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“We have to at least try. We’ll meet with a lawyer and find out what our rights and his are. He probably doesn’t have a case. We are Eliza’s parents. We make decisions in her best interests. If a judge says no and backs us up, then we can legally keep him away. I know that doesn’t solve the problem, but it’s a start. Then we go from there. No matter what, Eliza will be watched and protected. The next time he shows up at your place or here, we call the cops and have him arrested for trespassing and going against the restraining order. I know it’s not much, but it’s something.”
“He’s going to try something drastic. He knows we aren’t going to voluntarily let him see her.”
“Maybe this isn’t about her at all, but getting you to talk to him and form a relationship.”
“That is the last thing I want to do.”
“I know, but let’s do this one step at a time before we give up our lives here. Because that kind of feels like we’re letting him win. And when does it end? If he finds us wherever we go, do we run again? Start over again?”
She sighed. “You’re right. I know that. I just don’t want anything to happen to Eliza.”
“Neither do I, which is why I’m going to call Hunt, tell him what’s going on, and ask him to help us. I’ll also tell Max and my dad what’s happening, so they know to keep a close eye on Eliza and you, too.”
“I’m not worried about me. I can take care of myself.”
Chase raised a brow and shook his head. “I’m sure your mother thought the same thing.”
“You’re not making me feel better or safer.”
“Good. I want you on alert. I want you watching your surroundings. I don’t want you to be surprised. If he grabs you, fight like hell. Don’t let him take you to a second location.” He touched his forehead to hers. “Come back to me no matter what.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me. And I don’t want anything to happen to Eliza. We’ll be careful.Allof us.”
Chase stood. “We’re going to need to implement some security measures you may not like.”
She turned in her chair to face him. “Like what?”
“We’ve settled in here together. We’ve talked about making it permanent. We’ve done everything else in our relationship out of order, so moving in together before a proposal and wedding seems right. And I don’t think it’s a good idea for you and Eliza to go back to your place unless I’m with you.”
“Agreed. I’m not going to fight you on protecting Eliza. We want the same thing.”
“Then I need you to acknowledge that you could behis target, too. You’re his daughter. He wants a relationship withyouand Eliza. If he can’t get your cooperation, he might just force you.”
She placed both hands over all the pictures on the table. “I’m well aware of what he’s capable of and that he’s not rational when it comes to what he wants.”
“Then we’ll get a security system here. I’ll call Drake. He can probably set me up with whatever we need, and I’ll install it.”
She nodded her agreement, because she’d sleep better knowing they had the protection.
Chase gave her a look that said she might not like what he told her next. “Maybe it’s not safe for Eliza to go to the babysitter for a while. I know she loves being with Abby and the other kids, but...”
“Kyle has already been lurking around outside her place and the park. It’s not fair to put such a burden on Abby. I have some vacation time—”
“No. You’ll need those days if we have to go to court. I don’t like that you’ll be out of my sight, and I’ll worry like hell whenever you’re at work, but I don’t want you to jeopardize your job either. I know you love it, and it’s important to you to maintain your independence. Between me, Max, and my dad, we can all watch Eliza. And I think it would be a good idea if we set up a tracker on your phone. That way, if something happens, I can find you.”
“Maybe we should put one on Eliza.” She was only half kidding.
“I’m sure Drake can help me find something that could work.”
“This is all getting a little crazy. Are we overreacting?” She wanted him to tell her they were.
“I’d rather someone called me paranoid than not know where my daughter or you are because that asshole came after you.” Chase rubbed his hand over his neck. “I can’t lose either of you.” He shook his head. “It’s not going to happen.”
She felt Chase’s rising irritation and panic, stood, and placed her hands on his chest just as Remmy nuzzled his nose in Chase’s hand. “Relax. We’re both here and safe. We’ll take precautions. We’ll hire a lawyer. We will not let that man in our life.”
“This feels a lot like the enemy plotting an attack against us, and I just need to be prepared.”
She took his hand and looked him dead in the eye. “We will be. We’ll start today.”
