Page 13 of Securing His Family

God, the thought of Patrick getting his hands on Charlee had the pizza she’d eaten for dinner threatening to return. Reed was right, anything she had to help her case would be good.

“You’re right. Let’s look it over. Do you want me to get my laptop so that we can look at it on a bigger screen?” Her laptop was old, but it still worked. Sally and Terence were great and let her use their Wi-Fi, so that was an expense she didn’t have to find the money for. She was so lucky that she lived where she did, but how safe was it now with Patrick turning up again? If anything happened to the sweet couple who treated her and Charlee as if they were family, it would be devastating.

All the more reason to find out what she could about Patrick and use it to keep those around her safe.

“That’s a good idea. What’s your email?”

She rattled it off while she pulled out a drawer of the cabinet the TV sat on and grabbed her computer. It took a long time to fire up but when it did and she opened her email program, her stomach dropped at what greeted her. “No,” she whispered.

Immediately Reed was by her side. “What’s wrong?”

She couldn’t say anything just pointed to the screen.

“What the fuck? May I?” Reed asked, and she shoved the computer toward him, happy that she didn’t have to deal with it.

What would she have done if she’d been by herself? If she’d opened her email and seen that Patrick had sent fifteen emails—all with the same subject lineYou can run but you can’t hide. Beside each one was the symbol that there was an attachment.

The next moment she was surrounded by warmth; Reed was holding her. “I’ve got you, Ren. You’re safe. Nothing is going to happen. I won’t let it.”

Lauren wanted to stay cocooned in his arms, but she knew that she couldn’t. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to keep Charlee safe.”

Her flight instinct was kicking in along with her mama bear one. Her daughter’s safety was her number one priority. She couldn’t let anything happen to Charlee, she’d never forgive herself if something did. Her daughter was her life. Nothing else mattered, not even her own safety. She would sacrifice herself if it meant that Charlee would never have to worry about anything for the rest of her life.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking but stop. You’re not alone anymore, Lauren.” Reed’s confident voice penetrated some of the bubble that had surrounded her. “You don’t need to run.”

“He can’t get Charlee,” she whispered. “He can’t get her.”

Reed’s arms tightened around her. “He won’t. I promise.”

Lauren pulled away and put some distance between them, needing the space to think. To breathe. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

She was used to people breaking their promises to her. Her parents had always told her that it didn’t matter what she did they would always love her. Apparently their word didn’t extend to her when she’d told them she was pregnant. She’d been scared—but confident because of everything they’d told her—that they would still love her and help her through her pregnancy, welcoming their grandchild with open arms. The opposite happened. The horror on their faces when she told them was etched into her memory. Along with the moment they told her they didn’t want anything to do with her and showed her the door.

She’d learned to survive on her own and she was stronger for it. But she didn’t feel strong now.

“I don’t. I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you or Charlee.” Reed sounded resolute and sure.

Lauren wanted to believe that. She truly did, but Patrick had escalated and she didn’t know why.

But there’s the report Wilt had put together. Maybe it will tell you something.

That was the reason she’d opened her laptop and had gotten lost in the aftermath of seeing Patrick’s emails.

God, she wanted this day to start over and be completely different. She wanted Patrick not to have turned up at the café. She wanted it to be a normal day. A boring day when there were no shadows hanging over her.

But if that was the case then she wouldn’t have Reed standing in front of her, and while everything else about the day had turned to shit, having him there was a highlight. Although, the only reason he was there was because of how her day had turned out, not because he wanted her.

“It’s all so hard,” she murmured. “I don’t know what to do.”

Again warmth surrounded her and she found herself pressed against Reed’s hard chest, a place she was beginning to like more and more. She shouldn’t get used to it though, because there was no guarantee he would hang around. That he would stay.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ve got you. You’re not alone.”

He wouldn’t keep saying that if he was going to walk away, would he? She hoped he wouldn’t, and considering everything that had happened so far, he was still standing in her house. He could’ve run at any time, but he hadn’t. Considering how she’d been acting in the last half an hour, she would’ve run from herself if she could.

This wasn’t how she acted.

She didn’t let things defeat her. She hadn’t crumpled when her parents disowned her. She hadn’t crumpled when she had been struggling to stay awake on her job because Charlee had been sick and kept her up all night. She hadn’t crumpled when she only had fifty dollars in her bank account and her rent was due. Each time she’d faced it head on and defeated it. Like she was going to do now. No way was she going to let Patrick win.

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