Chapter 17 #3
She went lax in my arms, and I thought she’d cried herself to sleep, but she pulled back in my arms and looked into my eyes. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying. Her cheeks were slightly puffy.
I moved my hand up to her face, but stopped before I touched her, unsure of how she’d react. Her eyes moved over to where my hand stayed in the air, and she leaned into it. I ran my thumb under her eyes to dry her tears.
“You’re safe here,” I whispered as she laid her head into the palm of my hand and shook it slightly.
“Has something else happened to make you think you’re not?”
She went rigid as she pulled back from me and got up from the couch; the blanket fell to the floor as she walked away.
Seconds later she came back with a pair of sleep shorts on and her phone in her hand.
She sat beside me and handed me the device.
I looked at her questioningly as I took the phone from her and looked down at the screen.
My grip tightened around the phone so tight I thought I’d crack the screen as I read the message.
She swiped her finger on the screen, and another message appeared.
I took a deep breath as anger coursed through me at the threatening words.
“Have you called the police?” I asked when I handed the phone back to her.
“I called the detective I worked with, but I haven’t heard back from him,” she said as she looked up at me, and her teeth worried her lip as she waited for me to respond.
“We need to go to the sheriff's office here,” I suggested as my mind went to all the ways I needed to protect them.
“They won’t be able to do anything. I don’t even know who to look for,” she huffed out in frustration.
“Whoever this is messed up this time. Haven Valley is a small town, and we look out for our own. We’ll spot an outsider right away like we usually do. Alerting the sheriff is the first step,” I told her, reminding her of the hometown she came from.
“But Haven Valley always has outsiders. That’s what this place is known for,” she rebutted, making a good point.
“That may be true, but that’s only known to the people who live here. Not anyone else. And we don’t even know if this person knows where you are. Let’s just take it one day at a time starting with alerting the sheriff.”
She nodded, but looked up at me and back down to her lap several times.
“What?” I asked, trying to get her to tell me what else was on her mind.
“You’re not going to take Luke from me, are you?” she whispered so low I almost couldn’t make out what she’d said.
“Hey,” I whispered, and pulled her hand from her lap and held it within my own.
I waited for her to look at me so she could tell I meant what I was about to say. Her guarded eyes looked up at me, filled with unshed tears as she waited for me to continue.
I placed the knuckle of my pointer finger under her chin as I held her gaze.
“I’ll never take him from you, Carolina. None of this is your fault,” I promised, meaning every word I said. She let out a sigh of relief as she stared back at me and gave a slight nod of understanding.
“I’ll do everything in my power to keep the two of you safe. You’re not alone in this,” I promised, and she turned her head, my hand fell into my lap, immediately missing the heat of her skin.
She moved toward me, then paused and moved back.
I opened my arms in invitation, and she moved into them, resting her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
“Thank you, Leo,” she whispered as she squeezed her arms around my middle.
She pulled back from our embrace and tucked the piece of hair that had fallen to her face behind her ear.
“You never have to thank me for protecting the two of you. That’s what I’m here for,” I told her.
“But,” she started, and I placed a finger over her lips to stop her.
“No buts. You and Luke are a package deal. You’re family. And I protect my own,” I told her, staring her directly in the eyes as I said every word.
“I know you’re tired, and you have to get up early tomorrow. You can go home now,” she said as she stood and folded the blanket and put it over the back of the couch.
I stood and pulled it from the back of the couch. She looked at me with questions in her eyes.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere tonight. I’ll make sure everything is locked up. You go get some rest,” I told her, needing to be close to the two of them. I wouldn’t tell her that, but after she told me about her stalker, I had this urgent need to remain close to her.
She opened her mouth to argue with me but snapped it shut when I gave her a pointed stare.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she turned and walked away.
I made sure the front and back doors were locked just as I promised before I took my shoes off by the door. I smiled down at the sight of the three pairs of shoes side by side, a longing deep in my heart at the vision of the family I longed to have.
After I got comfortable on the couch, I threw my arm over my eyes knowing sleep would be hard to come by with Luke and Carolina’s safety in question and the fact that they slept just down the hall.