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

glassy. There had been only one other time he’d seen his team leader come close to crying, and that was when they had found Alex beaten and shot in Afghanistan.

Stitch turned to the Sheriff. “When did Doc say he’d be here?”

“Should be here in about ten to fifteen minutes.”

“Let’s move her upstairs to the bedroom. At least there, she’d be more comfortable.  I have some mild pain killers, but I would rather the doc check her out first.”

Ace nodded his head and gave Stitch room as he started toward the staircase. Mia whimpered, burying her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

He felt terrible for causing her more pain, but it was important to get her comfortable, and it would give the doctor room to examine her.

Ace went up the stairs first.

“Which room?” He asked, and Stitch nodded to the left that led to his bedroom. It was the only room with a made bed, and the only room he wanted Mia staying in.

Ace opened the door and turned on the table lamp sitting on the dresser.  He hurried over to the bed and pulled back the covers. Stitch then laid Mia down, but Mia wouldn't let go of him.

“Mia, drop your arms for me, please. We need to get your jacket off.” She did as he asked, but she kept her eyes closed and turned her head. He looked at Ace.

“Help me get this off of her.”

The two of them maneuvered the light jacket off of her.

“Oh, Jesus!” Stitch whispered as they raised her shirt to look at her midsection. She was bruised all over. Her beautiful olive skin was marred with black, blue, and reddish welts.

“Fuck! Do we take her to the hospital? This shit is bad.” Ace admitted taking in the sight of Mia’s immense bruising.

Stitch shook his head. “Let’s see what doc says first. If he thinks she should go, then we’ll work it out.”

◆◆◆

Ace looked on as Stitch cared for Mia. His heart was heavy, and he was full of emotions—sadness, anger, and helplessness. This was different from what he was used to dealing with. In his line of work, he rescued and protected people, but those individuals weren’t his family. This ordeal brought back memories from when Alex had been kidnapped in Afghanistan. He never wanted to go through the worry of finding or protecting a loved one against the enemy again. Unfortunately, the world was filled with sick people who preyed on others, and there were no guarantees.

He knew Mia was scared, in pain, and he would move heaven and earth to take it all away from her.

He helped Stitch get Mia’s foot propped up to try and help with the swelling.

“Ace, would you mind running down to get some ice, and then grab her bag on your way back?”

With a nod of his head, he exited the room and headed down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, Tink and Derek were still in the living room talking. When they saw him, Derek asked, “How is she?”

Ace blew out a deep breath and took a seat in the chair.

“I don’t know how in the hell she functioned enough to make it here. If she doesn’t have any broken ribs, it would be a fucking miracle.”

“She was running on adrenalin.”

“Where do we go from here? Do we contact the NYPD and file a report?”

“Actually, Tink and I were just discussing that. If what Mia said is true and she was targeted…” Derek paused and took a breath. “Ace, your sister could’ve been targeted for human trafficking.”

“But Mia said one of the guys mentioned ‘offing’ her.”

Tink shrugged his shoulders. “He could’ve been referring to as ‘offing’ her onto someone else.”

“Shit!” Ace didn’t even want to think about the possibility of Mia being pulled into a human trafficking ring.

“If she was picked out because of her looks like a specific order, it’s possible these guys could still be looking for her. My company has worked many jobs taking down these types of people. They are sick individuals, but men and even women will pay top dollar to get what they want.”

“She is tired, in pain, and on edge right now.  My opinion is to let her get some sleep tonight. Maybe with some rest, she can think a little clearer and possibly remember any details she may have forgotten.”  Derek said.

Ace nodded his head. His commander was a hard man and took his job seriously, but Ace knew the older SEAL hated seeing one of the women close to the team put in danger.

“As much as I want to take her home with me and protect her, I think she made a wise decision in heading up here. This is a safe place for her for now. If these people are still looking for her and can connect her to her family, they could come to town looking around. I think the best course of action is to act as if we haven’t seen her. Do either of you have any contacts at the NYPD?”

“I do,” Tink said. “What do you have mind?”

“I think we should file a missing person’s report.” Both Tink and Derek gave him a questionable look. “Hear me out. By doing so, if someone is watching, they are going to see that and believe that we truly don’t know where she is. This can also give the police some room to work. They’ll have cause to interview people. Maybe, co-workers and others she hung out with. You never know, maybe it could lead us to the stranger who warned her.”

Sheriff Prescott walked back into the room, and at the same time, Stitch made his way back downstairs.

Ace stood up and looked toward the stairs. “Shit, sorry. I got sidetracked talking with Derek and Tink. Is Mia okay?” He was paranoid about her being alone, even though they were all in the house with her.

“I think she passed out. I’ll take up the ice in a minute.” Stitch walked