Page 26 of Protecting Maggie
“How did you know my phone’s passcode?” she blurted.
“I’ve been around you enough to see you unlock it a few times.”
Well, crap. Of course he had. He was a Navy SEAL. Observant. And she needed to be better at protecting herself. Especially with her ex apparently out to get her.
“He called again,” Shawn said. It wasn’t a question.
Maggie held her breath as she stared at him. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to figure out all her secrets and convince her to let him stay, or just turn around and leave.
God, who was she kidding—she didn’t want him to leave. Not at all. He made her feel safe, which was a hell of a thing after not feeling safe for even one minute of the day for the last two years. Even when she was sleeping, Maggie had been on edge. She and her cellmate had gotten along, but all it would’ve taken was one argument and she could have found a homemade shank in her chest.
“I can help you,” Shawn said softly and evenly. “My friends and I have connections. This is what I wanted to talk to you about. All I need is a name and we can do the rest. You don’t have to say anything else, just tell me who your ex is and I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything that would get you in trouble again.”
Maggie wanted to sink into his arms and tell him all her secrets. But she locked her knees. Roman’s call was still way too fresh in her mind. He’d do exactly what he threatened. He’d somehow get Shawn and his SEAL team sent to the far reaches of the world if they started looking into him. They’d be in danger. Hell, if Roman had his way, he’d probably try to get them killed in the line of duty, just so she’d truly not have anyone on her side.
“I can’t.” She’d meant to stick to her guns and tell himthat her decision wasn’t about her ex, but instead, those two little words popped out.
“He threatened you,” Shawn said.
And for the first time, Maggie heard emotion in his tone. He was pissed. Not at her, but on her behalf.
She broke. When was the last time someone had been offended and pissed off because of something being done to her? Years.
Tears filled her eyes, even as she shook her head.
“It’s okay. You can tell me,” Shawn cajoled.
But she couldn’t. She’d protect this man from her ex if it was the last thing she did. Maybe it was stupid, it probably was, but she was so afraid of Roman, of what he could do, that she couldn’t put Shawn at risk.
He took a step toward her, and the next thing Maggie knew, she was in his arms. Her nose was buried in his neck as she latched onto him as tightly as she could. It was still shocking, how good the touch of another human felt. She understood now why newborn babies needed their mother’s touch, or that of a warm human body. There was something so elemental about being held as if you were the most important thing in another person’s life.
“I’ve got you. You’re all right,” Shawn murmured as one hand tangled in her hair and the other spanned across her upper back. She felt cocooned by him. Safe.
But he was wrong. She wasn’t all right. Not in the least.
Maggie felt Shawn shuffling them backward, toward her couch. He sat them both down but didn’t let go of her, which was the exact thing Maggie needed right now.
How long they sat on the couch with his arms around her, Maggie clutching him as tightly as she could, she had no idea. But after a while, she leaned back. Shawn still didn’t let go, but he let her put some space between them.
“Okay,” he told her.
Maggie frowned. “Okay what?”
“I’ll back off. Give you time to truly believe that I’m on your side. That I can have your back. I’m not afraid of your ex, Maggie. He’s a bully, and bullies never win.”
Maggie wasn’t so sure about that.
“My friends and I can help you, but I understand that you need more time to let that sink in. We know people. People who can prevent that asshole from fucking with your life any more than he already has. Not only that, but they can look into what it might take to get your conviction overturned.”
He couldn’t have shocked her more if he’d stood up and took off all his clothes and began to dance around the room like a male stripper. “What?” she whispered.
“I don’t know if that can be done, but our connections will do whatever they can to at least see if it’s possible.”
The urge to blurt out all her troubles to this man was strong. But a small part of her was still skeptical. Though she did trust him enough to ask, “Can you teach me how to record calls on my phone?”
“Yes.” The answer was immediate and heartfelt.
Just knowing she’d be able to record Roman’s threats in the future, and maybe catch him incriminating himself, made her feel better. Stronger.
