26. Sloan
Sloan
I squeeze my eyes shut as Pauly takes another sharp turn. It’s been thirty minutes of Jude following us. He isn’t doing anything particularly scary, but just having him close is too much for me right now.
“Screw this. He has to know it’s us. I'm going to the stadium. He won't be able to get into the parking lot and once I get you guys inside, I’ll call Mason and figure out what to do next.” Pauly takes the next right and increases his speed.
I trust him to keep us safe and make the right decisions under pressure.
Mason wouldn’t have him working for Bennett Bradley Security if he wasn’t good under pressure.
“I already texted Uncle Mason. He just texted to tell me he and Maddox are waiting at the stadium,” Jax says softly. Gone is the attitude he normally has and in its place is the vulnerable side he normally only shows Cody and his family.
“Thank you, Jax. I honestly don’t know what will happen when we get to the stadium. Does the gate allow more than one car in at a time? Does it stay open for long?”
“No. It closes fairly quickly. They warned us about that when we started working for the Pythons. It’s to keep fans out of that area the best they can,” Cody speaks up.
“Good. Hopefully he can’t get in and if he does, Mason and Maddox being there will definitely help.” Pauly keeps his attention on the road and his knuckles are white with how hard he’s gripping the steering wheel.
“Uncle Mason wants us to call him.” Jax presses call on his phone and hooks the call up to the car so everyone can hear him.
“Hey, Jax. Maddox and I are here. How far away are you?”
“Three blocks,” Pauly answers. “He’s following closely. I don’t know how he spotted us. I haven’t seen any unusual cars around the house.”
“It doesn’t matter. He was bound to find them eventually, they always do.
” Mason’s voice gets quiet before it comes through strong again.
“As soon as you get here, I want Sloan and Cody to rush inside. I moved all the players’ cars that were parked in front of the entrance, just pull up and let them jump out. ”
“What about me?” Jax’s brows draw together. “Do you not care about me at all?”
“He won't hurt you, Jax. The most he’ll do is try to talk to you and get back in your good graces. He truly thinks all of this is Sloan’s fault.”
“What is this, an episode of Criminal Minds? Do you have him completely profiled and know every step he’s going to make?”
“Kind of.”
“Well, can I have Derek Morgan protect me then? He seems much more capable than Pauly.”
“Jax,” Mason sighs. “Stop poking the bear when he’s the only thing standing between you and Jude.”
“I'm turning onto the street. Be there in a second.”
“Good. Maddox’s opening the gate now. I'm hoping you can get right in and it will shut before Jude gets a chance to try.”
“Ok. I'm speeding up to get some distance between us.”
I hold my breath as Pauly guns the engine and closes the distance between us and the parking lot.
We narrowly make it through the gate as it shuts, locking Jude on the outside.
As soon as the SUV screeches to a halt outside of the door, I try to release my seatbelt, but my hands are shaking too hard.
“I’ve got you, baby.” Cody easily releases the belt and leans over me to open the door. He climbs out behind me and instantly shields me with his own body.
We hurry inside and the door doesn’t even shut before Jax, Mason, Maddox, and Pauly are all following us.
“Now what?” Jax folds his arms over his chest and glares at his uncle and the two other guys.
“I guarantee he’s coming to your game tomorrow.” Pauly rubs at the back of his neck. This was too close of a call for him.
“Then Sloan needs to stay home,” Cody speaks up.
“No, she needs to be here, in a box seat. It’s the safest place for her. We’ll be here too. The more people, the safer it is for her. If we’re wrong and he doesn’t come to the game, he’ll probably go to your house assuming Sloan will be there. We can’t take that chance.”
“What do we do now that he knows what car Jax drives?”
“We get you a different car. How do you feel about a minivan?” Maddox smirks, patting Jax on the back.
“I think I'm a single pro athlete and I have no use for one,” Jax growls.
“Exactly, that’s why he’ll never expect it to be your car. Do you like red or silver?”
“I like black, just like my heart,” Jax murmurs, pushing past everyone and over to the locker room.
“He’s having a really hard time with this,” Cody says softly as he turns his attention towards Mason. “He can’t protect any of the people he loves and he doesn’t know how to handle this.”
“I know. My hands are tied until Jude makes a move though.” Mason sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m honestly hoping the idiot just breaks into your house while you’re not there. It will make my life so much easier. We can catch him on the cameras and get him shoved in prison.”
“If he breaks in with the intent to hurt or kill Sloan, he can go away for a long time. If he had a weapon, he’d go away for even longer. It really would be the easiest, especially if Sloan isn’t there.” Maddox sighs. “They never want to make it easy though.”
A shiver runs down my spine. I never thought about Jude breaking into the house to kill me. Would he really go that far?
“Never.” Mason chuckles. “But it keeps us on our toes and our minds sharp.”
Mason’s phone rings and when he checks the display, he instantly puts it on speaker.
“What’s up, Peck?”
“He’s sitting outside of the house. He’s not even trying to hide.”
“Good, that means he’s getting sloppy.” Maddox rubs his hands together like he’s getting excited. “He’s going to make another move soon. Do we have them stay somewhere else tonight?”
“Yes, Wes said your house is close to being done, right?” Mason looks to Cody.
“Kind of? The bedrooms are done except for paint and carpet. I'm not sure about the bathrooms or the kitchen.”
“Well, that won't work if you don’t have a bathroom… How do you feel about sleeping in the room you grew up in?” Mason grins.
“I don’t care where I sleep as long as Jude doesn’t come near me.”
“Good. I’ll let your parents know to be prepared. I’ll take Charlie’s old room and Maddox can take Sophia’s. Peck will already be across the street and having Wes down the hall and Blake next door will make this even nicer.” Mason nods his head as his plan comes together.
“We should go talk to the coach and team manager.” Maddox motions down the hall and Mason nods.
“Pauly, I want you to hang out by the door. I don’t trust he won't try to get in here. This is the only entrance he can use to get straight into the player’s area.”
“Got it, Boss.” Pauly turns around and heads back down the long hallway towards the door.
“Are you ok hanging out with Cody for a little bit?” Mason glances down at me.
“As long as he doesn’t mind.”
“Do I mind my beautiful girlfriend following me around? Not at all. C’mon, sweetheart, let me show you where I spend most of my days.” Cody snakes an arm around my waist and leads me through the locker room door.
I expect to find a bunch of guys hanging around and talking in different stages of undress, but I don’t.
The locker room is practically empty. There’s one guy on his phone and another sitting at his cubby writing something.
They both barely glance in our direction before turning their attention back to what they were doing.
Cody drops his duffle bag at his cubby before taking my hand and leading me into the gym. This room is much livelier. There are at least a dozen men in here and all of them are lifting weights or working on a machine.
I spot Jax in the corner on a treadmill, running like he doesn’t have a care in the world. I don’t know how he does it. How do you stay so focused when your personal life is crumbling?
“He’s good at compartmentalizing,” Cody whispers like he can read my mind. “He can focus on one thing even when his life is falling apart. That’s what makes him so good at hockey. He can leave everything off the ice. As soon as his skate touches the smooth ice, everything else is out of his mind.”
“Man, I wish I had that ability… I feel bad. Everything happening with Jude is all my fault.” Cody opens his mouth to argue, but I hold up a hand to stop him.
“I know what you’re going to say and you’re wrong.
If I had never reentered your life, Jude wouldn’t think he was friends with Jax.
Your life would be so much easier if I had just stayed gone. ”
My eyes fill with tears as I think about how much trouble I'm bringing to Cody’s life. If something happens to him or someone in his family, I’ll never forgive myself. Especially if something happens to him or Jax. There’s no way he’d forgive me if Jax was hurt or killed.
Cody’s eyes scan my face. I'm not sure what he’s looking for, but he grabs my hand and leads me out of the gym and into another area. We go into a small room and he shuts the door behind us. There are glass walls all around us and the area is barely big enough for the four chairs in here.
“This is a soundproof room. We typically only use these if we have to talk to our managers or meet with someone outside of the team privately,” Cody explains.
He leans forward so his elbows are resting on his knees and watches me.
“My life would not be easier without you in it, Sloan. Sure, Jude is a pain in the butt and I’d never ask for a stalker to be following me and my brother, but he can’t stalk us forever.
Sooner or later, he’s going to do something that is illegal and then we can get him locked away, hopefully he can get the help he needs then. ”
“Yeah, but…” I trail off, not wanting to voice the thoughts going through my head.
What if he kills me?
What if he kills you or Jax?
What if he destroys everything you love in life?
“But until then, I'm still happy to have you back in my life. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, Sloan.
You’re the person I always dreamed of spending forever with.
Life has finally given you back to me and if we need to go through this time of difficulty, I’ll do it if it means I have a shot at forever with you again. Do you understand me?”
“What if I don’t want forever with you?” I do want forever with him, but I need to know he’ll let me make the decision. I want this to be a partnership and know he’ll take my feelings into consideration. I won’t deal with another Jude.
“Well, then I’ll just call Jude and hand you over.” The words come out so seriously and his face is free from any emotions, I almost believe he’d really do it. “I’m kidding, sweetheart. I love you. If you really don't want forever with me, I’ll walk away, but not until I know you’re safe.”
He drops his head and is quiet for a few minutes. There’s so much tension in his back and I feel so bad. I just want his life to be easy and carefree again.
“Is that what you want? You want me to walk away forever?” The moisture in Cody’s eyes makes my own eyes flood with tears.
“Never,” I whisper as the first tear slips down my cheek and splashes onto my hand. “I never want you to walk away from me. Maybe it’s selfish, but I want to keep you forever.”
“Good, because I'm not sure I could walk away.”
Cody pulls me out of the chair and onto his lap. He presses a soft kiss to my lips before cradling my head against his chest.
“Everything will be ok. Mason and Maddox are really good at their job. Bennett Bradley Security is the best in the business for a reason.”