After they were settled, Marcus’s demeanor changed.Gone was the friend, and here was the officer of the law.He took out a notebook and opened an app on his phone.“Do you mind if I record the conversation?Makes it easier to check my notes.Only my deputies and I will ever hear it.”
Nash gestured at her to answer, and she nodded.“It’s a bit of a long story and I may be a little paranoid.”
Marcus grinned.“Let me be the judge of that.Having a healthy dose of paranoia has saved my life on multiple occasions.”
She managed a smile of her own.“To give you the overview first, Ella Mae is my adopted daughter.Her mother was my best friend back in New York.Mary Mae and Liam had a will naming me as guardian and when they were killed, I took guardianship.Ella’s father had a stepbrother who was obsessed with Ella’s mother.I think he killed them by sending their car over a guardrail.I’ve changed our names along with my contact information.Nash and I were in New York a few days ago, and I saw a man who reminded me of Adam.Even though I haven’t seen or heard from him in months, I’m worried his obsession with Ella’s mother might extend to Ella herself.I’m scared he’s going to try to take her or hurt her.”
She whooshed out a breath.“Sorry, that was a long babble.”
Marcus smiled gently.“No problem.You’ve been through a lot, and you’re ensuring your precious little girl here remains safe.Let’s start at the beginning.”
For the next hour, Marcus guided her through her past and her connection with Mary, Liam, and Ella.She told him about the will and the lawyers.She gave him the names of the police officer they’d spoken with about Adam when he’d been harassing them.
Nash filled him in on the license plate change he’d done as soon as they’d crossed the Vermont border.
Marcus turned off the recorder and tapped the desk with his fingers.“You’ve done everything exactly right.You’ve been proactive in protecting Ella and yourself.I wish I could say you’re perfectly safe, but there’s always a possibility that Parsons has connections to a hacker or is one himself.”
Olivia shrugged.“Tech was never his thing, but he was always proud of his connections.Claimed he could get anything he wanted through them.He thought it made him impressive, but it made him scary.No matter where we moved, he found Mary Mae.”
Marcus nodded.“I know the type.Sounds like he might be connected to a gang in some way.I’ll contact the officer you mentioned and the vice department.If there’s any link to gang activity, they should know his name.If there isn’t, there’s less likelihood that he would have any access to your information.”
She sighed.“There’s never a zero chance, is there?”
Marcus agreed.“Even if you moved to Italy, there’s a way to track most things on the internet if you know someone with the right skills.But you haven’t used your former name for anything that would lead to you.Your new name doesn’t have any paper trail leading to Phail, or even Vermont.”
That was good to hear.
“An image search might bring him more luck, but it doesn’t sound like he’s had an opportunity to take a picture.Does your publisher use your image on social media?Do they keep everything under the Livie Sanchez name?”
She nodded.“My picture is on the back of the books.I don’t have personal social media, but they use pictures.I’ve had to do a few photo shoots with them, and they’ve taken pictures at book signing events.”
Marcus nodded again.“How do you feel about me contacting your publisher and your agent to see if you’ve been getting any threatening mail that they’ve been keeping from you?”
That surprised her.“They would do that?”
He nodded.“Most threats are from people with no actual intent to follow through.Simply writing emails makes them feel big and important.But it would be interesting to see if Adam has sent anything, if he’s figured out your pen name.”
Ella had been playing on the floor with the dog.She’d been babbling and patting him.Finch appeared to enjoy the contact.The cat had even slinked by for a pet of his own before returning to the windowsill.Now, Ella pushed to her feet and reached her hand for Olivia.
She scooped up her girl and enjoyed the way she snuggled immediately into a hug.
Marcus rose with a smile.“Looks like Ella Mae would like a change of scenery.Why don’t you let me make my calls and see what I can find?No news is probably good news in this case, but I’ll feel better once I know more about Parsons and his current location.Once I have a mug shot of him, I’ll text you to ensure we’ve got the right man.”
“Thank you.”
Her eye finally caught on the wanted posters behind his desk.“I was so worked up about Adam that I didn’t even notice those before.”There were six wanted posters, one featuring Marcus.She also recognized Troy and Garrett.Another cartoon drawing held six men dressed in their military gear, looking strong and ready to take on any troublemakers.Just like Nash.
Marcus grinned.“My wife, Elina drew those.She’s amazing.We’ll have to have dinner at the Saloon one night.”
Nash nodded.“And you’ll all need to come out to the farm one day.We’ll let you help us decide on the cider flavors we’re creating.”
Marcus grinned.“Sounds like fun.Did you know Epic talked everyone on our team into creating a brewery here in Phail?We’ve all got a beer named after us.”
They chatted for a few more minutes before saying their goodbyes.On the sidewalk, Nash pulled Olivia and Ella into the safety of his arms and held them.
Olivia reveled in the warmth of the touch and its promise.She hoped Nash was falling in love with her because she was already a goner.
Nash enjoyed the feel of his girls in his arms.His.He wanted it more each day.
