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

his assignment and not blow his cover or endanger you, he had to—”

“Break up with you,” Ace barked out. “Not that I agree with how he did it, but I understand.”

“He staged the whole thing with the other woman you thought he was sleeping with.  She works with him.  He never slept with her. He just made it look like it.”

Mia’s head was spinning with the news. She put her hand on her head.  She felt Stitch’s hand on her back.

“He still cares for you, Mia.”

Mia looked over at Stitch and could tell that hearing that little tidbit wasn’t making Stitch any happier, judging from the scowl on his face as he stared at Alex. “But he knows you are happy with your life now.”

Alex looked over at Stitch and smiled.  Mia also smiled and reached out, taking Stitch’s hand as she gazed into his eyes.

“I am happy. In fact, it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long time.” She felt a little more relaxed when Stitch’s facial expression softened, and he squeezed her hand before bringing it up to his lips.  Then he pulled her chair closer and kissed her.

“I love you.”

Ace groaned, “Fuck, Stitch. Really? Save that shit until after I leave.”

Stitch shrugged his shoulders and smirked at Ace. “Better get used to it, buddy.”

Ace huffed out another groan, and everyone laughed.  But then things got serious again when Ace squinted his eyes at Mia.

“Why didn’t you tell me that your boss had the hots for you?”

“What?”

“According to Terek, your boss couldn’t keep his hands off you at the gala.” Ace gave Alex another look. “Mia, why didn’t you say anything about Dr. Walters forcing himself on you?”

“What? Is that true, Mia?” Stitch asked.

Oh shit! With everything going on, she had pushed that incident aside for the time being. She touched her lips, remembering the way he took her mouth.

She must have zoned out, because Stitch gave her a little shake. She glanced over at Alex, who looked guilty.

“Alex?  Why?  You promised you wouldn’t say anything.  I handled it.”

“I’m sorry, Mia. I know you trusted me with that information, but hearing Terek’s concerns, I had to say something.”

Mia glanced at Stitch, who looked confused and angry.  He turned away from her, and that broke her heart.

“Stitch, look at me.” She grabbed his face with both her hands turning his head to face her.  The look of anger his eyes held destroyed her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”  He whispered.

Tears formed in her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Stitch to be upset with her.

“Because I knew you guys would be upset if you found out. Believe me; I handled it.”

“Obviously not, considering that fucker may have been a player in your abduction!”  Stitch’s loud, boisterous tone had her pulling back.

“Stitch…”  Ace said in warning, and Stitch shook his head.

Finally, after a long silence, Stitch turned back to her and gently pulled her onto his lap.

“He can’t have you.”

She looped her arms around his neck and smiled.  “I don’t want him; I only want you.”  She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.  It was a quick kiss, but she made her point.

“Mia, Detective McDonnell is trying to locate Willow, your friend from the clinic. Dr. Walters said she resigned over the holiday weekend. Do you know how to reach her?”

Mia scrunched her eyebrows together. “Willow quit?” She asked, and Ace nodded. “Dr. Walters showed Detective McDonnell the email he received from her. Your friend Danny said she had been acting strange the last couple of weeks.”

“I wonder if that’s why she wanted to talk to me. She and I were supposed to meet that night. All I have is her phone number.”

“Yeah, she’s not answering, and she hasn’t been home.”

“The envelope!” Mia blurted out and Alex looked at Ace.

“Ace, remember the detective asked you about an envelope? Danny mentioned it to him.” Alex looked at Mia. “Did Willow give you an envelope?”

“Yes. It’s in my backpack in the car. I completely forgot about it. Willow told me not to open it until she and I spoke.” Mia looked at Stitch. “Do you mind running out to the car? It’s a manila envelope in the middle zippered section.”

While Stitch went to retrieve the envelope, Mia sat down trying to take in everything. It was overwhelming, not to mention confusing. It was like there were so many moving parts that you couldn’t keep up.

Stitch returned and handed her the envelope, and everyone was silent while she slipped her finger under the seal and pulled out the papers inside. As she fingered through the ten or so pages, she was trying to figure out why Willow wanted to give her copies of vaccination and registration records, until her eyes landed on a page with the words “Blue French Bulldogs” written in blue marker across the top. She flipped to the next page, and she gasped when she read “Dachshunds.” These were papers for the litters of puppies found in the city and brought to the clinic. All of them had prior dates of exams and vaccinations, along with certified AKC registrations. It was impossible. Her chest tightened, and she covered her mouth as tears built in her eyes. It was true. These papers with her testimony proved that Dr. Walters was operating a puppy trafficking ring. What made her feel even sicker was that she had helped him. She was aiding him and didn’t know it. He betrayed her trust and loyalty.

She set the papers down on the table and slid them toward Ace. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and quickly wiped it away.

“There’s your proof that Dr. Walters is trafficking puppies.”

Ace picked up the papers. “What are these?”

She sniffled, trying to hold in her emotions. “Those are forged documents saying each of those puppies are certified AKC registered.”

“How do you know they’re forged?”

“Because I was there when those puppies were brought to the clinic. They had been abandoned on the street. Or at least that