"Angel, don't beat yourself up about it." I stroked her thigh through her jeans, trying to comfort her. "I know it's easy for me to say, but you need to stay positive."
"Okay, I'll try."
"How about I help you take your mind off things for a while, before everyone arrives for dinner." I swept my hand further up her thigh as I pulled up to the driveway of the pub. I heard her breath hitch and it wasn't from her crying.
“Can I take a raincheck? I’m not in the best mood right now. I really want to go see Jada before lunch if that’s okay with you?”
“Of course it is. Do you want me to take you or are you fine to drive?” I asked her tentatively.
“Yes, drop me off and then I can come back with Max and Jada for lunch. That way you will have time to organise things at the pub,” she offered.
“Sounds like a plan, but I’ve got Pete to do all that for me. I’m going to call the department down in Adelaide and see if they can get any information on Miccah’s team. It’s a slim chance, but it’s worth a try,” I said, hoping to lift her spirits.
“Really? That would be great if you could do that. I always forget you were a cop.”
“Yep, it’s still in my blood. I just can’t let it go. You just never know when you need to call in a favour. Speaking of which, I better check on that restraining order I have on Jessica. It seems to be working; I’ve not heard from her since before we left for Queensland.”
“Thank God for that. I sure don’t want her scratching your face again; I’ve become quite fond of it,” she teased.
It was good to see her smile again.
***
After dropping Mia off, I made a few of those important calls to Adelaide but as I expected, the chances of finding Miccah and his team were slim. I did a bit of paperwork for a couple of hours, catching up on some work which needed my attention, and hopefully to avoid thinking about Mia for a few seconds. It wasn’t easy when all I could remember was the connection we had. I never thought I’d feel like that over a woman, especially for Mia, who I had known for almost ten years. Love was right in front of me, and I had never realised it. All it takes is one second of her face filtering through my mind for my pants to tighten up. Yep, I’ve got it bad.
While Miccah was missing, there was no way I could tell her I loved her; she was too distraught. I needed to be her rock. I wanted to be there for Mia. Even though we’d really only been together a few short weeks, I knew what we had was real. It may sound crazy...but when you know, you know. Mia was worth everything to me. I could feel it in my gut. She was the one who healed the wounds which Jessica inflicted and I had been carrying for far too long.
When my phone rang and I saw Mia's name across the screen, my heart skipped a beat. “Hey, angel, you missing me already?” I was expecting her to give me one of her sassy remarks, but all I could hear was a sob which echoed over the phone.
Damn, she was still crying. "Mia, sweetheart, what's happened? Is there more news on Miccah?" Instinct kicked in and I reached for my keys and left the pub to get to Mia. "I'm coming to get you. Are you still with Max and Jada?"
After a brief silence, she spoke but she was far from sad; she was furious.
"I swear I'm going to kill that stupid, crazy bitch."
I had to pull over to talk to her, but I had no idea who she was talking about. "Angel, calm down and tell me what's got you so angry." I squeeze my eyes closed and raked my hand over my hair in frustration.
“Fine. You want to know what's got me so enraged? I'll spell it out for you. J. E. S. S. I. C. A." She spat out the letters like venom. "That psychopath stalker showed up at the hotel while Jada and I were sitting outside in the gardens having a drink, and she poured my iced tea all over my head. What the hell happened with that restraining order? I can't believe she showed up on Brunetti property throwing her little threats at me. How many times do you need to tell her it's over between the two of you?"
Motherfucking bitch. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I can't believe she broke the restraining order." Well, I did actually; I wouldn't put anything past Jessica and her tantrums.
"I want her gone, Zane. Gone."
“Okay, angel. I'll be there in five minutes. Are you still with Max and Jada?"
“Yes. I'm up in the penthouse. Jada and I were having a drink downstairs and out of the blue, Jessica stormed up to both of us and went nuts. Screaming her head off in front of hotel guests, and there were children and families everywhere. She went off about my relationship with you and about how much of a whore I am."
Holy fuck. How did I not see this coming? Damn Jessica and her fucked-up, crazy shit. "Listen, you need to report it to the cops immediately. I'm on my way."