Chapter Seventeen
Chance barely slept a wink. All night long, his thoughts drifted to Maci. He couldn’t stop picturing her after the appointment. The hunch of her shoulders as she bolted into the house, the stiff set of her lip as she tried not to cry.
Was it the baby? Did she not want a girl? Even if that was the case, he couldn’t see Maci getting that upset over something like gender. It was something else, he knew it, but he had no idea how to find out. Maci had locked herself in the guest bedroom, refusing to come out for dinner, even when he’d asked as gently as possible. He’d almost decided to break down the door and demand to know what was going on.
Then he heard Maci crying.
Even through the door, Chance could tell that her tears were agonized. It wasn’t just the typical fear of being a bad parent, she was terrified about something else, and that took the wind out of his sails. As frustrated as he was, Chance refused to badger her when she was obviously going through something difficult.
Worst of all, it was a reminder that, as much as he cared for her, he didn’t know a lot about Maci. So, as much as he wanted to demand answers, he stepped away and let her be.
It was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
By the time he’d gotten up this morning, the kitchen showed signs of Maci having made herself tea and breakfast. That was good. He wanted her to talk to him, but if she wouldn’t, at least she was taking care of herself.
He’d barely made his own coffee and breakfast when his phone rang.
“We got another message from the stalker,” Brax said.
A sliver of unease dug into Chance. He didn’t like the way Brax’s voice sounded—too careful and controlled for his free-spirited jokester of a brother.
“What did it say?”
“I think you should come in and see for yourself.”
Chance didn’t even have to think about it. “I can’t. I need to stay here with Maci.”
That got Brax’s attention. He cursed under his breath. “I forgot about the appointment yesterday. Is everything okay with the baby?”
“The baby’s good.” Chance was careful not to let the gender slip. He wasn’t sure if Maci wanted people to know yet. “Maci’s just having a...tough time.”
Brax was quiet for too long, and the foreboding got stronger.
“What’s going on, Brax?”
“The message was a threat.”
“Did you guys already let Dorian know? Is Stella secure?”
“It wasn’t a threat against Stella.”
Chance let out a curse. “Against us again?”
Brax didn’t answer.
“What the hell is going on?” Brax was never this quiet.
A second later he heard a click. “Bro, it’s Weston. Luke’s on too. You and Maci both okay?”
This definitely wasn’t good. “Yeah, we’re fine. You guys need to tell me what’s going on right damned now.”
“The new threat is against Maci,” Weston said quietly.
The world stopped. “What kind of threat?”
“I sent a picture to your email.”
Chance reached for the computer, fingers slamming down on the keys as he found the picture of the letter Weston had sent. Curses flew out of his mouth as he read, fury burning through him with every word.
It’s a pity when the innocent get caught in the cross fire of battle, don’t you think?
But war is what this is and I’m determined to win.
With your queen as a prize, I’ll do whatever it takes to defeat you. I’m looking forward to it.
You make me good, but she will make me better.
Included with the letter was a picture of Maci coming out of the office. It was impossible to tell how long ago it had been taken.
Every nerve in Chance’s body demanded action. He wanted to move.
He wanted to kill .
Whoever this bastard was who wanted to drag Maci into his sick games... Chance wanted to erase him from the planet.
“Hang on,” he said into the phone, before tossing it onto the kitchen table. He was tempted to throw his laptop across the room in rage, but knew in the long run that would only hinder his ability to protect Maci.
Right now he needed to see with his own eyes that she was alright. Especially after last night’s disappearing act.
He knocked on the guest bedroom door. “Maci? I just need to know that you’re in there and you’re okay.”
To his surprise, she opened the door. She looked pale and a little fragile, but otherwise fine.
Before he could stop himself, he yanked her into his arms.
“Chance?” she whispered.
“We’ve got trouble,” he said, not letting her go. He wasn’t going to keep this from her. He respected her too much not to tell her if she was in danger. “A threat from the stalker directed at you. I’m on the phone with the guys.”
Her face got paler, but she nodded. He led her back out to the kitchen and grabbed his phone as she sat down in one of the chairs, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them.
She looked so young and vulnerable. Her personality was so big, it was easy to forget that Maci was only in her early twenties.
He put his phone on speaker mode. “I’m back. Maci’s here with me.”
“Hi, sweetheart,” Brax said. “We’re so sorry about this.”
“I’m okay,” she said. “Let’s treat this like it was any other case. Try to keep our emotions out of it.”
The hell he could. But Chance just nodded. He spun the laptop in her direction so she could see the note.
“Where was the letter sent?”
“The office,” Luke said. “It might have been there a day or more, honestly. Mail hasn’t been a priority.”
“Guy is talking about war and battle,” Weston said. “I think we were on the right track when we were narrowing the list to people who are former military or law enforcement.”
“I don’t understand what’s made him change from Stella to me.” Maci’s voice was small.
Chance reached over and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb along her soft skin. “We think this has never necessarily been about Stella. Stalking is a game for this guy.”
“Probably closer is that he considers it to be an exercise or a military mission,” Weston interjected. “He’s trying to improve his skills and feels like going up against us will help do that.”
“So, targeting one of our own makes sure we’re willing to engage with him,” Luke said. “If he stuck with Stella, he has no guarantee we won’t quit or get fired.”
She shook her head. “Did I do something to make him come after me?”
Chance squeezed her hand. “No, honey. He thrives on a challenge. That’s what all of us are to him.”
But Chance damn well wished they’d never put Maci undercover to begin with. Then this bastard would’ve never known she existed.
“You and Maci need to get somewhere safe until we can figure this out,” Brax said. “Definitely can’t bring her to the office or let her be at her apartment alone. Hell, I wouldn’t even stay at your house.”
“I’ll take her to Mom and Dad’s.”
Luke snorted. “Finally, it’s your turn.”
Chance’s mouth twitched into a small smile. It did seem like Sheila and Clinton’s home had turned into an unofficial safe house over the past couple of years. All three of Chance’s brothers had brought their women there at one point or another.
“I’ll get Maci settled, then be back.”
The brothers went over a few more details before Chance got off the phone. A quick call to his mother and everything was ready to go.
Maci was still sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs.
He brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “You okay? We should pack and get ready to go.”
“I don’t want your parents to get hurt. I know they watch Walker too.”
“We’ll leave if anything gets dicey for them, I promise.” It was an easy promise for Chance to make. He didn’t want his family getting hurt either.
“Does...” She trailed off and started again. “Do your parents know about the baby?”
“I doubt it. I know the guys know, but they wouldn’t tell, and I didn’t want to just drop it on them via text or something.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“We can keep it hushed for now if you want.”
She nodded. “That would probably be best.”
He wasn’t sure exactly what that meant. He still wasn’t sure why she’d been so upset last night.
Had she changed her mind about keeping the baby? The thought crushed something inside him, but now wasn’t the time to get into it.
They packed up and twenty minutes later were on the road. Neither of them spoke much and the silence strained between them. He wanted to say something to make things easier for her but had no idea what to say.
The last thing he wanted to do was share Maci with anyone, even his parents. He wanted to sit her down and talk, to get everything out in the open—especially after yesterday’s appointment and breakdown. But her safety had to come first. They’d have plenty of chances to talk about her past when the time was right.
Right now, Maci’s past didn’t matter. What mattered was keeping her safe from this stalker.