Chapter 29
Mitch shut the condo door behind them and locked it, then reset the alarm.
Izzy stood in the middle of the living room, arms wrapped around herself, pale and shaken. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left the shop. And he didn’t blame her. That box hadn’t been a delivery; it had been a threat wrapped in thorns by way of a request for a date.
He turned toward her. “Please sit down, honey.”
“I’m okay,” she murmured, but her voice cracked.
“No, you’re not.” His tone was gentler now, low and urgent. “You don’t have to be right now.”
Izzy’s shoulders fell, and she sank onto the edge of the couch. Her eyes met his, haunted and vulnerable. “He watched us, Mitch. He saw us kiss. That note…”
“I know.” Mitch sat beside her, his thigh brushing hers. “He’s not hiding it anymore. That rose was his way of marking territory, declaring himself as a suitor, so to speak.”
Izzy’s brow furrowed. “Like I’m property.”
Mitch’s jaw tightened. “Exactly.”
He rose and grabbed his phone, pacing the length of the room as he called Jayson. “We’ve got a problem. Noah just showed up at the shop with another fake delivery. It was a rose and a note. He saw me and Izzy kissing, and he didn't like it. The note asked her to go out to dinner.”
“Son of a bitch,” Jayson muttered. “That’s a clear escalation.”
“Yes. By hand delivering it, he put himself in her shop, so she knows he can get inside her sanctuary. Plus, he asked if we were romantically together.”
"So are you together?" Jayson's voice held humor, but it wasn't the right time.
"Jayson, it's..."
"I'm busting your balls, man. Settle."
Mitch let out a deep breath. “Okay. He’s stepped up to the line. I want eyes on him starting now. I don't want him crossing the line.”
“I’ll see if Blossom Springs PD has a couple of unis available. Maybe we can get one to his residence. Discreet, but close.”
“Thanks. And let Fielding know, I'll send him photos of the note and the rose. It’s prelude behavior. The kind that leads to obsession turning violent.”
“You got it.”
Mitch ended the call and returned to the couch, sitting closer this time. Izzy had her hands folded in her lap, gripping tightly. “I should’ve seen this coming sooner,” he said. “I knew he was watching, I knew he was off.”
“You couldn’t know this,” she whispered. “But now we do. What do we do next?”
“We go on offense.”
Mitch stood and moved to the table where he’d dropped the box and note. He examined the documents again, scanning for clues. Nothing stood out immediately, but it was clear Noah had crafted the moment for maximum impact.
He pulled out a notepad and jotted a list:
Delilah’s salon: Warrant in progress.
Travis: Awaiting arrest.
Noah: Escalating behavior, monitor full-time.
Sadie: Safe house.
Izzy: Relocate temporarily?
His pen hovered over the last item.
“I’m not leaving you,” Izzy said quietly behind him, reading over his shoulder. “Don’t ask me to go somewhere else.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.” He turned to face her. “I was going to suggest we leave together. Temporarily. Just for a few days.”
“Leave town?”
“Until we’ve got Noah in custody and Travis under pressure. Until this shitstorm dies down and I’m not waking up wondering if today’s the day someone gets to you.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Would that help or make us a bigger target?”
“It would force him to move faster,” he admitted. “Desperate people make mistakes.”
She rested a hand on his chest. “Then let’s do it. If it’s safer. But only if Sadie’s okay.”
“She is,” he said. “Jayson checked in an hour ago. She’s at the safe house. Locked down. We’re the next priority.”
His phone buzzed again. A text from Fielding.
Warrant is executed. Delilah’s salon contained product, packaging, and burner phones. Travis picked up at home. Interview pending.
Mitch stared at the message, then looked up at Izzy. “Delilah’s salon was dirty. Full takedown. Travis is in custody.”
Izzy let out a long breath. “Then it’s just Noah.”
“And he won’t get another chance,” Mitch said.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, and felt her exhale shakily against his chest. His thoughts churned. This was almost over. But Noah had just made it personal, and Mitch wasn’t about to let anything happen to the woman who’d already become so important to him.
If he didn't hear from Fielding or Jayson soon, saying they were watching Noah, he and Izzy would pack up for a bit and get out of town.
The best-case scenario would be for Noah to make a mistake and get busted.
Or, for Jayson to find out Noah's connection to Travis and Delilah.
With the drugs found in Delilah's, to be able to tie Noah to them would be perfect.
He kissed the top of Izzy's head and softly said, "Pack a few things in case we have to leave quickly."
She chuckled slightly. "I only have a few things here. Remember?"
Yeah. She'd been in limbo for a while now.
That always felt like shit. But she handled it well.
Priority number one was getting Izzy home where she felt safe and wasn't under constant security.
That thought made his heart hurt, though.
He liked her here with him. He liked sleeping next to her, curled up into his side.
He liked eating every meal with her. He liked the way she smelled and looked and felt.
Thinking of this place without her in it felt terribly sad.
He hoped she felt sad about it too. But first, her safety was everything; his feelings were last.