Page 58 of Under His Protection
“Can we please make it after two?” I ask. “I’ve got classes until then.”
I catch Philip shaking his head, his grin still present.
“How about two-thirty?” Shane asks. “I’ll need everyone present. In addition to Haley, I’ll need her parents there, plus Jake and his team. Jake’s people will be in charge of Haley’s protection. We’ll have a plan in place tomorrow afternoon. In the meanwhile, Philip will act as her personal protection.”
Everyone readily agrees.
After ending the call, my dad hugs me again. “Will you be okay staying here for the night?”
“Yes, but just for tonight. I don’t want to risk bringing this creep to Mom and Dave’s house.”
“I love you,” Dad murmurs as he kisses the top of my head. He squeezes me so tightly I can barely breathe. “Be careful, and please call if you need me.”
I hug him back just as tightly. “I will, Dad.”
After Erin and I hug goodbye, they leave to go home.
Mom gets up from the sofa. “You look like you’re about to keel over, sweetheart. You should go to bed. Your room is just the way you left it.”
“I will after I say goodnight to Philip.”
“Mrs. Williams,” Philip says to my mom. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to stay here tonight, just as a precaution. I’ll sleepdown here on the sofa. And then I’ll take Haley to campus in the morning and stay with her throughout the day. After her classes are over, I’ll bring her to the McIntyre Security building for the meeting.”
Mom nods without hesitation. “Thank you, Philip. I’ll get you some bedding. And please call me Chrissy, all right?”
Philip nods. “Chrissy. Thanks.”
Mom and Dave head upstairs, leaving me and Philip alone for the first time since we arrived.
“I’m so sorry,” I say as I slip my arms around his waist. “I really tried not to bother you with this mess.”
“Don’t say that. You should have come to me at the first indication of trouble. Please, don’t ever keep something from me because you’re trying to protect me. It’s my job to protect you—literally, it’s going to be my job.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m going to be assigned as your personal protection until this situation is resolved. I’ll be shadowing you on campus, attending your classes with you. And as for the living arrangements, I’m not exactly sure where we’ll be staying, but I’m sure Shane will come up with something.”
Mom comes back downstairs with an armload of bedding and a pillow for Philip. She pats my shoulder. “Honey, you need to get to bed.”
“I’m going.” I go up on my toes to kiss Philip goodnight. “Thank you for everything. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As I’m heading toward the stairs, I hear Philip tell my mom, “Thanks for the bedding. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to run out to my truck to get my handgun.”
“You keep a gun in your truck?”
“It’s in a lock box. I’d feel better sleeping here tonight if I had a weapon. I’m confident no one followed us here from campus,and I’m sure it’s unnecessary for me to be armed, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“All right,” my mom says, “go ahead. I’m going up to bed now. You’ll lock up, Philip? And set the alarm? The code is 0603.”
Philip chuckles. “Haley’s birthday.”
“Yes, it is.”
After I hear Philip leave the house, I get ready for bed. When I crawl into my childhood bed and snuggle beneath the familiar floral quilt, I relax for the first time all evening.It feels so good to be home.I didn’t realize how much I missed this.
I hear the front door open and close as Philip returns, followed by the beeping of the alarm system as he sets it.
I lie in bed for probably an hour, unable to sleep. My mind keeps racing, reliving all the weird things that have happened. Tonight was the worst, of course.Who in the world gives someone their used condom?That takes a special kind of crazy.
