Page 43 of Fortunate Miracles
“Come, I’ll show you the safe room I built, and the combination,” Zander replies. Curious, I follow Zander into his closet. There’s a false panel in the back right corner. He shows me thecode, then opens a heavy door. A small room greets me, about the size of a powder room. “This is a safe room of sorts. It’s small but works.” He shows me the two handguns and bullets he has stored in here, as well as MREs, snacks, water, a laptop, monitors, money, and a few burner phones.
“Wow, were you expecting trouble?”
“Not really, but I suffered from PTSD after leaving the Army, and I installed it during the remodel.”
To comfort Zander, I offer a side hug and tell him how sorry I am for the trauma he endured. I know, though we haven’t talked about it, that losing their entire team caused him and Troy to retire. Zander explains the door’s automatic locking mechanism from both sides, then we exit the closet.
My phone dings as we walk back to the couch. Troy is asking all of us to meet here tomorrow after school to discuss Patrick. I notice Zander checking his phone too, so he probably got the same text. “I feel I should apologize for all this trouble, darling. Moving you here was supposed to be an enjoyable experience, and it has been so difficult.”
“None of this is your fault, and we couldn’t have predicted any of this happening, Zander. I wouldn’t change my life with you and the guys for anything. I’m happy and actually living again instead of surviving. Bumps in the road will happen no matter what.”
Zander smiles. “There have been more than bumps, darling, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
A knock on the door has me getting up to answer it, and I find Nick with a backpack and duffel bag. “Hey Grumpy,” I smile.
“Shortie,” he nods, coming inside.
“Oh, good, you’re here,” Zander says. “I’m going to call Ceres and get things set up for his new job. Holler if you need me,” he says, going into the office.
I follow Nick into the guest room. “You okay, Shortie?” he asks.
“I guess. It’s scary, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
Nick drops his bags onto the floor and pulls me down beside him on the bed, kissing my temple. “This is serious. Patrick is after you. He uses women. He could inject you with drugs, put you into a human trafficking ring, or have you raped. Shortie, you need to take this more seriously than you’ve ever taken anything.”
Sobering, I look him in the eyes. “I will. I agreed to have a bodyguard, and I’m going to learn to use a gun. I’ll do whatever you guys want me to do to stay safe.”
“Good.” He picks up his backpack and throws it on the bed before opening the duffel bag. Looking around, he plugs his laptop in by the nightstand before opening it up and sitting on the bed, so I decide to unpack his clothes into the dresser and closet. I get an eyebrow raise, but I just give him one back and continue. Once his clothes are done, I take his toiletries to the bathroom and put them away. When I reenter the room, he is putting a gun on the top shelf of the closet.
Breathing deeply, I settle onto the bed’s edge as Nick sits beside me. “Memorize this email and phrase, Shortie. It’s how to contact Fawx.” He hands me a torn piece of paper. This isn’t your typical email address, so I’ll need to practice memorizing both.
“What is the phrase for?”
“If you need to contact him, he'll need to verify it’s you. If you give him that phrase, he'll know who you are and will help you.”
“Okay. I will. I should memorize everyone else’s numbers, too.” We rely too heavily on electronics these days instead of information.
“Z, Ceres and Seb,” Nick says.
Nodding in agreement, I go into my room and grab a sticky note to write those three numbers down. I have studying to finish tonight, so I let Nick know I’ll be on the couch working and he grabs his laptop to join me. Turning on the tv for background noise, I call Alex, and we work through precalculus questions together.
Zander joins us after an hour or so. “Ceres has agreed to be your bodyguard, Summer. That means he will meet you after school each day and follow you unless you are home with Nick and me. If we suspect you're being watched at school, that will change, and he will be with you during class as well.”
The pressure is mounting; I can feel the invisible weight of it causing me to slouch. My protection isn’t because of my fame, but a clear and imminent threat.
“I have an idea I want to throw out there,” Zander begins. “Should we be looking at witness protection? Nick and you moving to an undisclosed location until he’s caught?”
Wow…just wow. Witness protection after I just met Zander and the guys. Then there’s Sue, Sarah, and Jake to consider. The thrumming drumbeat of my heart rises in tempo with my anxiety. Why can’t my life be mundane?One moment at a time, Summer.
I know everyone would prefer me safe, even if I couldn’t communicate with them. Maybe all the guys could come with us? I don’t think Alex would agree, though. A whirlwind of anxieties and hopes, a million unspoken thoughts, chase each other through my mind before I turn to Nick. “I hadn’t thought of that. What do you think, Nick?”
“No idea how long we'd have to be gone, and he could go after someone else if we disappear,” Nick says.
“Would it be selfish to say that’s better than Summer?” Zander replies.
“No,” Nick says at the same time that I say yes.
“I wouldn’t want someone else to take my place. That’s not right,” I say, looking both of them in the eyes.
