Page 68 of Under His Protection
Philip turns and is headed back this way when Charlie inserts herself between me and Mark.
“On what grounds?” Mark asks.
“That’s none of your business,” Charlie says as she inserts herself between us, creating a buffer and essentially shoving Mark aside.
“Who the fuck areyou?” he asks Charlie.
Charlie glares at him. “That’s also none of your business.”
We finally make it outside, and Mark follows us down the steps to Philip’s truck.
The guys set the boxes in the bed of the truck.
“Haley, why don’t you wait in the truck while I go get my car?” Charlie says. She walks me to the cab, and after I climb in, she tells me to lock my door.
While the guys are securing the boxes in the back of the truck, Mark stands on the lawn glaring at me through my window. I face forward and focus on the road ahead. I’m relieved when I spot Charlie’s Civic heading toward us. She makes a quick three-point turn in the middle of the street and falls in behind us.
Mateo gets into the Civic, and Philip climbs into the driver’s seat.
When the truck engine starts up, Mark turns away, but the parting glare he gives me makes my stomach knot. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark ends up at the top of Detective Bauer’s list of suspects.
“You doing okay?” Philip asks.
I nod, but don’t say anything.
He turns to face me and reaches out to cup my cheek. “You’re pale as a ghost.”
“There’s something wrong with Mark.”
“I’m not going to argue with that. But, Haley, you can relax. You’ve got a whole security team glued to you for the foreseeable future—until the stalker is apprehended. The danger is over.” He nods to the car waiting behind us. “I’ve worked with Mateo and Charlie for several years now. They’re good. They know what they’re doing. You’re in safe hands.”
“I hate that you’re going to all this trouble because of me. I’m sure you all have better things to do with your time.”
“Hey.” He gently grips my chin. “Nothing on this Earth is more important to me than your safety and happiness, Hale. And as for Charlie and Mateo, they wouldn’t have accepted this assignment if they didn’t want to. Like Charlie said, it’ll be a nice change of pace for them.”
Philip leans in and kisses me. It’s a gentle kiss, his lips lightly skimming over mine. And then he faces forward and puts the truck in gear. “Now, let’s go get you settled into your new home.”
Chapter 21 – Philip
I’m worried about Haley. As we head to the safehouse, she sits in the front seat of my truck staring straight ahead. I reach for her hand, and it’s ice cold, so I lay her hand on my thigh and cover it with my own, hoping to warm her up.
She’s shutting down right before my eyes.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” I say. “Between us and campus police, we’ll get this guy.”
“Not knowing who’s behind this is making me crazy. I suppose it could be Mark, but I don’t think it is. He’s blatantly inappropriate to my face. Why would he bother sending me anonymous notes when he’s okay with being a jerk to my face? But if it’s not Mark, then who is it?”
We arrive at the safehouse in about fifteen minutes. I drive around to the back alley, pull up to the security gate, and input the access code. As the metal gate swings slowly open, I drive onto the property. Charlie follows me in. When we’ve cleared the gate, it swings shut and locks with a loud beep.
“Here we are,” I say. “Home sweet home, at least for the time being.”
The townhouse is a two-story brick building in a long row of similar attached buildings. In the backyard is a two-story garage. The first floor is large enough to hold three vehicles. The top floor is a separate apartment that doubles as a security office. Charlie and Mateo will be living there, taking turns monitoring the security systems.
Charlie uses a remote to open the garage door and pull inside.
I park next to her, between her Civic and Mateo’s dark green Jeep Wrangler.
I shut off my engine and check my phone for messages. “Shane says he had some groceries and supplies dropped off here this afternoon, so we should have everything we need, at least for a while. If there’s anything missing, just let one of us know, and we’ll take care of it.”
