Mark stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Do you really think either you or Trevor are any less important than me?” he asked her incredulously.
“I just meant your family didn’t have to drop everything because I got some creepy letter,” she tried to explain.
“That letter should be taken seriously and we are going to make sure you are safe,” he told her with finality. He was far too aware letters like that could lead to grave danger. When you grew up as wealthy as he had, things were always taken seriously and he didn’t want her to know how scared he really was.
Emily shrugged, caving in to his demands. “I’m going to shower really fast before heading down.”
“Do you need someone to scrub your back?” he asked with a wink.
“Then neither of us would ever get down there,” she said. She gave him a quick kiss and then firmly shut the bathroom door behind her.
Mark laid on the bed thinking of each moment he spent with her. He loved her strong will and he loved her kindness. He was falling in love with her. It scared the hell out of him but at the same time it felt right.
He finally made his way down the stairs and was surprised to see his entire family. Not only had his dad come with his brothers but their spouses and children too.
“Uncle Mark,” Jasmine yelled and threw her arms around his legs. “You took forever to come down. Daddy said you were comforting Aunt Emily,” she said and put quotation marks around comforting, like her daddy had done. She had no idea what she was saying but Mark glared at his brother anyway.
“Isn’t my niece a little bit young for you to be teaching bad habits?” Mark asked Lucas.
“Hey I was just telling her what a good comforter you are,” Lucas goaded him.
“Quit your fighting, we have things to discuss and people to beat the crap out of,” Alex said.
“Language Alex,” Jessica scolded him.
“Sorry, Honey,” Alex said sheepishly.
“I called Chad. He’ll be here in a couple days. I’m not sure where he’s flying from but it must be far away,” Mark informed them.
“I’m glad to hear he’s coming in to help out,” Joseph added, with relief evident.
“Me too,” Mark said. He was already feeling better about Emily’s safety just having his family in the room. There was no way anyone would get to her with his brothers there.
“We’re staying here until this gets solved,” Lucas said. The rest of the people in the room all nodded their heads in agreement.
“I’ve already prepared the rooms,” Edward added, as he set out some drinks and snacks.
Mark blinked several times as his eyes began to sting. He couldn’t imagine life without his family. He truly felt sorry for those millions of people who didn’t have the same support system.
He was grateful he had more money than he could possibly ever spend but he would give up every last dime before he would give up one member of his family. He realized that included Emily and Trevor as well.
Mark poured himself a double shot of whiskey and enjoyed the burning sensation as it slid down his throat and burned its way to his gut.
“Thank you guys, we’ll get this solved immediately,” he said to everyone.
Emily walked into the room just then and her eyes widened at the large crowd before her. She didn’t have time to say anything though because Jessica and Amy ran up to her and wrapped her in a group hug. “We are so sorry someone is trying to scare you,” Amy said. “We’ll never let anything happen to you,” Jessica added.
The three women stood together. They wiped a few tears and then quickly laughed, feeling secure as a unit. They’d already formed a bond stronger than most sisters. The guys crept back from them as if they were contagious. They didn’t know how to deal with women emotions.
“Women,” Alex whispered.
“Yeah, I know,” Lucas said.
“I don’t get them,” Mark added.
“Seriously, guys kill the problem while girls are always crying but that’s why we have to be there to protect them,” Joseph piped in.
All four men shook their heads in unison while heading to the barn to start discussing safety measures on the property. They didn’t have a clue one person was watching them the entire time. One person they would’ve never even thought about suspecting.
Chapter Six
The next couple of days flew by with no more incidents. No one let Emily get out of their sight. She was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic. She had been staying almost nightly in Mark’s room, so he moved all her things in there, making it more permanent.
Mark explained it was safer for her to stay with him and with all the extra house guests they needed her room anyway. She was scared it was going to affect Trevor but he didn’t even seem to notice anything was unusual about the situation.
Mark and Emily made love each night and her worry seemed to fade away into nothingness. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she was in love with Mark and if he were to grow bored with her, she would fall to pieces. She was in the very situation she’d tried so hard to avoid.
How could she not love him when he was so caring about her and treated her son like he was his own? The rest of his family treated her and Trevor as if they were a part of their family as well. She choked up the first time Jasmine called her aunt Emily but was starting to get used to it. She found she really liked how it sounded.
She was sitting out on the back deck, when a huge guy with short dark hair and aviator glasses stepped out the door. The man was built like a Sherman tank. She wouldn’t want to be on his bad side, she decided quickly.
“Chad, you made it,” Mark exclaimed, as he came around the corner.
“Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” Chad replied and then the two men headed into the house. Emily had heard about Mark’s longtime friend. She decided they must put something special in the food around this area because all the men seemed to be far too sexy for any normal person’s good.
“Okay Chad I want the guys to think you’re a new hire. Luckily you’ve been out of the country long enough only my foreman knows who you are and I already filled him in on what’s going on, so he won’t say a word. You’re going to get far more information if the guys think you are one of them. I’m sorry you’re going to have to sleep in the bunk house,” he added with an evil grin.