Stitch by Jaime Lewis
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Stitch sat in the recliner chair he and Ace had moved upstairs and into his room last night. He was serious when he said he would be there for Mia no matter what. With how serious her injuries were, she wasn’t going to be able to move much on her own. Doctor O’Neal hadn’t been lying when he said that she would feel a lot worse before she felt better.
Overall, she seemed to have had a pretty good night. She only woke up twice. Once because of a nightmare, and the second because of the pain. The latter had been just three hours ago, and he had given her another pain pill so he was anticipating she would sleep for another couple of hours.
Ace, Tink, and Derek were downstairs making plans. Ace had called Alex last night and explained what was going on, but she had been sworn to secrecy as they didn’t want everyone to know in case someone did come snooping around. The fewer people who knew, for the time being, the better and safer.
Stitch had felt bad for Ace because, at the crack of dawn, Ace received a phone call from a very irate Charlotte Chambers. Apparently, the Colonel’s little chat with her last night hadn’t gone over too well, and she was demanding to see her daughter. Ace explained to her that for the sake of Mia’s safety, this was the way it had to be for a little while, but that he would set something up for Mia and her to speak. That had seemed to cool her britches for the time being.
He looked at his watch. Alex would be arriving in about thirty minutes or so. She had offered to drive his Jeep up to the cabin so he and Mia would have transportation once everyone left later in the day. She was also stopping at a store to pick up some clothes for Mia, considering she only had what was in her backpack, which Stitch thought was only two or three outfits. He didn’t have a timeframe on how long they’d be staying, but he figured it would be more than two days. She would especially need warmer clothes, considering snow was in the forecast.
Once they knew the cabin was secure, Ace, Alex, Derek, and Tink would fly back to Virginia Beach. Ace wasn’t thrilled about leaving his sister and even tried to come up with excuses, but in the end, he knew it had to be done to smoke out whoever was after her. At least Ace knew he could count on Stitch to look after her and keep her safe.
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Alex was a bundle of nerves as she drove up the long driveway to Stitch’s cabin. Any other time she would be smiling and happy to get away for a few days in the mountains. Stitch always let the team stay at his place when he wasn’t using it. It was a nice retreat away from the bustle of daily life.
Unfortunately, this trip wasn’t about pleasantries and fun times. Based on what Ace had told her last night, her friend and future sister-in-law was in some serious trouble. As the team would call it, it was FUBAR.
She parked the Jeep right in front of the steps to the front porch and turned the engine off. She hopped out and started gathering the bags of clothing and other items she picked up for Mia. As she was bent over, trying to consolidate some of the bags, a set of strong arms came around her waist and pulled her backward. She squeaked in surprise but didn’t even have to turn to know it was Ace, as he lowered his head and kissed her neck.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He said in his deep raspy voice of his that still to this day turned her into a big pile of goo. Turning in his arms, she snuggled into his chest and hugged him. She felt how tense his body was, and all she wanted to do was to help ease his pain. When they spoke last night, he had opened up to her about him having a hard time dealing with Mia's injuries. From Ace’s description, it sounded pretty bad. Alex knew Ace was beating himself up and felt somewhat responsible because he hadn’t been in touch with Mia recently. She had to remind him that it wouldn’t have mattered if he had spoken with her or not because nobody could have predicted what had happened to her.
She pulled back and looked up at him; he was staring right back at her. His blue eyes held so much emotion. It wasn’t often she saw this side of him. The side that was hurting and needing comfort. When he did, she made sure she was there to support him with whatever he needed, and she always would.
“How’s Mia?” She asked, sliding her hands up his chest to his broad shoulders. He squeezed her tighter around the waist.
“Stitch said she woke up a few hours ago and was in a lot of pain. He gave her another pain pill, and she fell back asleep.” He took a deep breath and released it before continuing. “She’s in bad shape, Alex. I mean, no woman or man, for that matter, should have to go through something so horrific.”
From the expression on his face as he stared at her, Alex knew his thoughts were heading back to Afghanistan. She slid her hand down his side and pinched him through his shirt.
“Stop!” She demanded.
“Stop what?”
“I’m not stupid, Ace. I know what’s you’re thinking about. Remember we talked about that, and we both agreed to put that time behind us. Now, Mia is your sister. You’ve looked after her, her entire life, well, when your career permitted. You were the big brother that probably every little sister wanted to have. Someone they could count on protecting them and guiding them through life.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, and look how that ended up for her.”
“Ace, Mia is a grown woman with a good head on her shoulders. You can’t always be there, nor will you ever be. Life happens, and unfortunately, not all of life’s experiences are warm and fuzzy moments. You of all people know how cruel people in this world can be.”
With his silence, she took that moment to hug him, resting her cheek against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. “I needed that,” he said softly into her hair, rubbing his hand up and down her back. She savored moments like this and wished she could stay in his arms forever.
“You needed what? I didn’t do anything?”
He gently gripped her chin, tilting her face towards his, and gave her a soft smile.
“That hug, and for you being the rock of our family, the team, hell the world. I feel like I don’t tell you that enough. Thank you for being here and helping. I know you sacrificed your Black Friday shopping to be here.”
She pressed her hand against his cheek. “Ace, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Mia is like family to me already and a wonderful friend. I’m here for both of you.” He bent his head and kissed her.
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” She said with a grin. But she was starting to freeze her ass off standing outside, although Ace’s large muscular body infused some heat into her. It was colder up in the mountains compared to the beach.
“As much as I would love to stand here and stay in your arms, do you think we could possibly move this indoors? I’m kinda getting colds” she said as her teeth started to chatter.
He chuckled and grabbed the bags from the back of the Jeep while she closed it up and locked it. When she turned and started walking, Ace slapped her hard on the ass, making her yelp. She rubbed her butt cheek and glared at him. That made him laugh harder, and all she could do was smile. Hearing him laugh and seeing a smile on his face meant she had done her job.
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Stitch stood in the kitchen with Alex while Ace spent some time upstairs with Mia. He pulled a beer from the refrigerator and held one up for Alex, but she refused.
“I have a feeling I’m going to need to be the sober one once we get back home. Ace already mentioned he wanted to swing by Bayside on the way home. Plus, isn’t it a little early to be drinking?”
He shook his head as he popped the top to the bottle of beer and took a nice long slug of it.
“I still can’t believe that Mia could’ve possibly been pulled into a human trafficking ring,” Alex said as she took a seat at the kitchen table and sipped her coffee. She had gotten to see Mia for a few minutes when she got to the cabin, but Mia was still sleeping. “I mean, you hear of that happening, but you never expect for it to happen to someone you know. It is crazy scary.”
Stitch brought his beer over to the table and took a seat across from her.
“Tink and Derek have been talking to some big shot Detective in New York that Tink knows. The hope is they can get some leads after the missing persons report is filed. According to the detective, they have some leads on some possible groups who they believe are connected to human trafficking. They haven’t ruled out other organizations or gangs either who could’ve had beef with one of Mia’s friends, and they were using her to set an example or make a point.”
“Well, hopefully, they can find out something, and fast. How are you holding up?” She asked, holding his gaze, and he shrugged his shoulders as he traced the rim of the beer bottle with his finger. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk about himself and his feelings right now. Just like Ace, he felt guilty and somewhat responsible for what happened to Mia. He had thought about it last night while he watched her sleep. He did the one thing he never did: he played the “what if” mind game, and it had totally fucked with his head.
“Stitch, I’ll tell you the same thing I told Ace earlier; you can’t blame yourself. You don’t know who she hung with up in the City and who may have had their eye on her. You have to live in the moment. Just be there for her and help her heal. Hey, at least she was smart enough to know your cabin was a safe house. Be thankful that she at least got away and is here with you now.”
Stitch ran his hand over his unshaven face. “She means so much to me, Alex. It killed me to sit there last night and listen to her moan in her sleep as if she was reliving the beating she took, and then when she woke up in the middle of a nightmare, she clung to me, and I felt so helpless because there wasn’t a damn thing I could do but just talk to her until she fell back asleep.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “Sometimes just having someone to hold us and letting us know that everything will be okay is all we need.”
“Are you sharing your experience?”
She smiled softly and squeezed his hand. “I don’t think I could’ve made it through my recovery if it weren’t for Ace being my rock. Believe me when I say having the right person by your side makes all the difference.” He thought through her words, and she was right. He’d seen it not just with Alex, but also when Tenley, Autumn, and Bailey all found themselves recovering from their bad experiences. Hell, he’d seen it in combat.
“I understand what you’re saying, but this time around feels so different with Mia.”
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
One hundred percent, he was in love with her. A day never went by that he didn’t think about her. Even when they were out on missions and had some downtime, he thought of her. Even decisions he’d made within the last year, he’d found himself wondering if Mia would be happy or approve. Like when he was looking for a house after Frost and Autumn moved in together. He found one he liked, but he wasn’t sure if Mia would like it, so he passed on it. He looked at Alex. It was no use trying to hide his feelings.
“I am. I told Ace last night.”
Alex raised one of her manicured eyebrows in his direction, completely surprised by his statement, but he didn’t miss the sly smile playing on her lips.
“Maybe I do need that beer after all. This is a major development in the romance saga of Stitch and Mia,” she said with a laugh, also making Stitch chuckle. “And, I am dying to know the reaction of my husband to be.”
Stitch was still laughing. Alex could be such a wise-ass, and he loved her for it too. “He was happy for the both of us, and he’s fine with it.”
She smiled. “Really? It was that easy?”
Now Stitch smiled. “It was. And believe me, it was easier than I thought.”
“Well, I’m sure he is thrilled. You’re a great guy and he knows you’ll take good care of her.”
He studied Alex’s reaction. He thought she would be more surprised. “Why don’t you seem so surprised?”
“Well….”
“Alex...” He loved his best friend to death, but damn she could sometimes meddle in shit, though her heart had good intentions.
She raised her hands up. “Okay…I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but since you are one of my best friends and Mia means a lot to me, and I want to see you both happy, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Back when Tenley got in trouble, and you guys were getting ready to deploy, Ace and I had a conversation. Ace had been a little worried about that guy Mia was seeing.”
“The Green Beret?” Nobody knew the guy’s name, but Stitch hated the man for how he had treated Mia. Any man who was unfaithful to his woman was just a douche bag, and clearly the asshole didn’t deserve Mia.
“Yeah, him. Anyway, Ace noticed that Mia hadn’t been her happy-go-lucky self. He wasn’t sure what to do or how to approach her on the subject. I suggested that he ask you to see if you had any insights.”
Stitch pointed to himself. “Me? Why would you tell him to talk to me?”
She grinned, then took a sip of water. “Because I knew that even though Mia was dating that guy that you and her had been talking. A lot.”
“How did you know?”
“Because Mia told me. You know us girls like to gossip.” Oh yes, he knew very well how the women liked to gossip. Especially the group of women that included Alex, Tenley, Autumn, Bailey, and now Mia. “And, you want to know what Ace told me?”
“One could only guess,” he said, lifting his beer and taking a swig.
“He said that he wished it was you who was dating his sister.”
Stitch coughed as he choked on his beer, which made Alex giggle.
“Surprised ya, didn’t I?”
All Stitch could do was nod his head because that was a pretty big news flash.
“Ace said that if the both of you were dating, he would at least know she was in good hands. He respects you.”
“And, you never thought to clue me in, knowing that was the main reason why I stood back and didn’t make a move sooner? Especially after that dick cheated on her?”
She gave him a devilish smile. “Hey, I’ve been told not to meddle in other people’s relationships.”
He balled up a napkin and threw it at her, and she laughed. If it weren’t for her meddling, there was no telling if Potter, Frost, or Irish would be happily married now. He could only wonder what she had told Ace.
