“There’s been some issues recently with women being targeted, I was with them when you called.” He lets me go. “They wanted to see if the MO is similar.”
“Oh.”
“Where’s the tag?”
“On the ground behind my car.” I follow him to the back of my ride where he bends to pick up the metal disc off the ground and the three guys come to join us.
“Where did you go tonight?” Dad asks.
I shift on my feet feeling all eyes on me. “I was at Cabriana’s with Alec.”
“You’re still seeing that guy?” Dad questions.
I roll my eyes. He never liked Alec, not that he had a reason not to besides the fact that I’m his daughter and Alec is a man.
“Not after tonight,” I mutter then add, “and before you ask, no, he didn’t do anything. It just wasn’t working.” I hear two distinctive chuckles and force myself not to look at the man standing at my side, once again sucking up all the oxygen.
“How’d you know she’d been marked?” Dad asks, focusing about a foot above my head at my side.
“This is my brother, Clay.” The guy with dark blond hair speaks up.
I know my eyes widen because they look nothing alike, like nothing alike.
“As family we’ve spoke about what’s been going on in the city recently.”
“I was on my bike when I saw someone tag her car. I decided I’d follow,” he says, leaving out what he told me, that he was watching them, which I find interesting.
“You didn’t think about calling it in?”
“Nope,” he says easily.
I rub my lips together when my dad’s expression turns scary.
“This isn’t a game.”
“I’m aware,” Clay bites out.
I’m almost tempted to step between him and my father, but instead I ask, “So is it the same kind of tracker used in other cases?”
Clay’s brother takes it from Dad and flips it over in his hand. “Looks like the others to me.” He hands it to the man next to him.
“I’d say it’s the same.” He hands it back to my dad then meets my gaze. “Did you get a good look at the guys?”
“Not really.” My nose scrunches. “They were both average looking white guys.” I shrug wishing I had more information, but the truth is I was distracted by the man at my side about two seconds after I spotted them standing next to my car.
“What about you?” my dad asks Clay.
He crosses his arms over his chest. “The man who placed the tracker was not one of the men who were here.”
“So, they might not be connected,” I surmise.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Clay’s brother says softly. “These guys tend to work in teams.”
“There has also been a string of carjackings over the last few months. The tracker could have been placed in order for them to find your car later and steal it,” the guy with dark hair explains.
“So, no one has any idea what was intended.” I lift my hands and let them fall to my sides. “Should I be worried?”
“You should always be worried,” Dad says.
I glare at him. “That’s not helpful.”
“I taught you to always be aware of what’s going on around you and to trust your gut if something doesn’t seem right.”
“I know but I’m asking if this tracker situation is something I need to be worried about right now. Will whoever put it on my car put another one on it?”
“I wish we could give you that answer, but we can’t.” Clay’s brother says, then adds, “all you can do is stay vigilant.”
“Great.”
“Why don’t you stay with me and Mom tonight?”
“Brodie is out of town until tomorrow, I’m keeping Jeb for him until he gets home, and besides Leah is home so I won’t be alone.” I watch him let out a frustrated breath, probably because he doesn’t like Brodie who happens to be a guy I dated a while back but stayed friends with, and he knows he can’t force me to stay with him and Mom, even if he really wants to.
“All right, I’ll follow you home, but if you go out this weekend, I want you to tell me when and where you’re going.”
“I can do that.” I agree then look at Clay’s brother and the man with him. “Nice meeting you two.”
“Tucker.” Clays brother says.
Then the other man adds, “Miles.”
I give both of them a smile, then glance up at Clay. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“No problem.” He jerks up his chin.
With nothing else to do I turn to my dad. “I’ll wait for you before I pull out.”
“Yeah, kid I’ll be just a minute.” He lifts his chin.
I hustle over to my car and get in behind the wheel. After putting my bags in the passenger seat, I start the engine then look at the rearview mirror at the men still behind my car, talking. I have no idea what is being said but neither Clay nor my dad look very happy, which is making me curious. After a minute, my dad walks off with the other guys, and Clay stands there watching them go, then turns his head. Our eyes meet in my mirror, and I bite my lip then drag my eyes off his. I put my car in reverse then check the mirror to make sure it’s clear. When I see it is, I back up, then pass my dad, hearing the sound of his bike pull up behind me along with another. When I look in the mirror again, I see my dad and Clay riding side by side and a sense of déjà vu washes over me. My grandma’s always said that déjà vu is just a way of something bigger than us letting us know that we are on the right path. I just don’t know what that means for me in this instance.