Page 25 of Protecting Maggie
“Listen, bitch, you don’t tell me what to do. I’m the one holding all the cards. And damn straight you’ll keep your mouth shut. I can get you put right back behind bars with one phone call.”
Maggie’s knees went weak, and she crumpled to the floor right where she was standing. “Why?” she whispered. “Why are you doing this? You screwed my entire life, Roman! Why are you still messing with me?”
“Because it’s fun,” was his response.
And the laugh that followed his blunt statement made Maggie realize he wasn’t kidding. He really thought this wasfun. Ruining her life was entertainment for him.
In a flash, she realized how badly she’d messed up. She should’ve been recording all her incoming calls. To have proof that Roman was harassing her. That he was the one who’d set her up two years ago.
As soon as she hung up, she’d rectify that, find one of those recording apps. She didn’t know how they worked, but she’d figure it out. Maybe Shawn would help.
The thought of the man who would be at her apartment at any moment made her stiffen once more. And as if her thoughts of him had transferred somehow to Roman, he spoke again.
“I’m warning you now, if you say anything to that Frogman or his friends, you’ll regret it. I’ll find out who he is sooner or later and I’ll make him regret ever meeting you. I told you that I’m a big deal on this base, and I wasn’t lying. I can make sure his team rots in some jungle, or their blood boils in a fucking desert on the other side of the world. Once I know who he is, if I hear even one peep that they’re asking about me, it’ll be a done deal. Iownyou, Maggie. Don’t you fucking forget that.”
How could she? He wouldn’t let her.
Maggie opened her mouth to once again plead with her ex to leave her alone, but it was too late. The line was dead.
Robotically, she clicked on the number he’d called from and blocked it, despite knowing it would do no good. Roman apparently had an endless supply of burner phones to call her from. She could get another phone number, but he’d foundthisone—a new number she’d gotten after her release—easily enough. She had no reason to doubt he’d find another number just as easily.
She sat on the tile floor staring into space, racking her brain trying to figure out what to do. She could run, leave the state, hide out, but that would only get her in worse trouble. She had no idea how to disappear or get a new identity. Besides, despite what her record said, she wasn’t a criminal. Didn’t like being in trouble. She was a rule follower, and just the thought of living the rest of her life hiding from the authorities gave her hives.
But Roman’s threat against Shawn and his friends rang true. She didn’t doubt for a second he could totally screw with their team, and she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to do so. The last thing she wanted was for someone else to get hurt or in trouble because of her bad decisions. And dating Roman Robertson was one of the worst decisions she’d ever made. It had literally ruined her life.
She’d be damned if it would ruin Shawn’s as well.
Knowing what she had to do made Maggie feel even more helpless and scared.
When a knock sounded on her door, she jerked in surprise. Slowly, she stood, her feet tingling from sitting on them for so long. Woodenly, she walked to the door andlooked through the peephole. It was Shawn, as she expected.
Opening the door, she swallowed hard. He looked good. Really good. He wore a white and blue checkered flannel shirt, which should have seemed a little silly in southern California, but it only made him look even more handsome than usual. It also seemed as if he’d tried to actually style his hair, rather than simply running a hand through it, as he usually did. His beard was neatly trimmed, and the smile on his face when he saw her should’ve made Maggie’s toes curl. Instead, it made her feel nauseous, considering what she was about to do.
The smile on his face slowly faded and he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Taking a deep breath, Maggie stepped back. “Nothing. Come on in.”
Inviting him in was a big step for her. It showed a level of trust that she’d thought had been pulverized because of all she’d been through. But this man had somehow managed to break through her shields and gotten her to trust him in record time. Too bad she was about to ruin that with what she was going to tell him.
They walked into her apartment and, feeling awkward, Maggie turned to Shawn. “Do you want something to drink?”
“No. I want you to tell me what has you so freaked out. Do you not want me here? I can go. Or have you changed your mind about Aces? We can go somewhere else.”
That was one of the things she liked most about thisman. He did whatever he could to always make sure she felt comfortable. And he wasn’t afraid to come right out and ask her what she was thinking and feeling. In her experience, men didn’t do that. They pretended everything was all right, even when it clearly wasn’t.
She needed to get this done. Rip it off like a Band-Aid. “This isn’t working for me, Shawn. I don’t think we should see each other or talk anymore.”
To her consternation, Shawn didn’t have any kind of outward response to her words. He simply stared at her.
To cover the awkward moment, and her unease, Maggie kept talking. “It’s not that I don’t like you. I do. It’s just…I’ve got a lot on my plate. You know, with the job you helped me get, and making sure I don’t do anything that could violate my probation. Adina will be coming home in a few months, and I need to focus on finding a new place to live.”
“I see,” he said when she was finished.
But he didn’t turn around and leave. Didn’t do anything other than stand there and continue to stare at her with those deep green eyes of his.
“Shawn?” she asked, feeling nervous now.
To her surprise, he reached out and took the cellphone she was still gripping like it was a lifeline. She let go and watched as he unlocked it and began scrolling on the screen.
