Page 65 of Triple Protection
I shoot up, excited and run over to the table where Liam's laptop is. Alex lets out a groan of disapproval before I sit back in his lap and rest the laptop on my thighs.
"Let's get away! Let's go someplace tropical and rent a little cabin on a beach! No one will know we're there and we can just be us for a little while. It won't solve our long-term problem of the stalker, but there's no way he'll know where we are, and we can regroup and relax. What do you say?" I look excitedly around at the boys for their reaction. I want so desperately to reassure them, to lift their spirits. I want the boys from date night back. Fun, sexy, exciting, free.
"It's a good idea. It wasn't planned so there's no way he would know." Liam offers.
"It'll give us some time to think." Brick offers.
I look to Alex, who simply closes he eyes and nods. Liam closes the laptop, though.
"I don't want anything to trace back to you. I'll call Mirium to arrange everything under the Cerebus name. He still might be able to track it if he's smart, but it's a reach."
I nod before giving him a kiss. He steps into the joined room and makes the call to Mirium. Alex sinks back into the bed, under the sheets, pulling me tight against him. Brick assumes his spot in the corner chair and dons his reading glasses before turning off the lights. The light from his ereader the only thing illuminating his face.
I put on an unaffected appearance for my boys, but as I lay there, wrapping in Alex's strong, heavy arms, I think about what it would have been like if the roles were reversed - if Alex had been almost kidnapped, or Brick. My heart clenches painfully and nausea swirls in my stomach.They weren't taken, Courtney's voice says in my ear.And you weren't taken either. You're safe.
I hug Alex's arm tighter to me. I'm going to have to pay Courtney extra for all the overtime she's working in my own head.
Liam, finished with his call, comes and tucks himself into the bed opposite Alex and I. Knowing he needs tactile touch, I reach out and interlock his fingers with mine.
"I love you." I say, wishing I could say so much more.
"I know." He responds, his cocky grin back in place.
Chapter forty-five
Angela
Angela
Early the next morning, we pack and check out of our hotel room before driving to the private landing strip of the nearby airport. In the private terminal, I snap a picture of my luggage and my crossed legs before posting something vague: "Getting out of town for a social media break. Your mental health matters!"
No hashtags, no tagging, just something only my diehard followers will see. Most of the internet doesn't care if you post or not, they're there to passively scroll for some mindless entertainment. However, I do have a group of loyal fans that I know will worry if I suddenly drop offline without warning. Brick's sister, for example.
Before I have the chance to turn my phone off, it's ringing in my hand with a FaceTime request from Marshal. I pause. No one is supposed to know where I am or where I'm going. If I answer a FaceTime could the stalker see my surroundings and know whatairport I am at? If he's hacked my phone? Or Mashall's phone? Liam says he's crazy smart with IT. I hit decline before a text pops up.
Marshal: What the fuck do you mean you're taking a break?! Why wouldn't you tell me? Where are you going?
Alex leans over my shoulder to read the message. Silently, he shakes his head 'no', and turns off my phone for me. I bite my lower lip. Marshal will be furious, but I haven't taken a vacation in almost 10 years. He can take a vacation, too! It will only be two weeks. I wish I could tell him I was okay, but he would know that by my latest post. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. I'm not going to work. I'm not going to worry about work. I'm going to enjoy two weeks on a tropical island with my three gorgeous boyfriends.
The flight is uneventful and surprisingly short. I make a joke about joining the mile high club, but the boys all avoid my eye contact. We are all still shaken from DigiCon and none of us are really in the mood. Alex makes me sit on his lap after takeoff, and he rests his head against my shoulder and sleeps. He didn't sleep much the night before, starting awake and pulling me closer to him. Even walking to the terminal, he held my hand tightly. I resign myself to the fact that this new, clingy version of Alex will be around for a few days, but I don't mind at all. I love the attention.
We touchdown on a small island runway where we take a cab to a dock and a boat to a private island.
I don't know how Mirium managed to do it, but the private villa has already been prepared for our arrival. There are beautiful tropical flowers on each of the beds and a kitchen stocked full of essentials - coffee, creamer, prepared meals, fruit, liquor. It's heavenly.
As we arrive, the sun is just beginning to set and we're all exhausted from our late night the night before, our scare, andthen a full day of travel. But as we walk into the large, white stucco villa, we are transported into another world. Through the front door, we can see the entire living area and straight through to the large glass wall that faces the back patio and ocean beyond. Our water taxi driver sets our luggage down just inside the door and waits as Alex tips him. Liam and I wander silently out the back door and stare out over the infinity pool into the setting sun. I've never seen colors so vibrant. The fluffy clouds are capturing the dusky hew, painting them purples and pinks which reflect on the almost glass-like surface of the ocean.
Liam comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my shoulders, pulling my back to his chest.
"It's incredible," I whisper, breathless.
"This is where I imagine you. This is where you belong."
As the sun begins to set, a chill comes on the wind, and we retreat inside to tour the rest of the house. The large living room has a huge L-shaped couch facing a TV with four bedrooms off of it in each corner. Mirium obviously isn't privy to our personal relationship, so a four-bedroom villa made sense. Luckily, however, the master has a large California-King on a slightly raised platform.
After a quiet dinner of prepared meals and a glass of red wine, the depressed mood finally gets to me. I want my boys back. I want their individual brands of love and laughter. I wantusback. I think about Courtney's words - not living in fear, not letting my stalker win. He's inserted himself into our relationship, and I want him the fuck out. We need an exorcism.
Alex and Brick clear our plates while I stand.