Page 23 of Until Easton

My thoughts are confirmed when we find Miles, Jax, and Becca's grandad sitting at the kitchen table and see the grim look on my manager's face. All three men look at us, their eyes falling to our joined hands. Jax grins but says nothing. Miles, on the other hand, true to his nature, has something to say.

"You look better than you have in a long time." He stands and approaches us, looking at Becca. "And I bet this pretty young lady is to blame." He smiles at her. "I'm Miles."

"Becca." She takes his hand.

Miles sighs and addresses me. "Easton, there was a break-in at your apartment."

"What? Anything stolen?" I ask him.

"No." His eyes cut to Becca briefly.

"You can speak freely. I’m not hiding anything." I guide Becca to the table, and she sits next to her grandad as I pull out a chair beside her.

"I went by your place to grab the bed for your cat. The damn furball thinks my pillow belongs to him, and I want it back." Even under the circumstances, I can't help but grin. Miles will never admit he likes the cat. He hands me his phone. "Anyway, I found the place ransacked." I slide my finger across the screen, looking at images of my apartment torn apart. "I took those while waiting for the police to arrive." The final image I stare down at is my bathroom mirror, with the words I will find you written in bright red.

"Is that blood?" Becca says, sounding concerned.

"It's lipstick," Miles states.

"Are you sure this stalker isn’t some scorned ex?" Becca eyes me for an explanation.

"I don’t have exes. Just a problematic fan." I try to make it sound less than it is.

"I'd say this is more than problematic. You have a crazy-ass woman on your hands," Becca states. "And you have a cat?"

"Yeah, Gizmo. Found him in the back alley at a gig one night a few years ago. He's been my sidekick ever since." I look from the screen to Becca. "What"”

She smiles, her eyes twinkling. "Nothing."

"Can we get back to the problem at hand?" Miles says. "The police found no signs of forced entry. Hell, even I saw nothing out of the ordinary before opening the door. The place was locked uptight."

"I obtained a list of residences in the building. Security cameras didn't turn up anyone who was out of the ordinary coming or going aside from delivery personnel, and they were all men," Jax informs us.

I run my hand through my hair and blow out a breath. "You need me back in Nashville?"

"I'd advise against it until the police need to talk with you," Jax cuts in before Miles can respond. "You shouldn't risk this person making contact at all. For now, stay put. Wait a few days. We have someone scoping the building, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity."

I look at Miles. "Have you heard from Archer, Cody, or Micah?"

"Micah and Tallulah are with her folks. Cody—he’s relaxing on a beach along the west coast, and Archer, well, he's spending his time flying all over the place." Sounds about right. Archer doesn't like to stay in place too long.

"The guys and I are going to install a security system inside the apartment. If anyone enters again, we'll be the first to know." Jax looks at his watch and stands. "I got to get home to my woman. If my guys run down any leads, we'll let you know." I stand and shake his hand.

"Thanks."

Not long after Jax takes his leave, I walk with Miles to his car. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Alright." Miles pauses after opening the car door.

"Becca and her grandfather have a loan out on the ranch. I want it taken care of."

Miles eyes me for a second. "She means something to you, doesn't she?"

I look back at the house and notice her grandad stepping outside. "She does."

"Does she know what you're up to?" he asks.

I look at Miles but don't answer.