Page 17 of Jesse (Pecan Pines #6)

Beck

The last customer of the day stepped up to the counter, a smile already in place. My muscles ached from hours of cooking, but I matched his energy with a grin.

"Hey, thanks again for the other day. You really rallied the crowd for us."

The man shrugged. "Not a problem. Would’ve been a crime if you didn’t make it to the finals."

I laughed, genuinely touched. "Well, we owe you one for that." I paused, the name on the tip of my tongue but slipping away. "Thanks again, uh..."

"Aiden," he offered, saving me from embarrassment.

"Right, Aiden! Sorry about that." I gave him an apologetic smile. "What can I get you?"

He rattled off his order, and I nodded, already reaching for the ingredients. As I handed it to him, I said, "It’s on the house."

Aiden held up his wallet, shaking his head. "Please, let me pay."

I insisted, waving him off. "Not happening. Consider it a thank-you."

For a second, it looked like he might argue, but then he relented with a chuckle. "Alright, I won’t fight you on it."

As Aiden walked off, Jesse appeared behind me, his tone sharp enough to cut through the quieting bustle. "Since when do we give out freebies?"

I turned, startled by the edge in his voice. His gaze fixed in the direction Aiden had disappeared.

"It’s not a big deal," I said quickly, brushing it off with a shrug.

"Sure," he muttered, his eyes narrowing just slightly. "He must be pretty special, huh?"

The comment caught me off guard. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Jesse’s jaw tensed as he leaned back against the counter, a little too casual. "Nothing. Just saying, you don’t go throwing free meals at every regular who walks by."

I felt a flush creep up my neck. “If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t even be in the finals.”

Jesse scoffed under his breath, something that sounded a lot like, "We could’ve gotten through without him."

"What was that?"

Dodging the question, he straightened and gestured toward the crowd outside. "What if other regulars expect freebies?"

I rolled my eyes. "Relax. No one saw, and we’re about to close up anyway."

His jaw ticked, but he didn’t push further.

Ready to call it a day, I ignored him and grabbed the stack of receipts and tickets, setting them on the counter in front of me.

Sorting through them had become second nature, a ritual to wrap up the chaos of the day. The receipts were smudged with grease or ink that had bled under pressure, the tickets crumpled and stained.

I paused at one that seemed out of place.It wasn’t a receipt at all, but a scrap of paper, folded haphazardly and wedged between the others. I frowned, unfolding it slowly.

The scrawl was jagged, rushed.

You’re next, Beck.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My mind raced, leaping to a hundred different conclusions, none of them good.

Who? How had this even gotten here?

I must’ve made a sound because Jesse appeared beside me, his hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

I didn’t trust my voice, so I held up the note instead.

His expression darkened instantly. “Where’d you find this?”

“In the receipts. It must’ve been handed to me earlier.” My voice came out uneven, and I hated how shaky I sounded.

Jesse didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he grabbed his phone and opened the app linked to the truck’s cameras.

His eyes flicked across the screen, his thumb swiping as he rewound the footage. I watched him closely, tension coiling in my chest.

He muttered a curse under his breath, his jaw tightening. “Nothing. Either they knew where the blind spots were or they’re just that good.”

Without missing a beat, he stepped outside, the cold air rushing in as he made the call.

His voice was low and controlled as he spoke to Cooper, but I caught the sharp edge of frustration beneath it.

I stayed rooted to the spot, clutching the counter to steady myself.

Was this the same person who had planted the body in my truck? Was this a warning? A threat?

I caught snippets of Jesse’s conversation, his voice now more clipped and urgent.

When he hung up and turned back to me, his face was grim. “Cooper wants us at the pack house.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

The drive to the pack lands was silent. I glanced at Jesse’s hands on the wheel. His knuckles were white, his grip so tight I worried he might break his fingers.

“Jesse,” I said softly.

He didn’t look at me, but his grip loosened slightly, his thumb twitching against the wheel. “Yeah?”

The words caught in my throat, but I pushed past it. “I know it’s dangerous, but if anyone can protect me, it’s you.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said quietly, but there was something else in his voice, a vulnerability I hadn’t heard before. “Cooper questioned if I could handle this, but I told him no one else can protect you better than I can.”

His words settled in my chest, warm and steadying.

“Then we’ve got this,” I said, more firmly than I felt. “Together.”

Jesse opened the door to Cooper’s office, his posture tense, and I followed closely behind.

I hadn’t expected to find my brother here, but there Jackson was, standing in front of Cooper’s desk.

“Cooper called me,” he said, his tone brisk.

I folded my arms, frowning. “Why?”

Jackson glanced at his pack alpha before turning back to me. “Because this is getting too dangerous, Beck. We need to get you out of here.”

“Excuse me?” My voice came out sharper than I intended. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Jackson’s jaw clenched. “You’re the target now. That note makes it clear. This isn’t just some random attack anymore. It’s personal. Someone’s gunning for you, and by extension, the Silvercrest pack.”

Cooper remained silent, his gaze steady as Jackson continued. “I had a small hope that the body in your truck was a coincidence. A terrible one, sure, but random. Now? It’s obvious it’s not.”

“I said I’m not leaving,” I snapped. “Running back home isn’t going to solve anything.”

Jackson sighed heavily. “Do you even know what’s going on out there?

Local law enforcement hasn’t found anything solid.

The surveillance footage is still being restored, so we can’t trace who was near your truck before the body was dumped.

The fingerprints they pulled from the truck are useless.

No matches. And the timeline? All over the place.

Whoever’s behind this knows how to cover their tracks. ”

I hesitated, caught off guard by how much he seemed to know. “How do you?—”

“Because I asked.” Jackson’s tone softened just slightly. “Someone has to keep an eye on what’s happening. Beck, with no leads and no clear direction, this is too unpredictable. You need to be somewhere safe.”

“No.” I shook my head, my jaw tightening. “If anything, this proves I need to stay. If I’m the target, the last thing we want is to give them a chance to regroup or go after someone else.”

I glanced at Cooper, then Jesse. “I can’t risk letting this guy slip through the cracks.”

Jackson’s frown deepened. “Fine. But let me bring Preston back. He’s trained for this, Beck. He’ll know how to handle?—”

“Absolutely not,” I cut him off. “Preston left for Silvercrest because his work here was done. I’m not dragging him back into this when we’ve got it handled.”

Jackson’s face tightened, frustration creeping into his voice. “If I could, I’d take over your case in a heartbeat.”

I was relieved he couldn’t. Family involvement would only make things messier.

He pulled me aside, lowering his voice. “At the very least, we need another enforcer assigned. Jesse can’t handle this alone.”

That hit a nerve. I took a step back, shaking my head. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“Beck,” Jackson pressed, “this is Jesse’s first case as an enforcer. He’s untested.”

“And?” I countered, glaring at him. “He’s done fine so far. Better than fine. I trust him.”

Jackson’s expression faltered, but I didn’t stop.

“You haven’t been in Pecan Pines long, Jackson.

You can’t just barge in here and undermine a packmate.

That’s not how things work. Jesse’s earned his place here, and you trying to jeopardize that, trying to jeopardize my safety by second-guessing him, is not helping. ”

Jackson stared at me, his lips pressed into a tight line. “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“And I feel safe with Jesse,” I said firmly. “I trust him to have my back.”

The silence between us was heavy, broken only by the soft creak of Cooper’s chair as he leaned back.

Jesse, who had been quiet through most of the exchange, stepped forward, his presence grounding me.

“Beck’s made his decision,” Jesse said, his voice steady but low. “And I won’t let him down.”

I saw the tension in his jaw and the slight tremor in his hand. I knew he meant every word.

Jackson exhaled sharply, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “Fine. But at least tell Father. He has a right to know.”

I scoffed, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

“Doing enough for him already,” I muttered, my gaze dropping to the floor.

His hurt expression stopped me cold. Guilt twisted in my chest.

I rubbed the back of my neck, searching for something better to say. “I’m not done yet. I’ve got to see it through. And I trust Jesse. We’ve got this.”

Jackson’s gaze lingered on me, but he didn’t argue. I stepped back and crossed to Jesse’s side.

I touched his arm lightly. “You okay?”

Jesse nodded, the tension in his frame easing slightly. He turned to Jackson, his voice steady.

“I can and will protect Beck. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Then he glanced at me, and his tone softened. “And Beck’s more than able to handle himself. We’re a team.” Warmth flickered in my chest.

Cooper leaned back in his chair, his calm voice cutting through the tension. “Jesse’s got this under control. He’s proven himself capable.”

Jackson cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly. “You should get out of that motel, though. Stay with Noah and me. It’ll be safer.”

I raised an eyebrow, barely suppressing a grin. “Stay with you and Noah? Yeah, no thanks.”

Jackson frowned. “Why not?”

“Because the last thing I need is to crash in the middle of your honeymoon phase.”

I tried not to show my satisfaction as Jackson’s face turned faintly red. He opened his mouth to protest, then seemed to think better of it.

“He can stay at my place. It’s closer to the competition grounds, and he won’t have to worry about anyone snooping around his motel room,” Jesse suggested.

I looked at him in surprise, then back to Cooper, who nodded. “It’ll keep you safer and more focused.”

Jackson opened his mouth as if to argue but closed it again, the fight finally draining out of him. “Fine,” he muttered, his tone resigned.

As we stepped out of the office, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I glanced at Jesse, his hand brushing against mine with a gentle graze.

“You good with this?” I asked.

He smiled. “Better than good.”

I nodded. I wasn’t going back to Silvercrest. Not yet. And with Jesse beside me, I felt like I wasn’t facing this alone.