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Chapter 17
Vanessadidn’tsleepuntilshe returned to San Francisco, and even then, she refused to nap for more than a couple of hours until she was sure Mitch was back safely.
She received a text Saturday night saying everything was fine and that there was nothing to worry about.As if I could believe that so easily!While Mitch was not the type to lie about such important things, Vanessa knew the situation was different. Mitch might lie to protect other people. She might lie to protectherself.
So it was no wonder that Luke fretted over Vanessa’s obvious lack of sleep. To make matters worse, Maria also commented on the uncharacteristic bags beneath her employer’s eyes. These were two of the people who had known her longer than Mitch, and it did not please her to know that her partner’s absence left such an obvious mark on her mien.
On Sunday night, Mitch confirmed she was back in Puerto Vallarta and would fly back on Monday. When Vanessa hastily texted“Did anyone touch you?”she found herself deleting it. Instead, she called her therapist and dumped her paranoid thoughts without revealing anything about the investigation.
If she gets hurts… let alone for nothing…Vanessa wouldn’t be able to live with herself. It was her duty to protect Mitch when they were in a scene, at a party, or… this.I can’t protect her if I’m not with her.Vanessa’s many eyes meant nothing when she was stuck at home biting her nail down to the cuticle and impatiently staring out the window until Candace’s car arrived.
As soon as she saw a black car coming down the driveway, Vanessa rushed downstairs, hoping the expended energy would help calm her down by the time Candace possibly saw her.
“Thank yousomuch for lending me your darling dearest.” Candace stepped out of the back of her car but didn’t approach Vanessa as she came down the front steps of her house. “She was a smash hit in Mexico. I’m sure she can tell you more.” She dipped back into her car. “See you this weekend.”
Without an additional farewell, she drove off. Vanessa turned her whole attention to Mitch, who had politely stood off to the side with her overnight bag.
Vanessa had never held her so hard. Nor had she ever refrained from kissing Mitch as deeply as she desired.
Now was not the time for affection. Before Vanessa indulged in her instincts, she had to get Mitch inside where they were safe. She had to confirm that not a hair was out of place or that a freckle was unaccounted for.
“Tell me everything.” She locked her office door after Maria delivered refreshments for Mitch at the end of her long journey. “Do not leave anything out. I can handle it.”
Mitch sat on the sofa, her visage running the gamut of confusion and concern. Vanessa knew she looked like a nervous wreck right now, but what was she supposed to do? For two days, she had nothing but Mitch’s words of reassurance to help her get a couple of hours of sleep. And as much as Vanessa wanted to trust her partner, she also knew better than anyone else that Mitch tended to downplay danger toward herself.So when she calls me up panicking…
It was bad.
“Do you need to see a doctor? I can have one here in an hour.”
Mitch slowly shook her head, the pathetic look in her eye a judgment of Vanessa, not a reflection of her own feelings. “I’m fine, Van. Really.”
Finally, Vanessa heaved a sigh of relief. She knew she looked like a wreck in her pullover and leggings, but that hadn’t been her concern when Candace arrived.
“I needlessly made you worry with that phone call.” Mitch only paused because Vanessa flopped down next to her. “Christopher wasn’t interested in me. I talked to his sister, instead. I got alotof good information about Candace this weekend. I’m sure the FBI will be pleased, and we can soon put this all behind us.”
“Stop doing such rash things… please…”
Mitch curled up next to her partner, head resting against Vanessa’s shoulder. “I won’t lie. I was worried at one point, if only because there was no direct egress out of the situation. But I handled myself fine. Candace is still pleased with me.” Was there a slight stutter to her words? “I’m home now. I bet we can end this by New Year’s.”
“The best Christmas present anyone could give me right now is our safety. YouknowI’m prone to paranoia if given a good reason. I talked to my therapist about it last night…”
“Lastnight?You called her before bed?”
“She could have told me it wasn’t a good time if it was that bad. She’s on retainer, Mitch, I can call her whatever time of day I need if I’m having a crisis.”
Mitch was reverently silent. Was it finally hitting her how close she had come to giving Vanessa a heart attack?
“Part of the reason this relationship has been so good for me is because I’m always addressing my paranoia head-on. We put ourselves in situations that require so much trust between us, and rarely do I question it. It’s made me a more trusting person in general. Surely, you’ve noticed that over the years.”
Mitch nodded. “I think we’ve both grown more confident together.”
“I want to be that person. Withyou,Mitch.”
“You are.” Mitch lifted her head. “How could you think otherwise?”
“Because this whole weekend, all I could think was you getting in over your head. It wasn’t your intentions I didn’t trust. It was other people’s. I felt all of that disgusting nausea I used to deal with all the time before I met you. Except instead of everyone being out to get me, they were out foryourhead. All it would have taken was for one person to decide they wanted you for themselves, and what could you have done?”
“Nobody touched me, Van. I made sure of it.”
