Southern Heart, Madison, Natasha [the little red hen ebook TXT] 📗

bag Ethan tossed me earlier. I ignore the pain in my body. I ignore my whole body going into shutdown. I ignore the pain in my heart piercing so hard you would think I was shot straight in the chest.

"What are you doing?" Chelsea asks, her voice frantic.

"I’m doing what I should have done two days ago," I tell the whole room. "I’m getting out of here."

"And where are you going to go?" Chelsea’s voice comes out angrily.

"Anywhere but here,” I tell her and look at Casey. "You can get me set up somewhere off the grid."

"I can," Casey says to me, looking down before continuing. "But."

"No more fucking buts!” I roar out. "He could have hurt her and then what?" All the men look down at the floor. Just the thought of her being hurt because of me is too much to bear. I can’t do it. I won't do it.

"Before you decide anything," Jacob says, "this could work to our advantage." I put my hands on my head in shock.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Beau finally says. "He got close enough to her that she felt fucking eyes on her." He points at Chelsea. "How much fucking closer does he have to get before we listen to Mayson and get him out of here?"

"We don’t even know if it’s him," Ethan says calmly. "No one knows for sure."

"Who the fuck else could it be?" Quinn asks, his voice going louder.

"Let us check the tapes and decide then," Casey says. "If it is him, we can come up with a plan to bring him out."

"You want us to play sitting possum?" I shake my head now. "So just sit here waiting for him to strike."

"It’s not the dumbest plan," Ethan says. "We have something he doesn’t."

"Yeah, and what is that?" I ask him, furious now.

"We got eyes on him," Ethan says. "He doesn’t have a game plan."

"He came out in the daytime," I say to him. "He came out into the light and she saw him." I point at Chelsea. "He had to have known she would see him and tell me."

"Exactly," Ethan says. "He knew she would come back and tell you. He knew you would leave here."

"He’s right," Jacob says now. "You will be playing into his hands."

"So what does this mean?" I look around at everyone.

"It means you have no choice but to stay," Quinn says, shaking his head and looking down at his feet with his hands on his head.

"You guys have twenty-four hours," I say with my teeth clenched. "Twenty-four hours to find him. After that, I’m playing this game on my own."

Chapter 18

Chelsea

"You guys have twenty-four hours." I look over at Mayson, his hands and teeth clenched. "Twenty-four hours to find him. After that, I’m playing this game on my own." If I didn’t fear him before and I didn’t know him, I would be scared. I would be very scared.

"I’m going to go back to the station," my uncle Jacob says. "I’m going to get extra eyes on the house tonight."

"I’m going to go and pack her bag," my father says, and I just look at him. Everyone looks over at him. "He needs to stay here." He points at Mayson. "That doesn’t mean she needs to stay here with him."

"He’s right," Mayson says just as I say, "Absolutely not."

All eyes turn to me. "I am not leaving my home," I say softly, and my father starts to shake his head. "I am not leaving my fucking house."

"Chelsea," Mayson says, almost as a warning.

I shake my head hard now. "I am not going to leave my home," I tell him. "I am not leaving here because this is my home. So if this man who was watching me thinks he’s going to just come into my house." I laugh, and if I didn’t know myself, I would say I sound like I’m losing it. And maybe I am losing it. "I don’t know who the man was. I don’t know what he wanted. But I know one thing. I’m not letting him scare me out of my house." I look over at Mayson, hoping he can read between those lines. Because what I really want to say is I’m not leaving you.

"Five minutes ago, you couldn’t even breathe," Quinn says, and I glare at him.

"Well, now I’m fine," I say through clenched teeth. "I’m going to change," I tell the room, "and I think everyone has something to do." I look at Amelia. "Bring the food in."

I turn and walk toward my bedroom, and I’m not surprised that Amelia and Quinn both follow me into my bedroom. "You guys," I say, turning on them and see that Quinn has closed the door.

"This stops now," Quinn says to me. "You can not stay here."

"I, for once, agree with Quinn," Amelia says. "You can let him stay here. But you." She points at me. "You need to pack a bag and come stay with me. The guys can get someone else to come in here."

"I can stay here," Quinn says, and I look at him.

"You are one second away from shooting him yourself.” I point at him.

"I won’t hurt him." He smirks now. "If anything, you can always fix him up."

"That isn’t funny." I close my eyes and sit on the bed.

Amelia comes over and puts her arm around me. "I know you want to help."

"It’s more than that," I tell her and look over at Quinn. "I know you think I’m just some stupid kid with a crush, and I’ll get over it. But…"

"Nothing we can say will make you change your mind?" Quinn asks, and I know I don’t even have to answer him. "Jesus, you two have been a pain in my ass since I was five years old." Amelia and I both laugh. "Why can’t you just be like normal girls who chase cowboys and listen to the men?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Quinn Barnes," I say.