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I close it quickly then grab the bags, taking them inside wondering what the woman’s up to. Adam has a doorbell camera along with others in the front of the house, so I know if she does something stupid, it’ll catch it, but I don’t like her being here. It feels extremely off, and I decide to ruin the surprise and call Adam now.
“Hi baby, don’t tell me something came up and you can’t make it tonight. You’ll have two very disappointed Thompsons if you do.”
“No, I’m not cancelling. Kind of the opposite in fact,” I tell him as I finish putting up the cold items in the barely stocked fridge. I’ll have to get by the store again if I’m going to be here more often. “I wanted to do this as a surprise for you and Cleo originally, but something strange is going on here.”
“Here? What do you mean by here, baby?” Adam asks, his tone concerned, and it makes me feel a million times better.
“I left work early, went by my place to grab a bag, and stopped at the store to pick up something to make you all for dinner. I wanted to have it cooking when you all got home, but when I pulled in, I noticed a woman at the front door looking in the windows. She didn’t turn when I opened the garage, so I don’t think she heard me, but since I don’t know who it is, I didn’t want to confront her or open the front door,” I explain.
“Don’t open the door for anything, baby,” Adam says after a dark curse that makes my stomach churn. “That’s the woman that was following Cleo around at school last year.”
“Are you serious? That’s crazy, Adam. She needs to be arrested for trespassing,” I add, furious the woman would show her face anywhere near that sweet girl, especially when she’s just now finally getting over her shyness. If she sees this broad, it’s all going down the drain I’m sure.
“I’ve tried. Her father has sway downtown and no one will do anything about her. I’m going to come home and get rid of her.”
“Okay, drive safe,” I warn, letting him go but I don’t put my phone away. Instead, I dial a number that will hopefully be able to help.
“Jasmine, is everything okay?” Doug asks after answering. His company’s provided security for events before, but I always email first with the details before calling so it’s not surprising that he’s concerned.
“Not really,” I admit, explaining what’s going on with the woman and her history with Cleo.
“I agree, don’t open the door. I can be there in less than ten minutes. I’ll detain her until this Adam gets there,” he tells me, and I feel like I can finally breathe again. It’ll take Adam at least twenty to get here, and the sooner the woman isn’t a threat, the better.
A scream is the first indication that Doug is here, and I breathe out in relief seeing him holding onto her arm. She’s attempting to fight him, but his hold is stronger, and he doesn’t release her until a police officer arrives to take over.
Adam pulls in just after them, stopping outside the garage and I come out the front door to meet him, seeing the confusion in his eyes.
“Sir, you are the owner of the house, correct?” one of the officers asks and he nods. “We were called by Mr. Jones stating there was a trespasser on your property. All we need is your confirmation that this woman does not have the authorization to be on your property or in your home and we’ll handle the rest.”
“No, she doesn’t have the authorization to be on my property or anywhere near my home, my girlfriend, or my niece, who she was stalking at Allington Private School last year. Neither they nor the police that were called out to handle it did anything about it then,” Adam says, pulling me into his hold and I smile a bit at the woman’s outrage.
“She’s my daughter and you can’t keep me from her!” the woman screams, trying to pull out of the cops’ hold.
“We didn’t meet you until last year. My sister was her mother and she died, leaving Cleo to me,” Adam adds for the cops’ understanding. “The only thing you are is an annoyance to me and a danger to my niece.”
“We would appreciate it if you could send us a copy of your report. My client intends to file a restraining order against this woman, and it will go a long way in helping our cause,” Doug tells the officer who gives him a nod before they escort the woman to the police car and put her in the backseat.
“What is going on, baby?” Adam asks, glancing from me to Doug.
“Let’s take this inside so the cameras don’t pick up anything,” Doug suggests, and he nods, letting us head inside as the cops drive away with the woman. “Jasmine explained the situation with that woman, how she was frightening your niece, the cops and school’s refusal to do anything about it, wanting to know if I could help.”
“Doug’s helped out my family with some pretty serious stuff before, you can trust him. No matter how much money or influence her father has, he can’t own everyone,” I add to Adam as he sits us in the living room on the couch, keeping me next to him.
“I can understand your hesitation to get into it me since I’m a total stranger to you. You don’t know if you can trust me, or if I’d understand, so I’ll just tell you that I do. I met my wife thanks to Jasmine’s family, got a son out of it as well, so I’m not after anything, just to help. I also understand your hesitancy to go against someone with power and connections that could possibly make your life hell, and further frighten Cleo.
“Your first instinct is to protect your niece, that’s what we’re all after here. I’m not afraid to go up against someone with money. I’ve done it before, dealt with plenty of criminals as well, so I’m not going to bail on this the way others might. I also know the right people at the police department to send things through to make it stick. The chief of police and I play poker and if there’s anyone that doesn’t let money grease his office, it’s Davidson,” Doug states and Adam relaxes next to me, his hold still as tight, but I love it.
“Alright, what do you suggest we do?” Adam asks Doug, dropping a kiss onto the top of my head, making me smile.
“Give me all the information you know about her, and I’ll start digging further into her past as well as her father’s to find their weakness. As long as I know who isn’t in their pocket, I can steer things through them and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Until then, I’d like to put a man on Cleo’s school. He won’t be seen unless necessary. Which means Cleo needs to know what he looks like, have a safe word so if he comes to get her and says it, she knows it’s okay to go with him. That would only happen in the event that the woman tried to snatch her, or one of you sends us a message telling us to get Cleo to safety.”
“She’s at Rickman,” I tell Doug and he nods. “There’s already a man that watches the school,” I explain to Adam. “He keeps an eye out on the family’s kids because there have been some issues with threats because my family has money.”
“She’s in fourth grade, Ms. Mason’s class,” Adam offers. “I don’t have but a couple of people that have the authority to pick her up from school. My assistant at work and my old housekeeper. She had to retire last year after being in a car accident and needing a hip replacement, but she’s getting around well enough that she picks up Cleo when I’m running late. She wouldn’t go with just anyone else.”
“Knowing Jasmine’s family, I’m guessing you two are a little more serious than just dating?” Doug asks and I can feel the flush that hits my cheeks at that. “Believe me, I didn’t buy the whole insta-love, knowing when you met the right one, until I found my wife. Sure as hell believe it now, and after hearing about how her brothers claimed their wives, the fact that she doesn’t have a ring on her finger yet is what’s surprising.”
“I guess I’ll have to fix that shortly, as well as add you to the list that can pick up Cleo,” Adam tells me, and I can’t stop the smile that hits, letting me snuggle more with him while he and Doug go over everything he knows about Tina Walsh.
