by Jaime Lewis
He rubbed his hand over his jaw feeling his whiskers, and exhaled as he thought about what situation they would be facing if the Sheriff hadn’t been at the bus station when he was. He was thankful Mia had befriended that woman on the bus, and she had been nice to introduce Mia to Blake. He would have to get that nice lady’s address and send her a thank you gift.
He took a swig from his beer and heard one of the loose boards by the door creek, signaling someone had joined him. Seconds later, Ace appeared and took the chair across from him. He looked across the glowing fire and met Stitch’s gaze.
“You okay, man?”
He nodded his head. “Just thinking how lucky we were that Blake was at the bus station tonight.”
“I agree. It’s pretty fucking scary. I still can’t believe this. I mean, we train for this type of shit, but when it hits close to home, it’s different in so many ways.”
Stitch was getting tired of seeing the women close to him fall victim to the assholes of the world. First, Alex, with her ordeal with the terrorist who kidnapped and nearly killed her. Then there was Tenley. Damn, talk about an emotional rollercoaster for that woman. She gave Potter a run for his money. Her troubles started when she was caught in the middle of two drug cartels. Next was Autumn, Frost’s wife. She had been stalked by her ex-sister-in-law but had also caught the eye of a shrewd businessman. She was kidnapped, and when she tried to escape from his yacht, she hit her head and fell into the ocean. Her son Cody was the true hero in her case. The damn kid paddled close to a mile and a half into the ocean on his surfboard to save his mom. Then last but not least, there was Bailey. Sweet Bailey, Irish’s new wife. She put herself in harm’s way after she too was kidnapped by a greedy guy who was after her money. Her parents were in on the set-up as well. When the asshole tried to shoot at the team, Bailey had wrestled him for the gun and ended up being shot. Her situation had been touch and go for a while, but as the weeks went by, she recovered. Except for the fact that she may never be able to carry a child. Now, here they sat, trying to figure out what type of mess Mia had found herself in.
“Did Derek get a hold of the Colonel?”
“Yeah, and according to him, my mother is a basket case right now and is demanding to see Mia.”
“Shit…”
“Yep, my thoughts exactly. You know my mom, there is no stopping her when she puts her mind to something, and I know she’ll find a way to manipulate the Colonel. Then before you know it, she’ll have him driving her up here.” He took a drink of his beer and grinned. “You think I’m joking?”
Stitch didn’t doubt that at all. Charlotte Chambers was a force to be reckoned with. A few years ago, having lost her husband, the spunky and determined woman took on the task of running a ranch and succeeded. That woman could bust balls like there was no tomorrow.
“Maybe if Mia’s feeling up to it tomorrow or the next day, we could arrange a Skype or Facetime call between the two of them.”
“That might work.”
For the next couple of minutes, they both sat there staring at the fire as it crackled and flickered in the darkness. They both were trying to process the situation. Now would be a perfect time for Stitch to speak with Ace about Mia and the feelings he had for her. After today’s drama, there was no way in hell he was taking a backseat. Either Ace accepted it, or he didn’t. If he didn’t, Stitch would deal with it, even if it meant parting ways with the team he trusted and loved, but he would to avoid any conflict with Ace.
Just as he sat up straighter and was ready to talk, Ace cleared his throat.
“So, you and my sister, huh?”
Okay, apparently, Ace was thinking along the same lines. Since Ace was allowing him to come clean, he needed to not fuck it up. Ace was a straight-forward guy. No bullshit, just the god’s honest truth was what he wanted and expected, and Stitch respected him for that. Both as a friend and his team leader.
He looked Ace in the eye from across the fire pit. “I’m not gonna lie, man. I’m in love with Mia, and I have been for a while. Before you ask, no, there has been nothing between us. But I can’t hold back any longer. Though she and I never talked about it, I tried keeping my distance out of respect for you. And yes, she and I have been in contact a lot over the last year, but that was the extent of it. Do I wish I had acted on my feelings before now? Abso-fucking-lutely, because if I had, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now while the woman that we both love is lying upstairs beaten to hell.” His nostrils flared. He was fired up, and holy shit, did it feel good to say all of that out loud finally.
Ace stared at him, and Stitch wasn’t sure if Ace had heard him or if he was silently plotting his death.
After a few eerily silent moments, Ace said, “I appreciate your honesty. It is quite obvious you care for her a lot. From the way she latched herself onto you earlier, I can see she reciprocates the same feelings for you.” Ace took a moment as if gathering his thoughts. Stitch knew this had to be challenging for him. Hell, if he himself had a sister and one of the guys made a move on her, he’d probably feel the same way. Then Ace pulled a total one-eighty and grinned as he leaned forward, perching his elbows on his knees. He clasped his fingers together and rested his chin on his fists. “This is probably going to shock you, but I am happy as fuck to hear that.”
Stitch’s eyes widened with that shared information. And, definitely not what he was expecting. From the conversations that Stitch had with Mia, Mia and Ace were very close, not to mention how protective Ace was of her, especially when it came to men. She had told Stitch that when Ace first joined the teams, he had given her a lecture about not getting close to any of his teammates because he knew firsthand how most of the guys operated around women.
“But, since you’re being honest, I feel I should do the same. I think I’ve known for a while. The signs were there, people talked, but I chose to ignore it. Looking back, her face always lit up when you walked into the room or whenever your name came up in conversation; there was more excitement to her voice.”
“I don’t know when it happened, and I am sorry for not coming to you sooner. All that I can say is that she makes me happy.”
“All I want is for her to be happy, and I can tell that you do that. Just promise me you will love and treat her with respect. As I know, she will do the same for you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. She is my number one priority. I’m just glad I gave her that key when I last saw her or god knows what we would be dealing with.”
“Yeah, I’ve been wondering how in the hell she got a key to this place.” Stitch explained how that came about, and Ace closed his eyes. “Damn, I feel like I’ve failed her. I’ve tried to watch out for her since she was the youngest. I’ve been so preoccupied with other things that I didn’t even notice.”
“You’re too hard on yourself, man. You live a busy life, and so does Mia. I almost didn’t see her struggles at first, either.”
“Well, maybe now you can help us convince her to move to Virginia Beach.”
Stitch grinned and took a drink from his bottle. “That was the second discussion I planned on having with her.”
Ace gave him a sideways look. “What is the first?”
“Telling her that I love her. Especially now that I got her big brother's stamp of approval.”
Ace laughed. “You are such an ass.”
The two shook hands and guzzled down the rest of their beers before calling it a night. Tomorrow they would put plans in motion to hunt down the individuals responsible for Mia’s assault.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Stitch sat in the recliner chair he and Ace had moved upstairs and into his room last night. He was serious when he said he would be there for Mia no matter what. With how serious her injuries were, she wasn’t going to be able to move much on her own. Doctor O’Neal hadn’t been lying when he said that she would feel a lot worse before she felt better.
Overall, she seemed to have had a pretty good night. She
only woke up twice. Once because of a nightmare, and the second because of the pain. The latter had been just three hours ago, and he had given her another pain pill so he was anticipating she would sleep for another couple of hours.
Ace, Tink, and Derek were downstairs making plans. Ace had called Alex last night and explained what was going on, but she had been sworn to secrecy as they didn’t want everyone to know in case someone did come snooping around. The fewer people who knew, for the time being, the better and safer.
Stitch had felt bad for Ace because, at the crack of dawn, Ace received a phone call from a very irate Charlotte Chambers. Apparently, the Colonel’s little chat with her last night hadn’t gone over too well, and she was demanding to see her daughter. Ace explained to her that for the sake of Mia’s safety, this was the way it had to be for a little while, but that he would set something up for Mia and her to speak. That had seemed to cool her britches for the time being.
He looked at his watch. Alex would be arriving in about thirty minutes or so. She had offered to drive his Jeep up to the cabin so he and Mia would have transportation once everyone left later in the day. She was also stopping at a store to pick up some clothes for Mia, considering she only had what was in her backpack, which Stitch thought was only two or three outfits. He didn’t have a timeframe on how long they’d be staying, but he figured it would be more than two days. She would especially need warmer clothes, considering snow was in the forecast.
Once they knew the cabin was secure, Ace, Alex, Derek, and Tink would fly back to Virginia Beach. Ace wasn’t thrilled about leaving his sister and even tried to come up with excuses, but in the end, he knew it had to be done to smoke out whoever was after her. At least Ace knew he could count on Stitch to look after her and keep her safe.
◆◆◆
Alex was a bundle of nerves as she drove up the long driveway to Stitch’s cabin. Any other time she would be smiling and happy to get away for a few days in the mountains. Stitch always let the team stay at his place when he wasn’t using it. It was a nice retreat away from the bustle of daily life.
Unfortunately, this trip wasn’t about pleasantries and fun times. Based on what Ace had told her last night, her friend and future sister-in-law was in some serious trouble. As the team would call it, it was FUBAR.
She parked the Jeep right in front of the steps to the front porch and turned the engine off. She hopped out and started gathering the bags of clothing and other items she picked up for Mia. As she was bent over, trying to consolidate some of the bags, a set of strong arms came around her waist and pulled her backward. She squeaked in surprise but didn’t even have to turn to know it was Ace, as he lowered his head and kissed her neck.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He said in his deep raspy voice of his that still to this day turned her into a big pile of goo. Turning in his arms, she snuggled into his chest and hugged him. She felt how tense his body was, and all she wanted to do was to help ease his pain. When they spoke last night, he had opened up to her about him having a hard time dealing with Mia's injuries. From Ace’s description, it sounded pretty bad. Alex knew Ace was beating himself up and felt somewhat responsible because he hadn’t been in touch with Mia recently. She had to remind him that it wouldn’t have mattered if he had spoken with her or not because nobody could have predicted what had happened to her.
She pulled back and looked up at him; he was staring right back at her. His blue eyes held so much emotion. It wasn’t often she saw this side of him. The side that was hurting and needing comfort. When he did, she made sure she was there to support him with whatever he needed, and she always would.
“How’s Mia?” She asked, sliding her hands up his chest to his broad shoulders. He squeezed her tighter around the waist.
“Stitch said she woke up a few hours ago and was in a lot of pain. He gave her another pain pill, and she fell back asleep.” He took a deep breath and released it before continuing. “She’s in bad shape, Alex. I mean, no woman or man, for that matter, should have to go through something so horrific.”
From the expression on his face as he stared at her, Alex knew his thoughts were heading back to Afghanistan. She slid her hand down his side and pinched him through his shirt.
“Stop!” She demanded.
“Stop what?”
“I’m not stupid, Ace. I know what’s you’re thinking about. Remember we talked about that, and we both agreed to put that time behind us. Now, Mia is your sister. You’ve looked after her, her entire life, well, when your career permitted. You were the big brother that probably every little sister wanted to have. Someone they could count on protecting them and guiding them through life.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, and look how that ended up for her.”
“Ace, Mia is a grown woman with a good head on her shoulders. You can’t always be there, nor will you ever be. Life happens, and unfortunately, not all of life’s experiences are warm and fuzzy moments. You of all people know how cruel people in this world can be.”
With his silence, she took that moment to hug him, resting her cheek against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. “I needed that,” he said softly into her hair, rubbing his hand up and down her back. She savored moments like this and wished she could stay in his arms forever.
“You needed what? I didn’t do anything?”
He gently gripped her chin, tilting her face towards his, and gave her a soft smile.
“That hug, and for you being the rock of our family, the team, hell the world. I feel like I don’t tell you that enough. Thank you for being here and helping. I know you sacrificed your Black Friday shopping to be here.”
She pressed her hand against his cheek. “Ace, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Mia is like family to me already and a wonderful friend. I’m here for both of you.” He bent his head and kissed her.
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” She said with a grin. But she was starting to freeze her ass off standing outside, although Ace’s large muscular body infused some heat into her. It was colder up in the mountains compared to the beach.
“As much as I would love to stand here and stay in your arms, do you think we could possibly move this indoors? I’m kinda getting colds” she said as her teeth started to chatter.
He chuckled and grabbed the bags from the back of the Jeep while she closed it up and locked it. When she turned and started walking, Ace slapped her hard on the ass, making her yelp. She rubbed her butt cheek and glared at him. That made him laugh harder, and all she could do was smile. Hearing him laugh and seeing a smile on his face meant she had done her job.
◆◆◆
Stitch stood in the kitchen with Alex while Ace spent some time upstairs with Mia. He pulled a beer from the refrigerator and held one up for Alex, but she refused.
“I have a feeling I’m going to need to be the sober one once we get back home. Ace already mentioned he wanted to swing by Bayside on the way home. Plus, isn’t it a little early to be drinking?”
He shook his head as he popped the top to the bottle of beer and took a nice long slug of it.
“I still can’t believe that Mia could’ve possibly been pulled into a human trafficking ring,” Alex said as she took a seat at the kitchen table and sipped her coffee. She had gotten to see Mia for a few minutes when she got to the cabin, but Mia was still sleeping. “I mean, you hear of that happening, but you never expect for it to happen to someone you know. It is crazy scary.”
Stitch brought his beer over to the table and took a seat across from her.
“Tink and Derek have been talking to some big shot Detective in New York that Tink knows. The hope is they can get some leads after the missing persons report is filed. According to the detective, they have some leads on some possible groups who they believe are connected to human trafficking. They haven’t ruled out other organizations or gangs either who could’ve had beef with one of Mia’s friends, and they were using her
to set an example or make a point.”
“Well, hopefully, they can find out something, and fast. How are you holding up?” She asked, holding his gaze, and he shrugged his shoulders as he traced the rim of the beer bottle with his finger. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk about himself and his feelings right now. Just like Ace, he felt guilty and somewhat responsible for what happened to Mia. He had thought about it last night while he watched her sleep. He did the one thing he never did: he played the “what if” mind game, and it had totally fucked with his head.
“Stitch, I’ll tell you the same thing I told Ace earlier; you can’t blame yourself. You don’t know who she hung with up in the City and who may have had their eye on her. You have to live in the moment. Just be there for her and help her heal. Hey, at least she was smart enough to know your cabin was a safe house. Be thankful that she at least got away and is here with you now.”
Stitch ran his hand over his unshaven face. “She means so much to me, Alex. It killed me to sit there last night and listen to her moan in her sleep as if she was reliving the beating she took, and then when she woke up in the middle of a nightmare, she clung to me, and I felt so helpless because there wasn’t a damn thing I could do but just talk to her until she fell back asleep.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “Sometimes just having someone to hold us and letting us know that everything will be okay is all we need.”
“Are you sharing your experience?”
She smiled softly and squeezed his hand. “I don’t think I could’ve made it through my recovery if it weren’t for Ace being my rock. Believe me when I say having the right person by your side makes all the difference.” He thought through her words, and she was right. He’d seen it not just with Alex, but also when Tenley, Autumn, and Bailey all found themselves recovering from their bad experiences. Hell, he’d seen it in combat.
