Page 13 of September's Bad Boy: Cooper
And for the first time in a long time, that’s enough to keep me going.
For now.
CHAPTER 6
RILEY
It starts with a favor.
After everything that happened at the town meeting, after the look in Cooper’s eyes and the way he held me like I was something worth holding on to, I know I can’t sit still. I have to do something. If there’s even the smallest chance he’s being framed, then I need to help prove it.
So, I make a call.
My dad’s old friend Barry used to run security for a resort in Whitefish. Now he owns a small electronics store that installs camera systems for half the businesses in downtown and helps monitor their security. He’s also one of the few people who doesn’t look at me like I’m still twelve.
When I show up at his shop, Barry greets me with a tired smile and a cup of weak coffee. “Didn’t expect to see you today, Riley. Everything alright?”
“Not really,” I say, setting the coffee aside. “I need your help.”
He listens without interruption as I explain what happened at the gym, the fires, and how Cooper’s being blamed. When I finish, he nods slowly, rubbing a hand through his silver beard.
“You think one of the cameras downtown caught something?” he asks.
“I hope so.”
He leads me to the back room where the monitor bank is set up. Most of the feeds are on a rolling loop, but Barry saves footage for certain cameras that cover high-traffic areas. We scrub through the early morning hours from the night of the vandalism, with our eyes locked on the black-and-white frames.
I almost miss it.
A shadow moves near the edge of the gym’s back alley, too confident to be random. The figure wears a hoodie and carries something under his arm—a tool bag, maybe. He kneels near the building for several minutes before disappearing down the alley again.
Barry slows the frame and then frowns.
“Wait a second,” he says, tapping the screen. “That guy... I’ve seen him before. Works for the development firms that tried to buy out half of Main. Name’s Curtis, I think. Shady as hell.”
My heart slams in my chest. “So, he had a motive.”
Barry nods. “And opportunity. I’ll pull this footage for you. Want me to send it to Lawson too?”
“Not yet,” I say. “Let me take it to Cooper first.”
On my way back to my car, I stop by Nelson’s Mercantile to grab a drink. The adrenaline is wearing off, and my nerves are catching up. The bell above the door jingles as I step inside, and for a moment it’s just me, the hum of the fridge, and the quiet murmur of a couple shoppers.
Then I hear him.
“Didn’t think I’d see you here.”
I turn, already knowing who it is.
Jason.
He steps out from the aisle of canned goods like he’s been waiting for me. His jaw is tight, and his eyes dark.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Cooper,” he says, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice.
“I have,” I reply evenly.
“You do know who he is, right? What he’s done?”
