Page 101 of Under His Protection
I show my screen to the others. “It’s definitely someone in my chem lab.” I tell them all about Philip coming to my rescue and slamming Mark into the wall and practically cutting off his air.
“Damn,” Charlie says. “Reply to him and tell him you’ll be there.”
Me – I’ll see you this evening.
* * *
I’m a nervous wreck all afternoon. I sit at the kitchen table listening in as Charlie and Jake have multiple conversations about the sting operation tonight. We’re supposed to be there in an hour.
My dad calls to assure me he’ll be there. Not Erin, though. He doesn’t want her anywhere near this operation.
My mom calls to check on me.
Philip has a phone conversation with Detective Bauer, who is coordinating with the local police.
Everything is set.
“Do you have a dress you can put on?” Charlie asks me. She smiles apologetically. “Since this is supposed to be a pseudo date, it would make sense for you to dress up a bit.”
I know she’s right, but the thought of dressing up for this asshole makes me sick. “I suppose so,” I say reluctantly. I don’t often wear dresses, and I have only one with me. It’s the one I wore when we had dinner at Layla and Jason’s place.
Philip looks just as unhappy about the idea as I feel.
“I know it sucks,” Charlie says, “but—”
“I know,” I say as I rise from the table. “I’ll go change.”
Philip follows me up the back staircase and down the hall to my bedroom. I pull the hunter green knit dress I wore to Layla’s out of the closet. I round up my dark gray tights and short black boots.
Philip sits on the bed and watches me change. “When this is over, we’re going to celebrate. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Anywhere?” I smile because he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.
“Just name it.”
“I want to go to Disneyworld.”
His eyes widen. “Disneyworld?”
I nod. “Yep. You said anywhere.”
“All right then. It’s a date.”
* * *
I feel sick as I sit at a table for two in the center of Mama Bella’s dining room. There are other couples seated throughout the restaurant, but they’re either undercover police or they’re McIntyre Security employees. From my vantage point, I can see Jake McIntyre sitting at a table with a pretty blonde woman named Carolyn. My dad is seated at the table behind me with a woman I’ve never seen before—another McIntyre Security employee.
Charlie and Mateo are dressed as servers, wearing black trousers, white button down shirts, and white aprons tied around their waists.
There must be some Mama Bella employees here, too, because people have food at their tables. Someone’s in the kitchen cooking this food. They’ve spared no effort in making the scene look real.
A female McIntyre Security employee is standing at the front podium playing the role of host.
Philip is behind the swinging door that leads into the kitchen, as are a few uniformed officers.
I’m wearing a tiny microphone attached to a small battery beneath my clothing, and there’s a listening piece in my right ear. I can hear the others talking over the comms. I’m wearing my hair down to conceal the earpiece.
“You’re doing great, Haley,” Philip says. His steady voice helps settle my nerves. “Just breathe. It won’t be long now.”
