by Jaime Lewis
“Really?” She found herself asking a little cautiously.
He pushed a strand of hair from her face. “Ace and I talked about it today. I have a meeting at the base that I need to be at, and he and I thought it would be good for you to get some socializing time in, even though I love having you all to myself.”
She grinned. “I’ve enjoyed it here as well. It was needed, although I could’ve gone without the drama. But, I agree, it would be nice to see everyone. How long will we stay?”
“It’ll be just for the weekend. We don’t want to push it. There is a possibility that I may have to ship out for a day or two. It’s for training purposes. If that’s the case, I’d like you to stay with my parents until I return. Are you okay with that?”
“If you think that is best, then that’s what I’ll do. But why can’t I stay with my mom and the Colonel? Or even Alex?”
“Because your brother and I both feel it would be safer to stay at my parent’s house.”
“Are we going to stay at your apartment, though? For the weekend, that is?”
“No, we’re staying with my parents. I’d feel safer having the extra layer of protection.”
Mia gave him an odd look. “What could be safer than having a SEAL as my protector?”
He grinned, showing off his cuteness. “Having two SEALs looking over you.” He tapped her on the nose.
“Two? Which one of the guys is going to be staying at your parents with us?”
“Something you don’t know but were bound to find out eventually, my dad was a former SEAL. He served the same time as Alex’s uncles, just on a different team. Actually, Frost’s dad served with my dad on the same team. It’s how Alex, Tenley, Frost, and me all knew one another.”
Mia was confused. “I get you, Frost and Alex, but how did Tenley fit in there? I thought she didn’t have a dad growing up.”
“She didn’t. Her mom worked on base, and all the guys knew her. Plus, she went to the same elementary school as the rest of us.”
“I think it is pretty awesome that you all have stayed best friends through the years.”
“It was hard when Frost and I enlisted, and then Alex left for college before being recruited by the government.”
She nuzzled his neck. “Well, I’m glad everything worked out for everyone.”
He kissed her forehead as she lay against him. “Me too. So, are you good with the plan?”
“MmmHmm,” she murmured. Inside she was doing a happy dance. It was going to be a fabulous weekend.
He gave her a hip a light tap. “Seriously? Darn, I was all pumped up for an impending argument.”
“Oh, stop. Trust me; I think my ego can take a backseat where my safety is concerned. I will gladly take any and all advice from skilled professionals such as yourself and my brother. Or any other member of your team.”
He pulled back and gave her a strange look. “Okay, where is the actual Mia, and what have you done with her?”
“This is the new and wiser Mia,” she said as she stared into his eyes.
He cupped her cheek. “I don’t want the ‘new’ Mia as you put it. I fell in love with the same person you are now. I fell in love with who you are on the inside. None of that has changed, and I don’t want it to either. Now, do you want to tell me what had you so zoned out in front of the fire a little while ago that you didn’t even notice me standing right in front of you?”
She laid her head back against his shoulder and looked up at the sky.
In the mountains, the stars seemed so much closer and appeared bigger and brighter. It was like thousands of diamonds sparkling against the ink-black sky.
“I was thinking about home, more specifically, where home is for me. I always considered the ranch in Oklahoma as my true home, but I haven’t lived at the ranch in years. With my mom moving to Virginia Beach, the ranch really wouldn’t feel like home anymore. I mean, my sister and her family will be living there, but it would feel weird since that’s their home now to make new memories in.”
“Aw, baby, you’ll still have all of your memories to fall back on. Look at the brighter side of things. At least the ranch will still be in the family. I’ve met your sister and her family, and I know that she will carry on traditions you all shared when you were kids growing up.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. But then I think about where my temporary home is now.”
“Your temporary home?”
She sighed, “New York. I mean, I have a job that pays very well. When I say very well, I mean way above what the average vet is normally entitled to right out of school. But, honestly, the money doesn’t make me happy. I put in full days every day of the week. Some nights I don’t even leave the clinic until around eight or so. I’ve only just begun my career, and I feel burned out already.”
He shifted in the seat, where he could see her face better. “What are you saying, Mia?”
“I’m saying that I don’t want to go back to New York. I want to be near my family and friends. I want to find a job in my field of work that I’ll enjoy but still be able to have a social life.” Stitch could tell she wasn’t finished, so he waited while she found her words.
She pulled back and looked up at him, placing her hands against his cheeks. “I want home to be with you. I know that probably sounds crazy, considering we literally just confessed our love for one another a day ago, but I’m being totally transparent with you right now. I love you so much. I want our relationship to grow and prosper. I want us to start making memories of our own. I just want you.”
When Mia finally finished, Stitch couldn’t hide his excitement. Hell, he knew his smile was probably a mile wide. But damn if her words hadn’t squeezed his chest a little tighter.
He held her chin and kissed her. “Your words undo me. I love you so much and want those exact things with you. When all this is over, I’m going with you to New York and helping you pack. I’m sure your partners in crime will be ecstatic to have you living nearby. But nobody will be any happier than me. Well, I take that back. Your brother is going to be damn happy. But, Mia, your home will be with me in my home until we find something we both want and are happy with.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
She leaned forward and kissed him. When she went to pull back, he cupped the back of her head and drew her back in. He had been patient long enough. He wanted to taste her. He flicked his tongue against her wet lips, indicating he wanted in. She obliged, and he slid in, intertwining his tongue with hers. His hand slid to the nape of her neck, and he caressed her skin as he made love to her mouth. She shifted, and he felt her flinch before she pulled back. He licked his lips, savoring her unique taste, but when her eyes met his, he saw the agony and became immediately worried.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just moved the wrong way, and my ribs didn’t like it. I’ll be okay in just a minute,” she said, biting down on her lip and trying to hide her pain, but she was doing a terrible job and she knew it because Stitch narrowed his eyes at her.
“The last thing I wanted to do was cause you more pain.”
“You didn’t!” She pleaded with him. “I’ve waited over a year for you to kiss me like that. Pain or no pain, I wasn’t letting it ruin the moment. Believe me; I want so much more of you.”
Well, hell….how could he argue with that. He couldn’t, but her pouty face made him chuckle.
“Babe, I enjoyed that kiss just as much as you, but you are in pain. Come on, pill time.”
“Nooo….” She whined.
“Yes, remember no setbacks in your recovery.” She looked up at him and stuck her bottom lip out, and batted those damn puppy dog eyes that would get her whatever she wanted. He gave her a quick kiss. “Don’t look so sad; I’m joining you. Believe it or not, having you next to me helps me sleep better as well.”
He stood, lifting her, and she snuggled into his chest.
After making another sweep through the house, double-checking the locks, and setting t
he alarm, Stitch stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. He wasn’t surprised to find Mia already fast asleep. As soon as he cozied up behind her, she turned over and snuggled into his side, making him smile. He hoped like hell they would soon get a lead on the New York situation because he was ready to begin his life with her. He embraced her while her soft snores lulled him to sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
“Detective McDonnell, it’s nice to meet you,” Ace said as he shook the detective’s hand. “This is my fiancé, Alex.”
The detective smiled. “It’s nice to meet both of you. Follow me, and we can talk in my office. Would either of you like anything to drink?” He offered as they entered a small, bare-bones office. The only things that made it resemble an office space were the desk, a computer that looked like it belonged in a museum, and two chairs.
“No, thank you.” Ace answered.
The detective motioned to the chairs. “Please, have a seat.”
Once Ace and Alex were seated, the detective started to give them an update on Mia’s case.
“I’ll be honest with you. When Tink first called me and explained what happened to your sister, I thought we were dealing with a crime that we deal with daily. I know that sounds awful, but this is a dangerous city.
“But you don’t think that way, now?”
“No. There’s more to this case than meets the eye. I just haven’t found that missing link yet, but I’m feeling optimistic that I’m close.”
“Can you give us any update?”
“Right now, my focus is on Mia’s place of employment.”
Ace sat forward in the chair. “You think someone at her office was behind her abduction?”
“I don’t know if they were behind it, but I have a hunch there is definitely something off about that place, and someone knows something.”
Ace listened as Detective McDonnell explained the facts they had to go on. He hadn’t been lying; there wasn’t a ton of evidence. There were no witnesses to her abduction, and they looked into street cameras but only caught the side of the van they believed was used. Unfortunately, it was just a white delivery van with no distinguished markings. They interviewed her neighbors to see if they had seen or heard anything. The focus there was on the good Samaritan who dropped Mia off at her apartment. The detective was baffled by the mystery person's involvement in the ordeal. Whoever it had benn knew the placement of the cameras around her apartment building. He had been able to avoid every single one of them. All they had to go on was Mia’s recollection from that night, which wasn’t a lot.
The detective told them about visiting her workplace, and what Danny— Mia’s friend and co-worker—had told him about Willow and how they couldn’t locate her.
“So, this Willow girl is missing now, too?” Alex asked.
“We don’t know for sure. According to Dr. Walters, he received her resignation via email during the Thanksgiving weekend.”
“Can’t you contact her family?”
“It appears she doesn’t have any family. From records we were able to locate, she was an only child. Her dad died when she was young, and her mom passed away a little over a year ago. After her mom died, she moved to the city. It seems she’s a loner, doesn’t have many friends. In fact, Mia and Danny were who she would hang out with outside of work.
“You mentioned that Danny said Willow wanted to talk to Mia the night she disappeared.”
The detective nodded his head. “Danny said that both he and Mia had noticed a change in Willow’s behavior. He said it had started about a month ago. Danny also mentioned that Willow gave Mia an envelope and told her not to open it until they spoke.”
“Have you been able to locate that envelope?”
“No. With your permission, we looked through Mia’s apartment but couldn’t find that or anything that could be a clue in her case. I was planning on calling Tink to see if he could ask Mia about it.”
“I’ll see her tomorrow, so I can ask her, if you’d like. I know you have other cases besides hers.”
“If you could, I’d appreciate it.”
“Would it be okay if Alex and I went by Mia’s apartment to have a look around?”
“No, not at all. Would you care if I tagged along? Maybe we missed something when we were there. Since you’re her brother, you may see something out of place that we didn’t.”
“Fine by me.”
◆◆◆
Ace pulled up to the curb by Mia’s apartment. He handed Alex the key to the apartment.
“I’ll let you off here, then go park the car in the off-site lot the detective told us to use.”
Alex could tell that Ace was uptight and frustrated with the lack of information on Mia’s case. She was frustrated as well, but she knew the police were doing everything they could.
She took the key from Ace, then leaned over, putting her hand against his cheek, and smiled.
“Ace, you need to relax a little.”
He blew out a long breath. “I can’t. Not until whoever is responsible for my sister’s assault is caught.”
“I understand. I’m not saying this will happen, but what are you going to do if you get called up, and there are still no answers? You can’t let this consume you. If you let it, then you are putting yourself in danger and your team. Ace, look at the positive; Mia’s safe. We have to give the police some time to put the puzzle together. If this puzzle is anything compared to the ones I’ve worked on, that missing piece will show up.”
From the look in his eyes, Alex could tell she had gotten her message across.
Ace pulled her closer, fisted her ponytail in his hand, and tugged until her head tilted back. “Thank you,” he said before he took her mouth hard in a crushing kiss that sent her heart racing. Damn, the man’s kisses alone made her head spin.
When he released her, she felt flushed, but so loved.
He winked. “Go on; I’ll be up in a bit.”
She smiled, then exited the car and made her way into the building. Finding Mia’s apartment was easy, and in no time at all, Alex found herself standing just inside. She moved further inside and closed the door but left it unlocked for Ace and Detective McDonnell. She walked through the living room, noting that the place was neat and tidy. Just the way Mia kept her place. As Alex went to walk down the hallway toward the two bedrooms, she stopped at the console table in the hallway and smiled at all the pictures Mia had displayed. There were pictures of everyone—her family, her brother’s team, and even some of Alex and Tenley. But the one picture that stood out was the one of Mia and Stitch. Alex remembered taking the picture. It had been on Christmas, and they weren’t even looking at the camera. The way they both gazed into each other’s eyes, you could see the chemistry was there. It was a special moment between them.
Moving along, Alex pushed open the door to Mia’s room. Mia had asked her to pick up a few things since they were coming. As Alex made her way toward the closet, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She knew that feeling well and knew she wasn’t alone. There was someone in the room with her. The only spaces large enough for someone to hide were the bathroom or the closet. Her heart started to race as she thought about how she should play this out. She saw a large duffle bag next to the bed. She grabbed it and went to Mia’s dresser and acted like she was pulling some clothes out to pack, but really she was texting Ace from inside the drawer.
Before she got a reply from him, the atmosphere in the room changed in a flash. Trusting her intuition, she took the bag and retreated from the room. She was midway down the hall when she heard the floor creak behind her. As she turned, all she got a glimpse of was a large hand coming at her. Grateful for her quick reflexes, she ducked just in time. She tripped on the bag she had dropped, which gave the guy an opportunity, and he took it. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he lifted her feet off the floor. He was huge; about Ace’s size. Using the wall in front of her as leverage, she pushed her feet against it and sent both of them ba
ckward and onto the floor.
The guy lost his grip, and she turned the tables on him and pounced like the fearless lioness she was. She couldn’t claim a victory as he rolled them across the floor until he had her pinned under him. She wrapped her legs around his ribs and squeezed with all her might. He was breathing heavily, and his face had turned red. She managed to get her right arm free and swung, hitting him in the jaw, stunning him. Taking the opening, she scrambled to her feet and got into a fighting position. Hopefully, Ace could hear what was going on and would barge in any second.
“Who the fuck are you?” He asked, breathing heavily as he too rose to his feet. She would have ran for the door, but he stood between her and it. She didn’t miss the heavy English accent.
“I should be asking you the same question.” She wiped the blood from her lip when something on the floor where they were wrestling caught her attention. She realized it was a police badge at a closer examination, though she couldn’t make out what it said. She looked up at the hulking of a guy. “You’re a cop?”
He started to speak when the door burst open as the cavalry arrived led by Ace, although they were a little late to the party. Ace took one look at her, and his expression went from concern to rage in two seconds.
◆◆◆
Ace and Detective McDonnell had just entered the lobby of Mia’s apartment building when he received a cryptic text from Alex that read, “I’m not alone.” He cursed and showed the message to the detective, and they took off up the stairs taking two steps at a time. As they rounded one of the landings, his phone rang with a call from Alex. He answered, putting it on speaker as he continued to climb the stairs. Instead of hearing her voice, the sounds of a scuffle was heard, followed by glass breaking.
Ace’s adrenaline was pumping as he pounded up the remaining two flights of stairs. The entire time he could hear her putting up a fight. He was going to kill whoever laid their hands on her. As soon as they made it to Mia’s apartment, he didn’t waste a second as he kicked the door in.
“You’re a cop?” Alex asked as Ace and Detective McDonnell filled the doorway. The guy, who was a pretty big dude and physically fit, turned and raised a gun, stopping Ace in his tracks.
