That one was harder to ignore, but we did. The cops would say it was a baseless threat, a weak attempt to extort money from a celebrity. Since there was no physical threat and no basis at all for her claims, we didn’t want to give her the attention she sought by going to the press or police.
Plus, we didn’t want to scare our kids.
It wasn’t the first time we’d been stalked by paps trying to get photos or overzealous fans wanting Drew’s autograph. Hell, one time someone waited at the track for us to come out after a race and insisted he was Drew’s long-lost twin brother and they’d been separated at birth.
An introduction to my fist seemed to knock the sense back into that bozo. Or maybe he just knew I’d do worse than punch him if he came around again.
The fourth letter was weeks ago. When a fifth didn’t come, I hoped the woman had given up.
She gave up, all right. Gave up sending letters and graduated to direct contact with my child.
The next letter she sent? That would be from behind bars.
Kids had a right to be kids. Playing sports, going for ice cream, and hanging out with their friends was normal and probably something most parents didn’t think twice about.
But for our kids, it came with safety protocol, limited social media access, and as of tonight, warnings about attempted kidnapping.
After the meeting, we left all seven of them on the sectional to watch a movie while the adults went into the kitchen for a more adult-style family meeting.
Ivy went directly to the freezer and pulled out a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Rimmel got out two spoons, and the pair started eating it at the island, right out of the container.
Braeden stared between them and then opened his mouth.
Ivy held up her spoon. “Not one word.”
Rimmel tried to scoop out a bite, and a hunk of chocolate went flying across the counter and hit him in the chest.
Romeo grabbed it from where it landed and tossed it in his mouth. “Thanks, baby.”
Rimmel giggled.
“Eating out of the carton. Making a mess.” B shook his head. “When I do it, I get yelled at.”
“You aren’t as cute as they are,” Romeo told him.
Braeden sighed dramatically. “Pretty privilege,” he muttered, helping himself to a beer from the fridge. “Who else wants one?”
Romeo and Drew nodded, and when they each had one, B turned to me. “Trent?”
“No,” I said. “I need to make a phone call.” After grabbing my cell, I headed toward the sliders that led onto the back deck.
Before going out, I turned to Romeo. “You gonna be cool if the cops want to talk to Lolo about what happened tonight?”
The muscle in his jaw ticked, but he agreed.
I looked at my sister. “Rim?”
She laid her spoon down with a soft clink. “Of course. As long as we can be with her.”
“We’re all going to be there,” Romeo said, voice steely. “I’ll call my dad and have him come out in the morning. Wouldn’t hurt to have our lawyer present.”
I nodded.
“I’m calling security and adding extra to the gate and property perimeter,” Braeden said.
“What should I do?” Drew asked.
“Stand there and look pretty,” I said with a wink.
