“Brutal!” she exclaims. “The evidence is piled high, and this guy has been in trouble before, but I’m convinced he’s innocent. It doesn’t help that the judge seems to be abnormally testy. Judge Cramer has always been a hard ass, but fair. Today, he was just being a dick. The evidence is all circumstantial, but there’s too much of it. In the meantime, my client sits in jail because he can’t make bail.” I sense her frustration. Mina is the champion for the underdog, and if she thinks you’re innocent, she fights for you with all she’s got.
“That sucks. I’m sorry. I wish I could help, but I wouldn’t know where to start,” I say. “Maybe the guys can help out. Falcon’s pretty well connected and?—”
Mina cuts me off right there. “I don’t want Falcon’s help,” she says sharply, then catches herself, softening her tone and adding, “Besides, they have enough on their plate, and I can’t afford to pay them.”
“I could ask Wire to at least look into the situation. Maybe he might see something you don’t,” I offer. “But it won’t be for a few days because they’ve got a sensitive mission happening at the moment.”
“Not for now.” Mina lets out a sigh and asks about me, then about me and Wire. We chat for a while before she has to get back to work. “I’ve got to get back to this pile of paperwork. Lunch soon?”
“You bet! Mexican burritos!” I say, trying on my very bad accent, which makes both of us laugh.
No sooner do we hang up than my phone lights up and I see that my mom is calling. Mom and Dad used to call every day, sometimes two or three times a day. It was wonderful and terrible at the same time. I love hearing from them, and when I decided to move back to my place, it felt good to know they were keeping an eye on me. But I realized that I was still being too dependent on them. When I explained it to Mom, she wasn’t happy but understood. This was because she was afraid for me, and when Dad and I were taken from her, we all suffered. Mom didn’t know if she would ever see us again. Dad felt the guilt of having this happen to his family, fully aware he was the one they were after. The scars may not be visible, but they are there.
Now, we usually chat once a week, and I realize I was supposed to have called her yesterday. My mother must be frantic. I quickly pick up and answer.
“Hi, Mom. Sorry, I missed calling you yesterday.” My heart drops when I hear her desperate tone.
“Remmi Anne, I beg you, please drop me a text if you can’t make our call.” I can sense the heaviness in her voice. “I don’t want to control you, I just?—”
“Mom, stop. I’m so very sorry. I can’t apologize enough. You’re right. I should have texted or called, even if just to say everything is fine. I got caught up with other things, and it slipped my mind. Not that it’s an excuse, but it is the truth.”
“Other things?” Mom prompts. “Good things?” she asks hopefully.
“Great things. I’m seeing someone. You kind of know him.”
Mom lets out a squeal of delight. “Really, darling? Who is he?”
“His name is Colton Reid, but you might know him as Wire. He’s one of the Storm men who rescued Dad and me. He’s wonderful.” My voice softens when I mention my man, and I realize that with Colton, I’m always calm and safe.
“How long have you been dating, and when do we get to meet him properly? After all, we have to do the ‘parents checking him out’ thing, don’t we?”
I giggle because Mom always said it would be her duty to give my boyfriends a hard time because Dad is so immersed in his work, he wouldn’t notice another person in the room. Up to this point, that would be true, but after what happened, Dad changed. He’s more alert to danger and wants to keep us close. Although Mom is the one on the phone, I can guarantee he’s standing close and listening to every word.
“We can set something up, but it will have to be in a week or two. Wire’s got a mission, and it’s important for him to stay focused. Hopefully, it’ll be over soon.”
“Is-is another girl in trouble?” Mom asks tentatively. I don’t want to lie to her, but I also don’t want to bring up ugly memories for her either.
“Mother and son, and Storm has it under control. They’re going to be fine because Wire and his friends are going to make it so. That’s what they do. They keep people safe from bad guys,” I state proudly.
“It sounds dangerous,” Mom says, and I hear the apprehension in her tone, like there’s something she wants to say, but isn’t.
“What is it, Mom?” I urge.
“You’re doing great, honey, and well…what if this triggers some bad memories for you? Your father and I were beside ourselves with worry after it all went down, and you’re doing so well now.”
“Wire made me okay. He’s been watching out for me from the day I decided to come home. He makes me feel safe. No one knows what’s going to happen, and maybe it might trigger some bad moments from the past, but I’m still seeing a therapist, and I need to learn to cope with what’s happened and continue living my life,” I tell her. “I’m so grateful for you and Dad, and all you’ve done for me, but I’m falling in love with Colton, and I think he loves me too. I believe in us.”
Out of nowhere, Colton appears at my side. He tugs on my hair, gently tipping my head back, and kisses me on the mouth. “I’m already in love with you, baby. I have been since the day I carried you out in my arms. I knew then that you were mine to protect and love.”
I’m still reeling from his kiss, but Mom heard it all and is rattling off to my father everything she’s heard. Then I hear my father speaking to Mom, “Hand me the phone, honey. You aren’t making any sense.”
“I am too making sense!” she counters.
“How could Remmi have a man who fell in love with her, and her with him, in a week, and she’s never mentioned it? I think you’ve been sitting in the sun too long,” Dad teases.
“Honestly, I know what my daughter told me, and I’m not deaf or going senile,” Mom returns testily. “But ask her yourself.”
“Baby girl, what’s your mother going on about? Are you all right?” Dad’s voice is low and calming. He always sounds this way, except for the day he saw me in the hands of those very bad people, and then he sounded gutted and destroyed.
