Fifty Shades of Fatherhood

Chapter 15

Teddy is cranky today. I put him in his wagon, and we went to the farmers market. He has been teething and not his jovial self. I picked up a few groceries that we needed than planned on heading back home to put Teddy down for his nap. Not the first time the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I was hyper-aware someone was watching Teddy and me.

I looked around and caught a man who looked the other way as soon as we made eye contact the gesture had been so unnatural it caught me off guard. I moved over to a produce stand picking up some vegetables only to notice the same man standing across the aisle staring. My head was down so he could not tell I could see him but as I bagged my vegetables. I removed some cash from a pocket on my phone case, and I inconspicuously snapped a couple of shots of the man with my phone. After I paid for groceries, I felt eyes on me but no longer saw the gentleman but hurried home.

I opened the photos, and the pictures were blurry, but one was 'clear enough I could make out the features of the man. Who is following me? I am not sure Christian cares enough to come to look for me now besides if he did hire someone to tail me, he would not waste his time or money on someone getting noticed so quickly. Christian would hire the best.

I wanted to turn this over to my dad or brothers but knew it was not safe to call. I was in tune enough to know something was going on. The FBI assigned Zach and Ryan both cases that were consuming all of their time. I got the feeling the matter was personal to both of them although they never gave me details to anything they were working. I also found out that Gina had someone hack her accounts and taken money from her. She seemed emotional lately, and I learned enough from Gina that there was more to the story then I was being told. I know it is frustrating for someone to steal from you, but her reaction did not fit the situation; it was almost as if she became depressed and suffered from anxiety. I did not understand her response. I knew something more than just theft occurred; I had no idea what.

On this particular assignment, Zach and Ryan had gone undercover, and I was unable to reach out to them, I had to wait for them to reach out to me. My dad's company became involved also, and I could not call him either.

I recently learned I had a safe in the apartment. Rick used the place to meet informants. Some of the people he dealt with were not the most trustworthy, and Rick did not like to bring these individuals to the home he shared with Gina. Often he made this informant believe he was someone he was not, so the apartment was useful. After he died, Gina kept the condo and rented it out. Rick had installed a safe in the floor in the living room. The safe hidden in plain sight and no one would know it was there. The hardwood hid the safe , aiming the remote at the floor and entering the code caused, the floorboards to pop up leading to a hole in the ground. The planking could be returned to look seamless. I printed the photos and added them to the safe. I would give them to my father or brothers next time I saw one of them.

I was not sure who was following me or what they wanted, but seeing the same man multiple times was just too coincidental. I was on high alert and added some bells and things that would strategically fall off the wall to make noise in case someone broke in. I had just been so unsettled here recently. My dad had shown me this homemade tricks to help signal intruders and I just hoped they worked.

I decided I would install a high-end system but needed professional help. If I called a local security system, I am sure it would be noticed by whoever was following me. I had to wait and hope Zach would come to see me soon.

I busied myself hanging the new photos Jose had sent me. We had become good friends again, and he had become obsessed with Teddy. Jose began snapping pictures of Teddy and me, and after every visit, he would send me stacks of canvases for my walls. The few times he had visited he had commented on my bare walls now I was having the opposite issue trying to find sufficient wall space to hang the photos.