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Chapter Forty-Four
Mia
I knew something was wrong when I heard the hushed voices speaking outside my bedroom door. It sounded like Catherine, Ally, and maybe Jackson were talking. Jackson’s voice was the one I couldn’t place, having not heard it regularly.
“Guys, I can hear you out there. Just get in here and tell me.” I rolled my eyes and waited for them to enter the room.
The three of them entered with sheepish expressions on their faces.
“Out with it,” I commanded with a sigh. I knew the news wasn’t good, and the three of them were staring at me like I was a precious glass vase that might break at any moment.
I was going to be stronger than that. I would need to be to get through this.
“Mia, honey,” Ally began. The sweetness of her tone would have been appreciated in any other circumstances, but right now, it annoyed me. I just wanted one of them to be straight with me.
Jackson stepped forward, as if sensing what I needed, and spoke. “Chad jumped Terry. He’s fine. They suspect he has a broken nose, and right now, they’re checking him for a concussion. Chad got to him outside your building when he went to get some of his belongings to bring here.”
He paused and let me digest the news. I swallowed the lump that was building in my throat. He had gotten to Terry. He had gotten to Terry. The words kept repeating over and over in my head. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was his only concern at the moment, but hurting Terry must have been Chad’s way of hurting me.
It worked.
A pang of regret and anguish welled up in my chest. “What do we do now?”
“We get you out of here,” he confirmed. “Once it gets dark, we’ll move you. There’s a safe place we can take you. We’ll hide you there until this bastard is caught. We’re making plans as we speak to take care of him within the next twenty-four hours. This will be over soon. Ally and Catherine are going to help you pack some things, and Hawkeye will be your security in the house.”
“If it’s going to be over soon, why do you need to move me?”
“Because he’s right outside the apartment. He’s too close, and I refuse to risk putting you in any more danger. We underestimated him,” Jackson said with a defeated shrug. “We thought he was simply a madman, but he’s not. He’s skilled and he’s trained, somehow. That much we know. But we need to take him a little more seriously and get you out of here. Get you away from him, where he can’t hurt you.”
“What about Terry? What if he hurts Terry?” I felt the bile rise up in my stomach. He had hurt Terry, and they were going to leave him unprotected in an effort to protect me. That didn’t sit right with me. Terry needed to be protected too. “You can’t leave him alone like this! Especially if you’re now realizing that you underestimated him. How can you do that to him?”
“Mia,” Catherine said, her tone sympathetic and her brown eyes drawn in with concern. I knew she understood where I was coming from, but I knew that if Jackson felt differently about protecting Terry, she wouldn’t defy him.
“No, please. Come on. We have to protect Terry!” My tone was more forceful.
I watched Hawkeye enter the room and park himself in front of the doorframe. He was a tall man, broad shouldered and well built. His light brown hair and brown eyes somehow made him appear softer, almost sweeter than first impressions led you to believe he was. He looked like a lot of other men, but it was his build, his domineering stare that made him stand out. He scratched his forehead—and maybe rolled his eyes. I couldn’t be sure if my outbursts were annoying him. He was doing his best to mask his expression. Frankly, I didn’t care if they were or not. This was Terry.
“Mia.” This time, it was Jackson saying my name in a placating expression. Hysterical women seemed to be something he was comfortable dealing with. This skill obviously didn’t come from his time with Catherine; she was his equal, not something he had to manage. Maybe it was just the way he was with people. “I need you to calm down and listen to me. Your safety is my number one priority. That is job one for me—your safety. We will make every effort to make sure Terry is not harmed further. I have someone with him at the hospital, and we’ll make sure someone is placed outside his apartment.”
Jackson stopped talking and watched me, studying my face to see if his words were appeasing me at all. Truth be told, they were a little bit. They were going to try to keep Terry safe. Jackson had an all-business expression on his face, and Hawkeye looked like he wasn’t open to discussing it any further.
“How are you feeling? Do you think we can get your stuff together and get you moved? Like I said, give me twenty-four to forty-eight hours and we’ll have this scumbag taken care of. I know this disrupts your business and your life, but you have to trust me. Please. Let me move you and do what I can to protect Terry. Don’t fight me on this.”
I smiled sheepishly at Jackson. His last words made me wonder if I was being more difficult than he had anticipated. Or if my outbursts were irritating to him. I guessed they might be. I was emotional. I had been through so much in the past few hours that words were leaving my lips before I could even consider them.
“Yeah, absolutely. I will do whatever you need me to do. Sorry if I’m being difficult.” I shrugged and cringed inwardly as I watched a smirk cover Jackson’s face.
“You’re not being difficult. I just need you to trust me. I need you to trust Hawkeye and listen to him. No trying to negotiate anything.”
“Not that it would do you any good.” Hawkeye’s voice broke through the conversation, and I could have sworn I saw a smile cross his face.
“Yes, sir.” I mock saluted, which caused everyone to chuckle.
“Let’s get some of your stuff together so the guys can get you moved,” Catherine said, moving to bring me into a hug. “Relax, Mia. You’re doing great. I promise you.”
Her warm hug and kind words made me relax a bit. I was once again grateful for this wonderful woman who had come into my life to help me sort out the public relations side of my business but was now also being forced to help me out in my own personal hell.
“Thank you,” I told her. I hoped she knew I was thanking her for more than just helping me get my things together. The bright smile that covered her features and her nod of understanding told me that Catherine knew what I was thanking her for.
