Stitch by Jaime Lewis (ebook reader online .txt) 📗

claiming that she was involved in a car accident up in New York.”

“A car accident?” Stitch noticed how the tone in the Sheriff’s voice indicated he wasn’t buying that story. “You don’t believe her?”

“No, but I’ll give her credit for trying. Her injuries are definitely not from a car accident.”

The word injuries made Stitch stop his forward movement, and his body became rigid.

“What type of injuries are we talking about?” He asked in a low voice.

“In my opinion, it looks like she was involved in a fight.”

Luckily Stitch was standing close to the house and grabbed onto the windowsill. Mia was one of the nicest, sweetest people in the world. Who in the hell would have hurt her?

“How bad is she, Blake?” He asked, gaining his composure back, although he was very concerned. Christ, Ace was going to bust a fucking gasket when he heard about this. Why hadn’t she called someone if she was actually in trouble?

“Pretty bad. She’s got bruising on her face, she’s favoring her left side, and she’s got a pretty bad limp, maybe an ankle injury. Not to sound mean, but she is a mess.”

“Fuck!” Stitch yelled out, running his hand through his hair.

“I told her that I’d give her a ride up to the cabin. She was planning on catching a cab.”

“Does she need a hospital?”

“She doesn’t want to go. Personally, I think she needs to be checked out.”

“Thanks for calling, man. Do me a favor, can you please let her know that you’ve spoken with me and that we are on our way? I’ll give you a call when we get close. If her condition changes before we get there, take her to the hospital. Even if you have to drag her kicking and screaming.”

“No problem. I’ll hang around until you guys get here.”

Stitch disconnected the call and stood there watching through the window as everyone sat around the table, smiling and laughing. It was exactly where Mia was supposed to be right now. He needed to talk to Ace. They needed to get to Mia quickly.

Suddenly, Alex’s head popped up in the window; she was at the sink rinsing off dishes. Stitch tapped on the window and smiled when she jumped. It wasn’t often you could scare or frighten a woman that went head-to-head with a terrorist. His smile died when he thought of Mia and the trouble she could be in.

He pointed at Ace, and she nodded her head in understanding. She walked over and whispered into Ace’s ear. His eyes shot to the window, and Stitch motioned for him to come outside. Ace wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it aside on the table before giving Alex a quick kiss. He wanted that. He wanted a woman he could cater for and love. He wanted Mia.

Ace walked outside and closed the door behind him.

“It’s fucking cold out here. What’s up?”

“That was Sheriff Prescott on the phone.”

“Blake from Sugar Bend?” Ace asked, and Stitch nodded his head as he bit the inside of his cheek. He was still pissed that someone hurt Mia and that she didn’t call someone. “What did he want?”

“Apparently, your sister is on her way to my cabin.”

“My sister, Mia?” Ace asked as he stood and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Stitch could see all of the questions forming in Ace’s head.

“I don’t have a lot of information, but she’s in trouble, Ace.”

“What do you mean she’s in trouble?” He asked in a low voice but one that meant he wanted answers, like yesterday.  Unfortunately, Stitch couldn’t give him much, which he knew Ace wasn’t going to be happy with.

“Blake thinks someone attacked her. She is injured. He doesn’t know the extent of the injuries, although some are visible.  She tried to tell him she was in a car accident.”

“He didn’t believe her?”

“No.”

Ace paced the deck.  His heavy footsteps against wood planks echoed in the quiet night. After a couple more paces, he stopped and stared at Stitch with his hands fisted at his sides.

“What are her injuries?”

“Blake said they’re pretty bad.  He thinks she needs to go to the hospital, but she’s against it. He is taking her to the cabin.”

“I don’t understand. Why in the hell didn’t she come here? Why didn’t she call me? Or better yet, why didn’t she go to the police?” He shook his head.

Stitch shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t say what her reasoning was for not calling, but if you think about it, why would someone run and not contact anybody for help?”

Ace stared at Stitch. “You think someone may be after her? Shit, it’s a three-hour drive to your cabin.”

Just then, the back door opened, and the rest of the team walked out along with Derek and Tink. Tink was a former SEAL himself and one of Alex’s uncles. Stitch and Ace explained to them what they knew.

“I can get you guys there sooner,” Tink interjected into the conversation as he stood off to the side, listening. Tink owned an elite security business working black ops missions for the government.

“How?”  Stitch asked.

“Did you forget my company owns two helicopters?  I can call and have one fueled and ready by the time we get to the helipad.”

“If someone is after my sister, then she could be a sitting duck up in the mountains all alone.”

“Then let’s go,” Tink stated, pulling his phone out and making the call.

Chapter Ten

“Mia, are you sure I can’t take you to the hospital to have a doctor examine you?”  The Sheriff asked as he glanced over at her before returning his eyes to the road. Mia already had the same discussion with him before they even left the bus station’s parking lot. He was very adamant about taking her to the hospital. She wouldn’t have argued in any other situation, but it was too risky in her case.  If she went to the hospital, her identity would be placed into the computer system, and any smart computer junkie