Page 17 of Coerced

This was just what I needed.

The weekend had rolled around, and it was safe to say I had been ready for this break.

No matter how much I wanted to tell myself that I wasn’t impacted by my work, the reality was that some cases had the power to take their toll on me.

Amelia’s case had been one of them.

Over the last several days, I’d learned a bit more about what happened, and it hadn’t been pleasant. While I hadn’t gotten specifics—and believed it might have been better that way—the men we’d apprehended and handed over to the police had not only been dealt some kidnapping charges, but there was also sexual assaultmixed in as well. I wasn’t aware of the extent of the assault on her, but the way I saw it, none of it was acceptable.

It made me sick to think about what Amelia could have been through, but I was relieved to know she and her family had been provided with all the resources to help her—and them—heal and move past it.

Now that the weekend had arrived, I was grateful for some time to decompress and focus on something else.

I desperately wanted a distraction.

So, I decided to spend my afternoon in my driveway doing some archery. I had a target, a bow, and a quiver filled with arrows.

Ever since I was a kid, I’d always enjoyed target practice this way, so whenever I needed something to take my mind off anything heavy I dealt with at work, this was one of those things I did.

And each time the arrow hit the center of the target, the tension eased its way out of my body. That had been happening steadily all day long.

Until the last two shots.

Something felt off.

If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that the feeling I was experiencing had nothing to do with archery. I stood still for a moment, assessing, and that’s when it hit me.

Somebody was watching me. I could feel it.

Given my line of work, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that someone could be targeting me, plotting some type of revenge. We’d dealt with a situation like that at Harper Security Ops not that long ago.

And if what I was feeling was accurate, I didn’t want todo something rash and ruin the chances I had of spotting this individual.

So, I moved slowly toward the target to pull out the arrows. When I turned around, I scanned the neighborhood, attempting to do it in a way that felt casual. Nothing seemed out of place. Nobody was around that shouldn’t have been. Just a few kids on bikes and a handful of neighbors were out mowing their lawns.

Despite all seeming right, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Maybe the week’s work had taken a bigger toll on me than I had originally thought.

I walked back to the edge of the driveway, shot all the arrows again, and looked down to the end of the street.

Still nothing.

Making my way to the target again, the tension built in my shoulders and across my back.

Was I losing my mind?

I gathered up my arrows again, turned in the opposite direction, and that’s when I realized I wasn’t going crazy.

My eyes landed on the house next door to mine, and I saw my new neighbor standing at the window, looking at me.

My body immediately relaxed.

This was only the second time I’d seen Aria—the first had been right when she’d moved in. We’d had a very brief conversation at that time, mostly just a friendly introduction, coupled with me welcoming her to the neighborhood by informing her I was there if she needed anything. Beyond that, we hadn’t spoken.

From the distance, I could see the way her eyes flashed with surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected me to notice her.

Not wanting her to feel bad, I smiled, lifted my freehand, and waved. Aria returned a lopsided grin and a small wave.

Just as I was about to urge her to step out, so we could talk for a bit, I heard, “Hi, Paxton!”