Page 86 of Deserving Maisy
She wasn’t wrong. Maisy nodded.
“Enough. You guys are freaking her out,” Jack said, wrapping an arm around Maisy’s waist. She looked up at him and saw a muscle in his jaw was ticking. He was doing his best to seem nonchalant about this trip, but it was obvious, at least to her, that he was anything but.
If there was any way to get her inheritance without this trip to Seattle, Maisy had no doubt Jack would’ve insisted on it. They’d tried to arrange for her to see someone here in New Mexico, but the lawyer in charge of the trust wasthe only one who could release the money, and he wasn’t willing to travel to New Mexico because of family commitments.
Maisy understood. He couldn’t be expected to fly all over the country on his clients’ whims. And she actually appreciated that he stuck to the letter of the law. If he didn’t, it was likely her brother would’ve already found a way to get his hands on her money.
Besides, there were some things she wanted from the house…the evidence against Jason at the top of the list, of course. But also keepsakes, clothes, her dad’s handkerchiefs he always carried that she kept in her dresser, her mom’s wedding ring. They were just things, but they were some of the only items she had from her parents.
Brick, Tiny, and Jack were all tense, as if they reallyweregetting ready for a mission. Maisy wanted to reassure them that with any show of force, her brother would cave. Bullies always did. Around anyone weaker than them, they talked a good game, but the second someone pushed back, they gave in. Her brother was no different. Of course, this knowledge was too little, too late for her, but she was secretly looking forward to Jason coming face-to-face with the guys. He’d crap his pants for sure.
Best of all, he wouldn’t be able to hurt her. Not with Brick, Tiny, and Jack there to protect her. She could say what she needed to say without fear of retribution. She was actually looking forward to seeing her brother.
They finally finished saying their goodbyes and headed toward the airport in Santa Fe. They only had carry-on suitcases, so check-in was a breeze. She sat between Jack and Brick on the plane, with Tiny in the row behind them.Before she knew it, they’d landed in Seattle and Tiny was driving them toward their hotel.
Their appointment at the bank wasn’t until the morning, and before they’d arrived, the timing of everything seemed fine, but now Maisy wished they could go to the bank right this second. She stayed tense as Tiny drove, afraid somehow her brother would’ve found out she was here and would do something to prevent her from getting to the bank to sign the papers.
“Relax, you’re good,” Jack said, as if he could read her mind.
He couldn’t hear what she was thinking, but he probablycouldread her body language. Feel the stress in the way she clung to his hand almost desperately.
“Even though it’s not legal, Ryleigh’s idea to use those fake IDs you and Stone used to leave Washington the first time was smart,” Tiny said as he drove. “If your brotherdoeshave a way to monitor who’s flying in and out of Seattle, he won’t know you’ve returned until it’s too late for him to do anything about it.”
Tiny was right, she knew he was, but it didn’t stop her from fearfully glancing at everyone in the vehicles around them.
“We’ll check in, then order room service. We’ll find something to watch that’ll take your mind off everything,” Jack said.
Maisy appreciated him doing what he could to help her calm down, but the last thing she wanted was to sit in the room and think about all the ways Jason could mess things up. “What if we went down to the restaurant in the lobby?” she asked. She wasn’t stupid enough to suggestthey go out sightseeing or anything, but maybe he’d agree to them eating downstairs.
“I don’t know,” Jack mused.
Brick interjected from the front seat. “I think that’ll be fine. We can request a booth in the back of the restaurant, away from the windows.”
“You sure?” Jack asked Maisy.
She nodded enthusiastically.
“All right. Should we meet downstairs in about an hour and a half after check-in?”
Everyone agreed, and Maisy tried to force her muscles to relax. This was okay. Everything was okay.
And it was. They checked in without any issues; Brick and Tiny were sharing a room down the hall from her and Jack. They met in the lobby for dinner, and Maisy found herself laughing and forgetting about what they were going to do the next day…at least for a little while.
Then Jack brought her back upstairs, put on a movie that neither of them really had any interest in watching, and pulled her into his arms.
This was what she needed. Maisy always felt safe with Jack around. Tomorrow was going to be fine. They’d do what they came to do, then go back home and move on with their lives.
“Tomorrow’s gonna be fine,” Jack said softly.
Maisy chuckled.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
“I was literally just thinking those same words.”
“Great minds think alike.”
Maisy smiled at that. “Jack?”
