“Problem?” Rio’s voice was low, lethal.
The man didn’t answer. He just looked past Rio, straight at Kylee, and that was enough for Rio to move forward, closing the space between them like a predator. The man backed up, palms up, that smug expression not fading. “Just enjoying the pier,” he said, voice dripping with insincerity.
Rio didn’t buy it for a second. “Yeah?” He stepped closer until the man had no choice but to retreat. “Enjoy it somewhere else. Before I make you.”
The guy smirked one last time… and melted into the crowd.
Rio didn’t relax until they were in the SUV, the doors locked, and his security detail falling in behind them. He slid into the driver’s seat, jaw tight, knuckles white around the steering wheel.
“That wasn’t some random tourist,” he muttered. “That was a message.”
Kylee’s stomach sank. “From Jake.” Rio didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.
Jake sat in his living room in Idaho, empty beer bottles littering the coffee table, the TV blaring but ignored. His eyes were bloodshot, his fingers twitching with restless, manic energy. He’d been making calls all morning. Quiet calls. Shady calls. And finally, someone delivered.
A grainy cell phone picture lit up his screen Kylee, Rio, and the kids on the pier earlier that day. Jake zoomed in, his jaw tightening at the sight of Rio’s hand on her back. His vision blurred with rage. Beneath the photo was a short message from the same unknown number:“Told you I could find them.”
Jake grinned a slow, dangerous thing. “Good,” he muttered. “Real good.” He dialed a number he shouldn’t have memorized but did.
When the man on the other end answered, Jake’s voice was low, cold, and certain. “I want you to send her something. Somethingthat’ll make her look over her shoulder every damn second of the day.”
Hours later, in LA, Kylee sat in Rio’s kitchen helping Macy and Kayla color at the island when the front gate buzzer went off. Rio’s head popped up from where he was unpacking takeout.
“I’m not expecting anyone,” he said, crossing to the security panel.
A delivery guy stood at the gate holding a small black box. No company logo. No name. Rio hesitated, then buzzed him in. The man walked up, silent, handed over the package, and left without a word.
Kylee frowned. “What is it?”
Rio didn’t answer right away, he just set it on the counter and slowly lifted the lid.
Inside was a single Polaroid photo. Kylee’s breath hitched. It was of her on the pier earlier taken from an angle she didn’t notice her face turned slightly, her hand on Kayla’s stroller. But in the background, blurred but unmistakable, was the hooded man from earlier. Beneath the photo was a scrap of paper with five words written in thick black marker:
“You can’t hide from me.”
Her hands started to shake. Rio’s jaw locked so tight she thought his teeth might crack. He crumpled the note in his fist, eyes dark. Rio didn’t say another word as he pulled his phone from his pocket and hit speed dial.
“Vince. I want the entire team here. Now. Full perimeter lockdown, every camera monitored, nobody gets in without mypermission. I don’t care if it’s the mailman turn them away. And Vince…” His voice dropped, dangerous. “…if you see this guy, you stop him. Hard.”
He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the counter. Kylee was still staring at the Polaroid, her stomach knotted, that awful prickling sensation crawling up her neck. “Rio… if he knows where we are?”
“Then he knows,” Rio cut in, stepping close, his hand cupping her cheek. His voice softened just enough for her, but his eyes stayed hard. “This is my house. My world. He’s not touching you here.”
Within twenty minutes, the quiet street outside began to change. A convoy of black SUVs pulled up, men in tactical gear stepping out like shadows. Two took positions at the front gate, others melted into the property lines, disappearing among the trees. From the living room window, Jake Jr. pressed his face to the glass.
“Whoa. Mom… are we in trouble?”
Kylee forced a smile. “No, baby. Just… extra safety, that’s all.”
Macy tugged at her sleeve. “Like in a princess castle with guards?”
Rio, overhearing, smiled faintly. “Exactly like that.” But the moment the kids turned away, his expression dropped back to stone.
Upstairs, Vince installed a new keypad lock on the master suite door. “Nobody in or out without your code,” he told Rio quietly.
Kylee stood in the doorway, hugging herself. “This is really happening, isn’t it? He’s here. He’s close.”
Rio walked over, his presence filling the space. “Yeah. And that means I’m not taking my eyes off you. Or them.”
