Page 37 of Thrown Off Balance

“Nope. But I'm kinda wondering how far he’s willing to go. Will he try to follow us home from the stadium?” Jax scrubs a hand down his face in frustration.

“He might. Whose car has he seen?” Dad glares at the screen. He might not have young kids anymore, but the papa bear is still inside of him and that’s never going to change.

“He’s only seen mine. Jax’s car has been in the shop since we met Jude,” I speak up.

“I got mine back on Friday. We can keep Cody’s car in the garage and just drive mine. He won't follow us if he doesn’t know what car we’re in. Plus, when it was in the shop, I got the windows tinted dark to help with my migraines. He won't be able to see in the windows.”

“Do you really think he’ll follow you?” Sloan’s brows draw together as she glances from Jax to Mason and Dad.

“Do we know for sure? No. But if I had to guess, Jude has some issues he’s been able to hide for a long time. I’m not risking it. With how he reacted over Jax putting him in his place, I'm willing to bet he’ll attempt to get back in Jax’s good graces,” Uncle Mason’s voice softens when he speaks to Sloan.

“He might try to get back at you for ruining everything,” Dad adds with a wince. “I'm sorry, Sloan. He said so himself, he thinks you turned Jax against him. If he’s this crazy, there’s no telling what he could do.”

“Alright, let’s not freak Sloan out. He’s leaving now, once he’s completely off of the property, we can leave and I’ll take you home.” I press a soft kiss to Sloan’s temple and hold her a little tighter.

“Do you have any spare guys right now, Mason?” Dad arches a brow.

“Yeah, I’ll call them when I get home and handle it… Do you work in the same building as Jude?”

“Yes,” Sloan whispers. “His dad owns the company I work for.”

“Has he said anything to you about Jude?”

“Actually… on Friday he told me if we ever break up, he won't hold it against me and it won't affect my job at all.”

“Good. It sounds like he’s well aware of how his son is. That will make things a little bit easier for you.” Uncle Mason’s typing away on his phone. I'm sure he’s already planning on having security keep an eye on my house and Sloan’s. He might even have someone follow Jude. “Can you work from home?”

“Yes. I can work from home whenever I want, I typically still go in though. I’d just need to email Jude’s dad and let him know I won't be in the office.”

“You should do that now. Let him know this week and next week you’ll be working from home.” Uncle Mason nods his head. “Do you think you can come into my office tomorrow and we have a meeting to figure out how we can best protect you?”

“You don’t need to do all of this. I think Jude was just overreacting and he’ll be fine by tomorrow.” She tries to wave off everyone’s concerns, but I can sense the unease she feels.

“Nah, let Uncle Mason help you. I’ll cover the cost. I just want you to be safe,” I murmur so only she can hear me.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Yes, you can.”

She stares at me for a few seconds before she turns her attention back to Uncle Mason. She swallows hard and nods her head.

“Just let me know what time and I’ll be there.”

Jax tosses me his keys and motions for me to get in the driver’s seat. He doesn’t like driving, especially at night. The bright lights from the other cars and the traffic lights tend to give him bad migraines. I don’t mind driving so I tend to drive if we’re going somewhere together.

I open the passenger’s door and help Sloan inside. She’s been awfully quiet since Uncle Mason made it clear he thinks Jude’s going to be a problem. I think she’s scared, but doesn’t want anyone to know.

As soon as she’s in, I softly shut the door and jog around to the driver’s side. I start the SUV and head towards the gate. The entire property is fenced in with six-foot-high iron fences. Dad and Uncle Blake put them in when they knew Wyatt would be moving to Mulberry Lane. They figured Jax, Leo, and I would soon be following and with all of us playing professional sports, we could have people try to get a little too close for comfort.

As I pull up to the gate, I type in the code and the gates part slowly. Typically, the gate is only shut at night, but I have a feeling they’re going to be shut all the time now. That’s not a bad thing, especially as Carter gets a little older. The last thing anyone needs is a crazy fan going after one of the kids.

I head towards Sloan’s apartment and when we turn onto her street, she lets out a loud gasp.

“That’s Jude’s car! Why is he here?” She slumps down in her seat and Jax chuckles.

“I told you, the windows are tinted. He can’t see in the car so stop trying to hide from him.”

“But why is he here?” She whispers.