Page 20 of Defending A Promise
I take a deep breath because this part scares me the most. “When I took Nicholas home, I found a note stuck to the outside of my apartment door.” I pull up a picture on my phone of the note.
I WILL TAKE MY SON. YOU CAN’T STOP ME!
“FUCK!” Declan exclaims.
“Yep. I packed our bags right then and there and then booked it to an Airbnb in Tennessee for a week until I could figure out what my next move was – which was to come home.” I smirk, “My father threatened to come find us and drag us home if I didn’t come willingly. He was beside himself with worry. So, I quit my business, gave another event planner my pending jobs, and then Nicholas and I drove straight through the night to come back home.”
“When was that?”
“May. I’ve been home since May.” I watch a myriad of emotions cross over Declan’s handsome face. His square jaw is tight and moves back and forth like he wants to say something but is trying not to. “Go ahead. Say your piece. I’m sure I’ve heard it all before. I’m an idiot for not calling the police when I got that note. I’m an idiot for not moving home sooner. I’m an idiot for not making the police believe me. I’m an idiot for posting pictures online. I’m an idiot for friending people that I didn’t already know. You can’t say anything I haven’t already told myself.”
He turns to me, lets go of my hand and wraps his hands around my face. “This. Is. Not. Your. Fault. You should have called me as soon as you got back, though.”
My hands instantly caress his. “I couldn’t, Declan. We haven’t seen each other in five years and before that, five more years. Plus, I’ve already dragged my parents into this – I wasn’t dragging you as well. Not to mention, I have no idea what your life is like. Hell, you could have had a wife and ten kids by now.” Then the thought occurs to me. “You don’t have a wife, kids, or girlfriends – do you? Am I going to cause any problems being here?”
He smiles his bright white smile. “No. No girlfriends, wives, or kids.”
“Boyfriends?”
He laughs hard and kisses my forehead before letting me go. “No. None of those, either.”
“Well, now-a-days, you never know.”
“I’m straight as an arrow.” He winks at me, and it goes straight to my core – which has been asleep since Nicholas was born. What the hell is that all about?
Chapter 10
Declan
When I hear all the shit Riley has gone through, it takes everything I have to not pound my fist through the patio tabletop. That would not only scare Riley, but Nicholas, too. Plus, I would have to buy a new patio table, and this asshole will still be out there. But it doesn’t keep me from wanting to do it anyway.
“What are your plans for the week?” I ask her as she comes back into the kitchen after putting Nicholas down for a nap. He wore himself and Bella out this morning playing in the pool and the backyard.
“Well, I need to figure out what my next move is. Where we’re going to go since I obviously can’t go back to my parents’ house. Hell, I feel guilty enough for bringing this to their front door. Literally.” I can see in her face the memory of the note on her parents’ front door.
“I mean work and school-wise. Where do you need to be and when?” I ask her as I finish cleaning up the disaster in the kitchen from breakfast.
She doesn’t answer me, so I look up and see she’s sitting down on the couch looking completely defeated. Her shoulders are slouched, and her head is hanging down into her hands.“Riley?” That’s when I notice her trying to discreetly wipe away a tear.
She takes a deep breath, sits up, and looks over at me with a fake smile. “I’m not sure what’s next for us yet. My plan for today is to figure out what I’m going to do now since I can’t go home, and I can’t go back to Atlanta.” She gives me a forced smile. “Maybe Canada? Bahamas? Europe? Surely, this whack job won’t follow me around the planet, will he?”
Finishing the kitchen cleanup, I grab two water bottles from the fridge, and hand her one as I sit down next to her on the couch. “You’re not moving to another country. Hell, you’re not moving out of this house.”
“We’re not staying here. I’ve already dragged my family into this – I’m not dragging you, too.”
“Too late. I jumped in with both feet.” She smiles and shakes her head at me when I wink and give her my million-dollar smile. “For now.” I amend. “You’re not moving out of this house, for now. At least not until we’ve caught this guy. Hell, is there even a BOLO out for this guy for attempted kidnapping?”
“BOLO?”
I laugh at her scrunched-up face. “Sorry. Cop jargon. Be On the Look Out - BOLO. Most people know it as an APB or All-Points Bulletin from television.”
“Oh… um, yes. Atlanta PD did do that much, but with only a grainy profile image of a guy wearing a baseball hat, glasses, and a coat – they didn’t have much hope in capturing him.”
I nod as I get it. Everyone loves to say they have video surveillance, but no one wants to invest in the good stuff that will actually capture something useful when it’s needed. Although I understand her frustration with the cops in Georgia, they really don’t have much to go on and they’ve done as much as they can for her – or at least until he makes a colossal fuck up and someone gets it on camera. But then it may be too late.
“Well, you two are staying here until this is all over. No arguments.” I stare directly into her eyes to get my point across and until she finally relents.
She sighs heavily, “Fine. Thank you.”
