***
Flynn’s barely thrown his truck in park before we both scramble out and search for Elle. The scene in front of me makes me want to vomit. Her car with broken glass all around it, and her standing to the side clutching something in her hands. There’s multiple cop cars with their lights on. The parking lot is practically lit up with blue and red lights. I squirm slightly as we approach. We were raised to hate cops unless they were on our payroll, and I don’t know these guys.
Don’t get me wrong. I work alongside cops frequently at work, but those guys aren’t surrounding my girl like these assholes are. Elle is shaking so badly that I can see it from here. My phone’s in the car, but I’d bet if I checked it, I’d find her sugar high as fuck. She’s freaking out, and I want to know why. I also want to know why the hell she didn’t call me when whatever happened, well, happened.
She’s standing with Addison at her side, both girls are huddled together. There’s three officers standing there talking to them. I’m just over halfway across the parking lot when it’s like she feels my eyes burning into her. She looks up, and her face crumples just like my lungs do at the look of terror on her face. She moves past the cops and sprints towards me. Elle throws herself at me as soon as she’s close enough, and I catch her one handed with ease. I have just one hand on her thigh, hoisting her up until her legs wrap around my hips and her face burrows into my neck. My free hand grabs her other thigh while holding her securely in place. I don’t break my stride even for a second.
“I’m so scared, Monster.” She trembles against me. Flynn looks at me with a questioning expression, but I know just as much as he does.
“What happened, baby girl?” I ask while moving one hand up into her hair and stroking her head in a gentle rhythm.
“He’s back. The stalker.” That stops me dead in my tracks, and my body turns rigid. Flynn takes that as his cue to continue on to talk tothe cops and the girl Elle’s been friends with for years. My eyes scan the parking lot for any sign of someone else, but all I see is a blacked out SUV that I’d put all the money in my bank on belonging to either one of Theo’s or one of Rowan’s men.
“What do you mean he’s back? I thought we didn’t have to worry about that anymore? We haven’t heard from him since your first Olympics almost eight years ago?” I question.
“He shot out the light I parked under for safety and left me a note.” She trembles in my arms and I pull her impossibly closer.
“What did the note say, Boo?” I ask as gently as I can. I want to explode. I want to storm this entire area and fuck shit up, but that won’t help anyone but myself.
Her voice shakes, but she pushes through and tells me, “Thought you could hide from me, principessa? I’ve missed you, my little gymnast. It was signed ‘YSA’. It’s the same handwriting and everything, Sul. He’s definitely back.”
Fuck.
Chapter eleven
Elena Rossi
Sully stays by my side throughout the entire report. He doesn't take his arms from around my waist or his chin from the top of my head until the officers drive off after promising to follow up tomorrow. Even then he just moves to lace our fingers so I can hug Addy and thank her for waiting with me for the police.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She whispers mid hug.
"Yeah, I'm okay now." I smile while pulling away. And I am, okay that is, Sully and Flynn are here. I'm safe now.
"So… Both of them or…" She laughs when I playfully push her away from me.
"Shut up." I shake my head laughing but turn and look at my very grumpy, very scary looking Monster before turning back to her and raising my eyebrows. I can tell she picked up what I put down when she nods in approval.
"Okay, okay. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"I'll be here. Nine sharp."
We wave goodbye and she leaves. I'm extremely grateful for her and how, when I froze, she was able to spring into action. No sooner than she pulls out of the parking lot does Flynn grab my keys from my hands and tosses Sully his.
"Take her home. I'll take the long way and then be there."
I know what he's doing. We came from the same world after all. He's making sure that if anyone follows my car, he loses them before coming to the house. I appreciate him being thorough, but I worry we're too late for that. I don't voice that opinion, fearing if I do that it'll become my reality. Sully gently tugs my arm, and I follow behind him wordlessly. My head is killing me, and I'm suddenly exhausted to my core. If I had to guess, it's from the adrenaline dump. The cottonmouth that I'm struggling with right now though tells me my sugar is high.
Sully gets us settled in Flynn's truck and grabs my insulin pen from my gym bag before throwing on a fresh pair of medical gloves that the guys keep in their vehicles. He grabs and opens the alcohol wipe he pulled out with the gloves. I keep insulin pens with me all of the time for emergency situations. He cleans the underside of my upper arm with the wipe before uncapping the pen and giving me the shot. My eyes shut tightly as a pained hiss escapes my clenched teeth. It doesn’t typically hurt like this, but I’m overstimulated right now, so I feel it more than usual.
"Shh, it's okay baby girl. You're doing so well. It's almost over." He murmurs absentmindedly. Completely oblivious to the fact that I melt every time he praises or talks me through something. I know being in bed with him would burn me to ash by just his words alone. He's also oblivious to the way that I've squirmed every time he's called me 'baby girl'. It's a new thing that he's picked up, because before recently it was always Boo, Boo thang, Elena, or Elle. Sometimes he'd sprinkle in an Ellie for some flair, but he's never used baby girl before the other day.
As soon as he's done, he caps the pen and puts it in a ziplock bag to toss when we get back to the house.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, thanks for that." I smile shyly.
"Anytime, Boo."