Chapter 33 #2
“Outside. Minding their own business and not speaking,” Kathryn said. “They know how to do their job well. Obviously, you don’t. I will be informing my husband of this when I get home and I’m sure that he will fire you.”
“You’re threatening to have him fired now?” Maya asked.
“You hardly need a guard,” Kathryn sneered. “And this is costing your father a fortune. He is throwing away money. We just received a bill from the security firm he works for.” She gestured toward Matthieu. “And it is ridiculous.”
“If it’s so ridiculous and Maya doesn’t need guarding, then why hasn’t the police chief gotten in touch with Ink?” Matthieu asked. “Why hasn’t he told him that the job is over and pulled me away?”
Kathryn pressed her lips together. “I don’t need to explain myself to you. You’re a nobody.”
“Actually, you’re the nobody, Kathryn,” Maya told her. “You’ve always been mean and bitter. I don’t think you’ve ever liked me. From the start, you decided I was . . . I don’t know . . . competition or something.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. As if someone as unimportant as you could ever be competition for me. Your father chose me and he’s never once chosen you.”
The sad thing was that she was right. Her father had chosen Kathryn over and over again. When Maya had finally worked up the courage to tell him the things that Kathryn was saying to her, he’d confronted her stepmother. Only for the older woman to deny everything and turn it back on Maya.
And he’d taken Kathryn’s word over Maya’s.
Maya had become known as a liar. A difficult child. While Kathryn got away with everything. It had hurt Maya so badly that even now she found it hard to open up, to let people in.
To trust.
Her mom had left her even though she hadn’t wanted to.
Her brother had stuck around for a while. But he had his own life and it didn’t really involve Maya.
Her sister had left her for a better life, which Maya couldn’t blame her for even if she wanted to.
And then her father had left her. Not physically, but emotionally. He’d betrayed her trust and she wasn’t certain she’d ever be able to repair her relationship with him.
Or if she even wanted to
Suddenly, she found herself facing a broad back. Wow, for a big guy Matthieu could move remarkably quickly and quietly.
“You need to leave right now,” he said to Kathryn.
“You don’t tell me what to do!”
“Oh, but I do get to tell you what to do when it comes to Maya’s welfare and care. Right now, you’re a threat to that and you need to leave.”
“You’re here to guard her body.”
“I’m here to protect Maya. All of her. Now leave before I have to call in your escort and have them make you leave.”
Maya wasn’t sure he could do that. Whoever was with Kathryn was likely under her thumb.
“I am not going to stand for this!” Kathryn told him. “You will pay for the way you’ve spoken to me.”
“Oh, give it a rest, Kathryn,” Maya said, peering around Matthieu’s back.
He placed an arm out behind him to keep her from moving any further.
But she didn’t try to. It wasn’t like she wanted to get closer to Kathryn.
“I’m not that scared girl anymore. I’m stronger.
I’m smarter. And I’m no longer your punching bag. So get out of here.”
“I have never hit you!” Kathryn said, affronted.
“Not physically. But I took hit after hit from you when I was a kid. And I don’t have to do that anymore. I’m hungry, Matthieu.”
“Then let’s get you fed.”
Turning, she headed back to the break room. She could turn her back on Kathryn, because she knew that Matthieu was there, protecting her.
And that felt amazing.
She walked into the room and sat at the table, feeling shaky. Matthieu didn’t sit across from her, though. He moved around to sit next to her, then turned her chair to face his.
“Are you all right?”
Maya automatically nodded. Then she really thought about it and shook her head.
Matthieu grasped hold of her hands. Yep, they were shaking. He squeezed them lightly. “Everything will be all right.”
She shook her head. “She’s going to go to my father and make up some story about the way I mistreated her. And then he’ll probably fire you and I’ll be on my own again.” Shoot, she hadn’t meant to say that. “I mean, I’ll be unprotected.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“It will.” It was nice that he was optimistic. But she wasn’t. She’d had too many years of being let down and discarded to feel anything like that when it came to her family.
“It will be fine, because no matter what happens, I’m not leaving you until the threat is gone.”
“But I can’t pay you.”
“Didn’t say anything about payment, did I, Bébé?” he asked in a surprisingly tender voice.
She glanced down to see him rubbing his thumbs over the tops of her hands. Then she realized she’d had this whole conversation while looking him in the face.
Hmm, either it was because she was too upset to see his beauty. Or she was becoming less intimidated by him.
Probably the former, but she also hoped it was a bit of the latter.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Don’t think you did ask. I offered. Actually, it’s not even an offer. It’s a promise. Because no matter what you say, I am staying to look after you.”
“I don’t . . . I don’t know what to say.”
He tilted up her head with his finger under her chin. She stared into his face, feeling herself heating up from the inside out.
God. She wanted him so much.
She could feel the heat from where parts of his body touched her. His knees brushing against hers, his finger under her chin, his hand on hers.
“Just say ‘thank you, Matthieu.’”
“Thank you, Matthieu.”
“’You’re the sexiest, most wonderful man I’ve ever met,’” he added.
She forced herself to roll her eyes as though what he’d just said was a joke.
Not to her, it wasn’t.
To her, he was the sexiest, most wonderful man she’d ever met.
“Eat your dinner,” Matthieu told her firmly as she pushed her food around her plate.
It was Friday night and she had four classes to teach tomorrow. Millie and Livvy were planning on going to the Saturday puppy yoga class.
She was starting to wonder if their plan was going to work. Should she really let Millie follow David?
But it wasn’t like David knew her car. He probably didn’t even remember her. Maya couldn’t do it, even if she could get rid of Matthieu, David might recognize her car.
“I’m not that hungry, sorry.”
“You barely ate any lunch,” Matthieu said with a concerned look. “Is this about the stepmonster?”
Maya felt her lips twitch. “I guess I’m just waiting for a phone call from my father, berating me.”
Matthieu’s frown deepened. “If that happens, he can talk to me.”
She shook her head. “That’s not part of your job.”
“It is if I say it is. And I’m saying it is. Now, eat. Or am I going to have to come over there and feed you?”
Um. Yes, please.
“No, that’s okay. I can feed myself. I’m a big girl.”
“Are you?” he practically purred.
She sat there in shock, but he shook his head. As though he couldn’t believe he’d just said that.
Before she could say anything, and she didn’t know what to say to that, anyway, Gummy started barking and then there was a knock on the door. She tensed as Matthieu got up.
“Go to the bedroom and wait,” he told her.
She jumped up and rushed into the bedroom with Tank and Big B, rather than her own. Dougie was with her while Gummy remained out with Matthieu.
She shut the door, her heart racing.
Tank and Big B looked her way. Tank even walked from his cage over to her, sniffing at her.
“It’s okay,” she reassured them.
Someone with bad intentions wouldn’t knock, right?
She could hear muffled voices and they didn’t sound angry, but she still jumped as a knock came on the bedroom door.
Tank growled and she put her hand on his head in surprise.
“It’s okay, Tank,” Matthieu said. “Maya, your brother is here.”
Her brother?
Shock filled her as she opened the door and stepped out. Dougie immediately moved to her brother, sniffing his feet.
Marlin gave him a surprised look. “He’s . . . unusual looking.”
“That’s Dougie. His eyesight is limited, but he has excellent hearing and a good sense of smell,” she said, feeling shocked at her brother’s presence.
“And that’s Gummy.” She nodded at the small dog glaring at her brother. “She doesn’t have many teeth.”
Princess Priss glanced up from where she was lying on the sofa. “Princess Priss. She has three legs, she’s also a total diva who is in love with Matthieu.”
Matthieu snorted. Maya knew she was rambling, but she was weirdly nervous about having her brother in her house.
But Marlin didn’t act like he thought she was being weird. He just nodded and looked behind her, his mouth twitching. “Is that a pig?”
“That’s Big Berry. She’s a very smart pig and she’s best friends with Tank. He likely won’t come out. He’s not good with strangers. Why are you here? What . . . I mean, it’s nice you’re here but unexpected.” That was awkward.
“Yeah, sorry. I should have messaged you first. I just wanted to come and check on you.”
“Are you okay?”
There was a beat of silence.
“Funny, that’s what I was going to ask you,” her brother said.
“You were?” she asked. “Why?”
“Why?” he repeated. “Maybe because of this person threatening you.”
Well. That surprised her. Although he had texted a few times since she’d seen him the other week to check in. Which had been surprising and nice.
“They aren’t really threatening me,” she said to him. “It’s Dad who is being threatened.”
“You were mentioned,” Marlin said darkly.
“So were you.”
“I’m a cop. I carry a gun. I can protect myself. You can’t.”
“That’s why I’ve got Matthieu.” She glanced over to where he sat on the sofa. Drat, she should ask Marlin to sit. “Although, I was half-expecting a call from Dad telling me that he was pulling the plug on my security.”
“Why would he do that? Because Kathryn paid you a visit today? What did she say?”
“How did you know that she paid me a visit?” she asked, surprised.