Chapter 30
Link orderedsecurity cameras and had them set up before Sunday. He liked being able to see his front and back yard without leaving his bed. Maybe it was overkill, but he felt better knowing Ansley would be safe.
“Hey, new camera out front,” Bean said when he stepped into the house.
“Yeah. With Ansley living here and that mess with Pete, I wanted her protected.”
Bean flashed a crooked smile. “So she’s living with you now?”
“Sure is.”
"Damn, I'm happy for you, man. That's great that you have a girlfriend now."
“She’s a good person. I couldn’t have found anyone else better for me.”
“That’s awesome.”
The door opened, and Stanley and Keel came in. They shook his hand before heading into the kitchen. Chase and Scott were next, followed by Mick. It was a full house, and based on how Ansley was greeting his friends, she loved having them over.
He put the burgers and hot dogs on the grill as the guys got the rest of the food ready, heating some of it in the microwave. Ansley had made cookies and a cake, which the guys were excited about.
Hanging out like this brought them closer together. He knew some guys didn’t spend time together outside of work, which was good if that’s how you liked it. He was glad the group of men he worked with the most were all friends.
They were inside, about to cut into the cake, when Mick's phone rang. He looked at the screen, then met Link's gaze.
“It’s Ryan. Are you both okay with the guys hearing?”
Ansley nodded. “Sure. Answer and let’s see what he has to say.”
Mick answered. "Hey, Ryan. What's up? Is it okay if I put you on speaker? I'm here with Ansley and Link." Ryan said something, and Mick nodded. "Okay, you're on speaker now."
“Hello, I’m Agent Ryan Lane with the FBI. I planned to introduce myself in an email, but I wanted to call.”
“Hello, Ryan. I’m Ansley.”
“Link here, too.”
“So I have some news. We had Pete’s social media shut down, but not before he gathered enough of a following to ask his followers to find you.”
“What?” Ansley sounded shocked.
“They tracked you to a beach town in North Carolina. Pete is being charged with fraud, but he’s not shutting up. There are social media accounts pushing back, showing that the video he spread around to his followers is a fake, but it’s social media, and the lies spread faster than the truth.”
“Shit. Sorry, didn’t mean to curse,” Ansley said.
"It's understandable in this situation. I'm flying out to California tomorrow to talk to Pete in person. He's being held in the Los Angeles County lockup. There are other things we cancharge him with, but the fraud charges and threats against you are the ones that will stick."
“Thank you for helping me,” Ansley said.
“Anytime. I understand you just left the Marines and have an interview with the State Department. I want this cleaned up before you go in for your interview with State. There is no reason someone like you should be punished because of a jerk like Pete.”
“Thank you.”
The call ended with Ryan promising he would call once he finished in LA. Link felt better. Maybe this dude would stop harassing Ansley, and they could focus on living their lives.
After the call ended,the guys were a little quiet while she cut the cake. Bean was the first to speak up.
“So you’re planning on working for the State Department? Wouldn’t that mean you’d be in DC?”
