"Come here baby." I held out my hand for her as she crossed the room to the patio doors. Ma jumped up with a big warm hello and headed inside. "I'll get your breakfast ready it'll only be a minute."
"Oh you don't have to, I don't … "
"Nonsense, you can't go off to work on an empty stomach, you just sit right down there and I'll fix you up right quick." Poor Traci looked at me at sea. "You better do as the old tyrant says babe-ain't none of us figured out how to get by her yet."
"Don't call your mom a tyrant it's not nice." The two of them decided it was the pick on Wyatt hour and lit into me about one thing or the other. She seemed much more relaxed this morning as she and mom did their best to put me in my place.
Breakfast was almost over when Jace finally showed up. I knew things were bad when he signaled to me to follow him outside. Of course she saw me get up to leave with him and her eyes followed me questioningly. "Give me a sec bro." I walked over and took her face in my hands in front of my family.
"I'll be right back baby finish your pancakes." I kissed her quickly and left before any questions. Outside my whole mood changed as soon as the door closed behind me. "What is it?"
"You're not gonna like it."
"Shit, was there any doubt? Just give it to me straight."
"I'm supposed to be telling this to her you know. I could get into serious trouble for this breech. You two aren't … "
I think I growled at his dumb ass to get him back on track with his law fuckery.
"This guy is bad news Wyatt. Back in his hometown in Indiana the cops had him pegged for a string of break-ins. He was questioned once or twice but there was never enough evidence."
"What does breaking and entering have to do with him stalking her?"
"He worked at a hardware store, it seems when a certain type came in to get new keys cut he'd make an extra copy and go into their homes while they were asleep, take photos of them. Go in when they were out and move stuff around steal their underwear shit like that. In one case Wyatt the girl got hurt."
"What type?" I knew even before he answered, the burning in my gut told me. "Redheads."
"How did he hurt her?"
"She was beaten to within an inch of her life, lost sight in her left eye … "
"He comes anywhere near her he's fucking dead, if you don't get him before I do I promise you I will end this fuck. She's playing it brave now but I saw her face last night and she was petrified. No one should ever feel like that in their own home.
"Wyatt don't go anywhere near this guy. If you don't want him to win you let me do my job. What use are you going to be to her sitting in a cage?"
"Do you remember my uncle Claude?" My mind was already ten steps ahead.
"The one with the farm?"
"Yep."
"I don't follow."
"He raises hogs, did you know a hog would eat everything on the human body except the kneecaps? Those I can burn."
"For fuck sake Wyatt I told you not to tell me this shit? Let me talk to Traci, she at least has a level head on her shoulders."
"What did you find in her place?"
"Nothing, just what I expected."
"So you can't bring him in?"
"Nope, it's one thing to know someone's guilty and a whole other kettle of fish to prove it."
"That's all you tell her, that you found nothing. Don't tell her about those other women I don't want her any more scared than she already is." I think the fucker rolled his eyes at me, or some shit but whatever. "You might as well tell her in there because Marie will drag it all out of her anyway." I'm pretty sure ma would have the same idea as me too.
We headed back inside where the others seemed to be waiting. I held her hand while he told her. I felt the trembling in her hand; saw her battling back the fear and wanted to put my fist through something. "Where is he, did you find him?" Her voice whens eh finally spoke was the barest of whispers and nothing at all like my fiery Red. I hated it.
"No he wasn't at the address we have listed for him but my guys will keep looking. If you want we can put someone on you for a little while, the department can't afford to give you twenty-four hour security, but I can pull some strings and see what I can do."
"She's going to be with me."
"What about work and school bro?"
"She's gonna be with me." I'd hire others before I leave her in the hands on the cops with their fucked up laws. They'd probably wait until she got hurt before making a move, just so it'll hold up in court. Fuck that bullshit. Their hands seemed to be tied, mine weren't, and neither would anyone's I choose to hire to do the job if or when it comes to that.
"I don't think you're allowed in the classroom Wyatt or at her job, use your head. Let me put someone on her when I can."
"I can be a class monitor or whatever the fuck and old man Bradley better not fu-I mean he better not mess with me on this. You do what you have to but I'm going to be there."
"You have training and stuff to deal with bro remember, I don't have to go back to work until next week I can fill in sometimes when you have to be gone. We'll keep her covered."
"Thanks Chad."
"Wait, I can't let you do this, I can't have you disrupting your lives for me like this. It's … "
"Ignore her she's stuck on the ‘it's too new' crap again."
"Let the men do what they have to Traci, this is how it's supposed to be, family coming together to help." Ma smiled and patted her free hand but I could see that she was worried too and it pissed me off.
"But I'm not family." She sounded so lost and alone and I hated that shit.
"Of course you are, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting at my breakfast table after spending the night. Now you kids get on with it you have work. Jace you sit here and have some of these pancakes get some food in you before you go deal with the crazies."
I had to go up and get dressed for the day so I left her with my parents. While I was up there I emptied some drawers to make room for the rest of her shit. There was more than enough space in the walk-in closet for her suits and shit to hang with mine so no problem.
"Now I just have to tell her stubborn ass that she isn't going back to that place." Downstairs I found her in hushed conversation with ma, which could either be a good or bad thing. "What're you two up to?"
"Nothing, nothing at all." Ma gave her a look of secrecy before humming her way across the room to the sink. "Huh." Not sure what that was about but I was as giddy as a cheerleader at try-outs that my two girls were getting along so well together.
"You ready or you two got more plotting to do?" I really didn't want her to go anywhere today, but I didn't want to just come out and say you're not leaving the house until this asshole has been arrested. I figured I'd leave the argument for when I told her she wasn't leaving … ever.
"I'm ready, see you later Miss. Marie." When she walked across the room and hugged my mom I felt the final lock click into place. I was as good as hitched. She didn't seem too bothered by the whole stalker thing as we headed to my car, but I soon realized that it was all a front for ma.
As soon as I seated her and buckled her in and moved around to the driver's side, she released the breath she'd been holding and the hand wringing started. I noticed she did that whenever she was nervous or afraid and didn't like her being either. "You okay?"
"I don't know, I mean all this stuff seems so surreal and I have no reference for it you know. I've never been the object of anyone's obsession before, but that's exactly what this is beginning to feel like. I don't want to have to look over my shoulder everywhere I go, and I can't lock myself away in my place until it passes."
"You won't have to. Give me your key, today while you're at work I'll go to the condo and move your stuff to my place, you're not going back there." I said it in a way that left no room for argument, or at least I tried to. Forgot whom I was dealing with. Half the female population would jump at the chance to bed me, I know, I have the fan mail to prove it. I had to fall ass over heels for this hardheaded one that gives me shit.
"Wyatt don't be crazy, you can't just move me into your parents' house and besides we just met, what would people think?" See? She's fuck outta luck though because this was one argument she didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of winning.