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“I don’t follow.”
“Damien threatened Ellie. I went to see her, and Ellie changed the contact number in my phone. She blocked your real number too. I was texting you, I thought, but it wasn’t you. It was Damien.”
“Why?” I growl, trying and failing to contain my anger.
“He lured me to a buh-bar…”
I take a deep breath, rein in my anger, and bring her hands to my lips, kissing them gently. “What did he do?” I ask in a trembling voice, either in fear or anger. I’m not sure anymore.
“He had me meet in at this abandoned bar. Once he had me there, he pulled a gun on me. This next part is the craziest of it all. I stalled him, praying somebody would stop him when a man with a shotgun drove by. There was a standoff. Damien got away. Now the cops are looking for him.”
“And that’s why there’s a cop car on your street.”
She nods. “Yeah. Graham did it to pay for Ellie’s treatment.”
I grind my teeth, picturing Damien, his thin smile, his entitlement.
“He’s not well,” Sera mutters.
“I know,” I growl. “But that doesn’t make it okay. The fuckinglowlife. Who does he think he is? I’ll kill him if he ever tries to hurt you again, Sera.”
“I just want you to hold me,” she whispers, pulling herself in for another hug.
I embrace her tenderly, struggling to stay calm as I think about what she's told me.
“This all started with one idea,” I mutter. “Damien suggested a tweak to a decision tree, a small suggestion. I was grateful for it. I jokingly said, ‘At this rate, you’ll be running the company.’ It was ajoke, Sera, and then he built it into this whole separate world.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I should’ve been there for you. I don’t want to hear any arguments now.”
“About what?” she whispers.
"You're coming home with me. I'm not leaving you here alone. Damien is still out there. I refuse to let him hurt you. Ever."
She clutches my arm. "Are you sure?"
"You're coming. That's the end of the discussion. Get your bag ready. Actually, pack two or three. I've got plenty of space. But first, don't for a second think I'd come all this way and not kiss my Sparkplug..."
I lean down, kissing the tears from her cheek, and then tenderly press my lips against hers.
She holds my hand as the plane takes off, gazing out the window.
"Are you going to miss Tampa?" I ask.
"Ellie was the only thing keeping me here. But she isn't the woman I thought she was."
I kiss her gently on the cheek. "Are you scared of flying?" I ask.
She turns to me with the most beautiful, shaky smile. Her pale green eyes still hold that sense of adventure despite everything that's happened to her. "Am I squeezing too hard?"
I smirk. "Break my hand if you need to, Sparkplug. It's good to feel needed by you."
"That's the perfect word: needed. It's only the takeoff that messes with me."
"I'm here for you."
She grips me tightly as the plane rises from the runway and pierces the clouds. Once we level off, she releases her hold with a soft sigh. "See? I can be a big girl now."