Page 49 of Stopping Short

“Makes sense,” Mason murmurs to himself. “I'm thinking he put one in there, knowing he could watch you, but you’re also distracted by working and studying when you’re in there. You’re less likely to notice a camera tucked away on the bookshelf. There were a few things positioned around it and I'm sure you never moved them.”

“Awesome,” I groan, covering my face with my hands.

“They’re gone now, Harper. If they had been there for a week or two, they would’ve shown some dust. We just need to pack up your place between now and tomorrow night. Then we’ll end this chapter of your life. You’ll never have to worry about him again,” Dad says softly.

“Hopefully,” Mason adds quietly.

“Excuse me?” My attention snaps to him and my eyes widen.

“Thanks a lot, Mason.” Dad rolls his eyes.

“What? I could pretend when we leave Pittsburgh that we’ll leave Evan and all of this drama behind us, but we don’t know if that’s the case.” He shrugs his shoulders without a hint of guilt. “I’m not going to lie to her. We both know I don’t sugarcoat things.”

Mason’s phone rings and he answers it right away. He settles back into the overstuffed chair I have that I like to read on.

“Bennett,” he says, sounding so much meaner than the man I know.

“Hey, Mason, it’s Tom. Are you with Maddox?”

“Of course. When am I not with Maddox?” He rolls his eyes and sticks out his tongue at me. I know he’s trying to make me smile and it works the smallest amount.

“Hey, Tom,” Dad calls.

“Why would I expect you to be apart?” Tom chuckles. “I was keeping an eye on Harper’s house. I also asked some of the guys on different shifts to do the same. We saw one guy peeking around a few times, but we kept our distance like you asked. I’ll send you both a picture of the guy now…” he trails off.

A moment later, Dad’s phone pings with a new text. He shows me the image and tears instantly spring to my eyes.

“That’s him,” I whisper.

“That’s the guy we were worried about,” Dad says loud enough for Tom to hear. “Thanks for keeping an eye out, Tom.”

“No problem… Do I need to be worried?”

“He planted cameras all around the inside of her house. I took pictures before I removed them. Maybe you could write up a police report for us?”

“Of course. Can I stop by tomorrow morning and discuss everything with you?”

“Yes. We’ll be leaving tomorrow evening.”

“Perfect. See you then.”

Mason ends the call and sits back in his seat. He watches me for a few moments before he says anything.

“Well, I think it’s time to pack. Oh and, Harp, I wouldn’t tell your friend, Jennifer, anything. We don’t know if we can trust her.”

Chapter 28

Jackson

“Hey, babe. How was the drive?”

“It was ok,” she says softly.

Something’s off. She’s more quiet than normal. She looks sadder. Almost like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“He installed cameras in my house.”