“No. A suite. I’m with Mazey Conners.”
“Stay there. Don’t leave that room until I get a security team to escort you. I’ll also get them to check that the house is secure; if not we’ll move you somewhere that is.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Mallory. She threatened you. If we’d known that before, we could have used it to keep her locked up.”
“Oh.”
“Never mind that now. We need to get a protection order for you. Maddox has one from her original trial. Who else should I get one for?”
“I don’t know. Jacob? Rylan? Mazey? Their son?” She rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know who she’d think to go after.”
“Okay, Clark and I will run through all the players and see who we think needs one. For now, stay put. I’ll call you back.”
He hung up and Mallory lowered her phone, turned to face the women staring at her. “I, um… Can I stay here until I get security in place?”
“Of course.” Mazey stepped forward. “She threatened to kill you?”
Mallory laughed. “You could call it that. It was more of a promise than a threat.”
“Shit. She’s off her rocker.” Alyssa walked deeper into the suite. “Come sit down. This is Maryn, Jack’s sister, and Fletcher, her personal bodyguard.”
Why Jack’s sister had a bodyguard she didn’t know, but having him here gave her some peace of mind. “Is it only your sister with the children?”
“Yeah, hang on.” She went to the door across the room and opened it. “Penny, come out here a minute.”
When a teenager came through the door, it was like Mallory was seeing double. The girl looked so much like her big sister. As she came closer, Mallory could see some subtle differences but no one would doubt they were related. Then again, Jacob and Rylan looked like brothers and weren’t related at all.
“Penny, this is Mallory. Mallory, my sister. She volunteered to watch the boys.”
“Hi.” The girl held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same.” They shook, Penny’s grip surprisingly strong. “Um…”
“Okay.” Maryn clapped her hands together. “Let’s order up some food and drinks.”
“Good idea. Anyone have any preferences?” Mazey asked, picking up the menu from the table.
Mallory shook her head. She wasn’t sure she could eat anything. Her stomach felt tight and achy and the thought of swallowing anything made her gag. “I’m fine, but thank you.”
“Just get one of everything on the menu,” Maryn said, moving closer to Mazey. “I’ll be back in a minute. I need to go grab something from my room.”
Fletcher followed Jack’s sister out the door, tossing over his shoulder, “Don’t open this for anyone,” then making sure the door locked behind them.
“Her room is down the hall. She’s probably gone so she can call Roark without us listening in,” Alyssa said. “I still haven’t worked out what’s going on with those two.”
“They’re in love but he won’t go there because she’s his best friend’s little sister and he thinks he’s too old for her,” Penny explained.
Mallory, Mazey, and Alyssa looked at the girl.
“What? It’s true. How do you not see that?” She rolled her eyes. “Why are adults so dumb?”
“Why don’t you go back to the boys and I’ll let you know when the food arrives?” Alyssa said with a smile.
“Fine. Make sure you order a cheeseburger. And fries. Lots of fries.” She stopped in the doorway. “Oh, and cookies. They’re not as good as Mazey’s but the ones Jack ordered yesterday weren’t too bad.”
She disappeared into the room, the door shutting quietly behind her. Mallory didn’t know how old the girl was but she seemed to be far older than the teenager she looked to be.
