Page 60 of Carver

Slayer's face was hard, the anger rolling off of him in waves.

His words were biting when he said, "Our sister has a stalker."

Slash drew back, eyes wide. "Explain," he growled.

Slash continued. “She called to tell me that someone had been leaving notes for her. Then she got a bouquet of flowers and candy. All of it addressed to her, both at her work and at home.”

"What did the letter say?" Slash asked.

Sapphire jumped back into the conversation. “It doesn't matter what it said. All that matters is it's being handled. I've filed a police report, and all is going to be fine."

Slash shouted, “That's bullshit.”

"It's not going to be fine. Whoever this is needs to learn not to mess with our family."

"Exactly," Slayer added.

"Send all the information that you gave the police over to Trix. He'll track down whoever this fucker is."

Sapphire squeaked. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. You will not get Trix involved in this. He is trouble enough. I don't need him weaseling his way into my life and taking care of all of this."

Carver decided he needed to step in. He could tell Slash and Slayer were only seconds away from hopping on their bikes to run off and check on their sister in person. He needed the two of them there, not just for himself and the Angels, but also for Gideon. They were two of the people that he trusted. Not having them there could jeopardize his boy's progress.

“Sapphire,” Carver, drawled slowly.

There was a pause and then a soft sigh. "Hey, Carver," she said softly. "I didn't know you were there. Sorry to interrupt your day."

Carver grinned. "You didn't interrupt my day, sweetheart. All is fine here, but it sounds like you got yourself a bit of trouble. Now I know that you can handle it, but your brothers look about two seconds away from coming to tear down your doors. I suggest we get Trix on it so we can just get this all settled, and you can go back to living your happy life. We both know you don't want them up your ass."

“But Carver, Trix is so annoying. And I know when he digs into stuff, he leaves a trail behind him so he can keep watch on it. I don't need cameras or microphones in my house. I want my privacy. Is that too much to ask?"

Carver replied. "In most cases, it's not. But in this one, when you've got someone coming after you, when you've got someone coming after our family, we take that shit seriously, Sapphire. We have to protect you. And if that means invading your privacyfor a little bit, then that's what it takes. I want to take care of you, just like your brothers do. Let us help you. We'll do only the minimum amount."

There was silence on the line. Slayer gripped his phone tightly, and Slash paced the small space he could in the office. Their restlessness amused Carver to no end. He wondered if that's what he had looked like with Gideon. If it was obvious to everyone around him how obsessed he was with protecting his boy.

Sapphire eventually said, "I guess it's okay. But Colby is staying with me too. He wasn't happy to find out all this was going on. I've already got protection. Just find out who it is and do your Angel stuff to fix it.”

"Will do, sweetheart,” Carver told her. "You don't have to worry about whoever this is much longer. And that best friend of yours is behaving right? No funny business."

Slash had frozen, his body turned away from Carver. But he recognized his best friend's movements enough to know whatever was going on had stopped him.

Was it knowing his sister was living with her best friend? Could there be something there Carver didn't know about?

His interest was piqued even further when Slayer side-eyed his twin. The look he gave told Carver there was a lot he’d missed. He'd have to have that discussion with him later.

When no one answered, Sapphire she repeated herself. "You are just going to take care of him right? I don't want anyone showing up and bothering us. We are fine."

Slayer answered for all of them when he said, "We won't show up because we've got our own shit going on. But expect us to check in even more now. I know that Colby has your back, but a strong wind could blow his ass over."

Sapphire huffed. “He's a black belt and is trained in self-defense. Just because he's slim doesn't mean he's not capable.”

Slash's hand went to the wall as he leaned forward. His other went to his mouth and from the angle he was at, Carver could see it was taking everything in him not to speak.

Carver decided to step up in place of his best friend and second. “While we understand that you have someone with you who is capable, we know that not all situations are the same. Self-defense isn't always handy when you go up against a gun or a knife. Hand-to-hand combat is helpful to know, yes, and in some cases can be useful. We just want to make sure that we keep in touch Sapphire. We all love you."

Slayer made a noise to agree, and Sapphire softened. "I do know this, Carver, and I appreciate all of you. I just don't want this to be a big deal. Colby has already been worried enough. I don't need more people breathing down my neck. Checking in is fine. Once I hear back from the police that this is taken care of too, I'll update you."

Slayer said, "As if they'll know before us. Did you forget how good Trix is at his job?"