The silence on the other end stretches, heavy with everything unspoken. She recognizes me. I know she does.
“Damon,” she finally whispers, her voice soft but edged with something I can’t quite place. Fear, maybe. Or regret?
It takes me a moment to respond. Hearing her now, so suddenly, feels like a gut punch. “Is this... really you?”
“It’s me,” she says so quietly that I almost miss it.
The emotions I’ve buried for years rise to the surface—anger, confusion, a flicker of relief. But I shove them all down. Right now, it doesn’t matter why she left or what she’s been hiding. She calledme.
“What’s going on, Mia?” I ask, keeping my voice steady, professional. “Why are you calling Mars Security?”
“I need…the agency is yours?” she asks.
“Yes, I’m the owner.” My heart pounds in my chest. She didn’t call me; she called Mars Security, which can only mean…
“What is it?” I ask, my voice coming out harsher than I intended it.
There’s a shaky exhale on her end, and I can picture her biting her lip and tucking her hair behind her ear like she used to when she was nervous.
“I need help,” she says finally. “It’s... complicated.”
Complicated. That’s one way to describe the mess she left behind.
“I’m listening,” I say, leaning back in my chair, but my grip on the phone tightens.
“It’s Jason,” she admits, her voice breaking on his name. “He found us. He’s been sending threats, showing up near the daycare... I think he’s watching us.”
Jason. That name alone makes my blood boil. I remember the rumors about him back on base. His volatile temper, the way he’d circle Mia like a predator. I should’ve done more to protect her then.
“Are you safe right now?” I ask, already pulling up the surveillance program on my laptop. If Jason’s anywhere near her, I’ll find him.
“For now,” she answers, but her voice wavers. “I’ve got the twins inside. The doors are locked.”
The twins. She had children with that fucking monster? But however much I want to hate them, I really can’t. They’re innocent children, and they’re Mia’s.
I know right then and there that I’ll protect them with everything I have, even my own life.
“Where are you?” I ask, my voice dropping lower.
“At home,” she says. “But Damon, I?—”
“You need more than locked doors, Mia,” I cut in. “If Jason’s watching you, he’ll make a move. He doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
“I know,” she says, her voice almost a whisper.
There’s something in her tone, a weariness that wasn’t there six years ago. I can hear the weight she’s been carrying, the fear that’s been eating at her.
“Mia,” I say, softer this time, “I’ll help you. I’ll protect you. But I need to know everything—including what Jason’s been doing.”
And where you’ve been, why you left.But I don’t say the rest out loud.
Another pause. When she speaks again, her voice is firm but guarded. “Can we talk in person?”
My chest tightens. Seeing her again after all this time...
“Where and when?” I ask.
“My place. Tomorrow evening.”
