arms over his chest, leaning back against his desk. "You think someone followed her here from home?"

"I think whoever wrote that note has been watching her long before she stepped foot in this estate," I said tightly.

Before my dad could answer, the study door swung open. Thomas, the head of estate security, walked in, his face tense.

"Mr. Jordan, excuse me," Thomas said, breathing slightly heavy. "My men just finished sweeping the tree line behind the old boat house."

"And?" my dad asked, his voice dropping into that dangerous register.

"We found fresh footprints leading deep into the woods toward the back fence," Thomas reported. "He cleared the wall before we could corner him."

I swore out loud, turning toward the door. "I'm going after him."

"Hold on, Jack," Thomas said quickly, holding up a clear plastic evidence bag. "We found something else. It was lying in the dirt right beside the footprints."

My dad stepped out from behind his desk, reaching out to take the bag.

I leaned in, looking at the object inside. It was a silver chain, tarnished with age, holding a small, scratched metal dog tag.

The second my dad's eyes hit the dog tag, his face went pale.

"Dad?" I frowned, looking between him and the chain. "What is that? Do you recognize it?"

My dad swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around the plastic bag until it crinkled loudly in the silent room.

"This..." my dad whispered. "This belonged to Aurora's father.”