Chapter 114 WATCHED

Chapter 114 WATCHED
Nancy's POV

“Oh my God, Nancy!”

Linda’s voice pierced through the ringing in my ears as she rushed toward me the exact moment I stumbled out of the farm. Now that the immediate danger had cleared, the adrenaline was dropping, leaving my knees weak. Behind us, the flashing red lights of the fire department cut through the thick smoke as the crew charged toward the back of the house, where aggressive orange flames were already consuming the roof.

“Hey, Linda,” I breathed out, the words scratching against my raw throat.

I forced my trembling legs to carry me toward the front balcony, collapsing onto the wooden pavement as a crushing wave of sheer, bone-deep exhaustion hit me all at once. My chest was heaving. I still couldn't shake the terrifying, cold shock of it all. But worse—far worse—was the suffocating thought of what could have easily happened to Renna and Annabella if I had been a few seconds later.

I ran a frantic hand through my hair, my mind spinning completely out of control as the terror threatened to swallow me whole.

“Nancy, what on earth happened?” Linda asked, her voice tight with panic as she sank down onto the wooden pavement right beside me, waiting for me to piece my shattered thoughts together.

“There was a van... and then two masked men,” I groaned out, the confession laced with a bitter, toxic self-hatred. I buried my fingers deep in my hair, pulling slightly just to ground myself as another furious, ragged sigh escaped my lips. “I can't believe I fucking let my guard down!”

“A van. Two masked men,” Linda repeated mechanically, the scratch of a pen hitting paper breaking the silence.

I looked up, a pang of sudden distance hitting me as I realized she wasn't just here as my friend—she was here in her official capacity as a detective, ready for questioning.

“What about the plate numbers, Nancy? You must have caught the plate numbers, right?” Linda pushed, her sharp eyes scanning my face.

A suffocating wave of pure shame washed over me. I felt so utterly pathetic, so stripped of my professional instincts, because I had to admit that I hadn't seen a single digit on the back of that vehicle.

“I was distracted,” I whispered, tears burning hot behind my eyelids as I fought to keep from breaking down completely. “At first, I was incredibly suspicious of them. But they told me they were just delivering a mini kid's tractor. They said the package was a birthday gift... and I completely let my guard down, thinking it was from Jaxon.”

I dropped my face into my palms, the weight of the near-miss pressing down on my chest until it felt like I couldn't breathe.

“Jaxon?” Linda’s voice spiked with a mix of shock and confusion. “Why would Jaxon want to blow you up, Nancy? What on earth has been going on since we dropped the Ravyn Vale case? Did you secretly continue digging into Gary Hushman's involvement in Zoe’s death? Is that what this is?!”

I couldn't answer her. The questions were flying too fast, and the room in my head was entirely full of smoke.

“Okay, screw this interrogation,” Linda snapped suddenly, tossing her notebook aside onto the floor. Her hard, professional facade completely broke, leaving only a deeply worried friend staring into my eyes. “Nancy, I need real answers. Because right now, we don't even know who the hell sent a lethal bomb hidden inside a toddler's toy as a birthday gift for your daughter.”

God. I missed her so much. Looking into her eyes, it felt like I hadn't seen her in a lifetime, even though it hadn't even been three weeks since I handed over my badge.

Linda’s POV

She looked completely hollowed out. I had been planning to visit her for days, but the Head Officer hadn't given our team a single second to breathe ever since she submitted her resignation letter—which was still sitting on his desk, completely untouched.

The blast had clearly shaken her to her core, but the mere suggestion that Jaxon could be the monster behind a package meant to kill his own family made a sick, visceral wave of nausea churn in my stomach. I didn't think Jaxon was the bad guy. I never had.

“Do you honestly think Jaxon did this?” I asked softly.

Nancy shook her head instantly, her eyes dropping to the floor as she protected his name without a second thought.

“He would never do that,” she said, her voice dropping into a soft, defensive tone that caught me entirely off guard. “He could never want to hurt us.”

There was something profoundly different in her voice. There was no hot, familiar rage, no bitter resentment like there always was whenever Jaxon’s name came up in conversation. The old Nancy—the one I had worked alongside for years—would have used this nightmare as an excuse to blame him for everything.

“If he didn't send it, then why did you assume the package came from him in the first place?” I pressed, keeping my eyes locked on every tiny shift in her expression.

“Because he would never hurt us!” she cried out, her voice cracking as the emotional dam finally broke. “He wouldn't hurt his own daughter! I mean... they finally met, Linda. They just met. So why would he... why on earth would he send a bomb?!”

I watched her completely unravel right in front of me. It was heartbreaking to see. She was desperately trying to convince her own heart that Jaxon was innocent, but the cold detective instincts left inside her were torturing her with the terrifying doubt that she had trusted him too easily.

“I’ll take it you two finally talked things out,” I murmured gently.

“Linda, I finally decided to let the past go,” Nancy groaned in deep frustration, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. “I finally decided to help him find himself, and maybe... maybe find myself in the process too. But every single step I take forward just stops making sense.”

“It’s okay,” I promised, reaching out to give her shoulder a supportive squeeze. “We will figure this out together. And honestly? I am so glad you finally saw reason with him. I’m glad he’s not the villain we made him out to be. But... I’m still going to have to ask you a few more questions.”

Nancy offered a weak nod of agreement. I reached down, grabbed my notebook from the floor, and flipped it open.

“You said you assumed the package was from Jaxon. I’m sure you had a specific reason for that,” I began, steering her back to the facts.

“He had to fly out of town this morning,” Nancy explained, her breathing slowing down slightly. “And I introduced him to Renna right before he left. The package... it came with an envelope.”

With a trembling hand, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a singed piece of paper, and handed it over to me.

I took it from her, my eyes narrowing as I read the neat handwriting scrawled across the front: Happy birthday, princess.

“He calls her that,” Nancy whispered, her eyes wide with a sudden, chilling realization. “He always calls Renna 'princess.' That’s why I just assumed it was him.”

The pieces instantly clicked together in my mind, sending a cold shiver down my spine. “Whoever sent this layout wanted you to think Jaxon did it,” I muttered.

“I know,” Nancy said, running another frantic hand through her hair as the walls closed in on her. “And it means they’ve been watching every single move I make.”

“That leaves us with exactly two suspects,” I stated firmly. “Ravyn Vale and Gary Hushman. Nancy... maybe this is a sign that you still need your badge.”

“No, Linda,” Nancy snapped, her tone suddenly hardening into something dark and lethal. The vulnerability vanished, replaced by a terrifying, cold fury. “I don't need my badge. With that badge, I am legally obligated to save a life regardless of whose life it is. But these people? I want to kill them with my own bare hands.”

A heavy silence fell over the balcony.

“Thank you for stopping by for the interrogation,” she added, her voice sharp as she stood up. “I only have one last lead that could help you track down that van. I managed to scan the code on the package before the blast. That mini tractor came from a legitimate company. Just find out where the goods were shipped from, how they arrived at the local depot, and how it got that bomb rigged onto it. There’s no fucking way we won't find someone who knows who did this.”

She was absolutely furious. I could see the dangerous fire burning in her eyes, could hear the reckless desperation vibrating in her voice.

“Nancy, digging into an attempted murder privately has never brought you anything but severe danger,” I pleaded, standing up to face her. I needed her to see reason before she got herself killed. “Maybe you should just talk to the Head Officer. Have him assign his private protection team back to you. I mean, look at what happened today! These people could be anywhere. They could have operatives tracking every single member of your family right now.”

The thought was starting to seriously creep me out, but Nancy was already checking out.

“Let’s talk later, Linda,” she said coldly, turning her back on me. “I need to go make sure Kelvin is fine.”

Without waiting for a response, she walked away, leaving me standing alone on the smoky balcony.

I let out a stressed sigh, watching her retreat. She was going to get herself into so much trouble, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I don't know why she always has to be so incredibly stubborn about everything.