On the run

Twenty One

"You're sure you'll be okay?"

"It's like an hour babe." I chuckled. "You're right here if I need you. I'm gonna grab a coffee and just hang out a little. I'm fine." He pressed his lips together, hugging me tightly and pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I'll be fine. You're going to the gym."

"I don't like leaving you alone."

"I know but you can't be by my side forever. I'm gonna finish unpacking this box, drive to town grab a coffee and come back. It's fine. Go, have fun." I pushed him towards the front door, smiling at him as I did. We'd been back a week now and had spent the past week collecting my things after work, filling his car and piling it into his house. I didn't even think I had this much stuff but we finished after work last night and now it was a matter of unpacking it all. We'd done my clothes through the week so this was the tricky bit of finding places to put everything. Alex had explicitly told me to clutter his house up like it was my own that he hated how clinical it felt and he wanted it to feel more homely.

I finished the box in the living room, sliding the final picture I had of my old life onto his mantel piece. I didn't feel as abandoned by it all now. I felt like I had to leave everything behind me in order to get Alex and he was where I was supposed to end up all along. My secretive, quiet side was what drew Alex in. Almost like if I hadn't been quiet he'd have never wanted to know me more. Everything works out how it's supposed to.

I stood up, collapsing down another empty box with a satisfied nod, grabbed my car keys and headed to the front door, trying to set the security alarm. I groaned, forgetting the code I needed to set it. I chuckled to myself, calling Alex barely 30 minutes after he'd left.

"Pops. Everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I forgot the code for the security alarm." He breathed down the phone.

"Gave me a panic attack there babe. It's the same as the code for my phone. Remember it?"

"Mhm." I chewed on my lip, trying the code, praying I got it right. If I got this wrong now I'm sure he'd think it was hilarious. It started beeping and I exhaled. "Okay got it." I stepped onto the porch, locking the door and skipping down to my car. "Thank you."

"No problem beautiful. You're going for coffee?"

"Mhm. Want anything?"

"You naked in our bed when I get home." I slipped my phone into the holder on the dashboard, smiling at his little game.

"From the coffee shop Lex."

"Oh. Then no. I'm good." I nodded.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go so I can drive down there. I'll be home before you."

"I should hope so too. I'll be done in like 20 minutes."

"Okay."

"Love you."

"Love you too. Bye." I reached over, hanging up the call. I needed that coffee this morning. He didn't live that far away from the office. Well, I guess we didn't because I lived there with him now too. It was my home as much as it was his. He kept saying that, telling me it was mine too. In total it was only about a 3-minute drive from here to the coffee shop. I could walk it but I wanted to get me drink and get home so I could unpack more. Ideally, I wanted to get it done today so I could relax tomorrow. I wanted to go for a walk, get out the house for a few hours.

The coffee shop was quiet this morning. I guess the weather was dragging people to any local beach or open space they could find. Picnics and barbeques would be demolished nationwide for the next month. I could totally pack one up for us tomorrow. Sit on a blanket in some field in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't even need a view. Just to be with him. That's all I need. Just me and Alex and Jaxson. Wait.

No no no no no no no no.

I was pulled into an alley at the side of the café, immediately feeling on edge as I clung to my coffee like it was my only source of hope. I didn't even bring my phone out the car. I was supposed to be 5 minutes. Grab my coffee and go home.

"Well, that must be the longest game of hide and seek on record princess." Smoke covered his face as he leaned up against the wall, he took a step forward, emerging through it and stepping until he was a foot away from him. "I told you I'd find you." His dark eyes stared down into mine. "I'm gonna admit, you had me. I was stumped, very very nearly about to give up. And then Cam walked in and said someone in the Morelli's thought they'd saw you leaving the country on a private jet. Do you know how much I had to spend to get those tapes Penelope? How many guys I had tracing the car you got to the airport in? How much I had to pay people to give me information on this Penelope Cooper who was flying off to another country with some guy on her arm? And you don't have a single thing to say?"

"I told you not to come looking for me Jaxson."

"You thought I wouldn't Poppy? Really? You're not stupid. You know, you knew I wasn't going to give up looking for you."

"So what? You found me. Now what are you going to do? Did you just want to scream at me? Hit me? Tell me how much work you put into finding me? Or are you just going to finish what should have happened 4 years ago."

"I told you I didn't mean it like that Poppy."

"You did Jaxson. I was never going to be your priority. I was going to end up the same way your last girlfriend did, the one before her and the one before her and the one after me. The only reason that didn't happen to me is because I got away. Because I found a way out. And I'm safe now. He's keeping me safer than you ever did."

"He cannot keep you safe like I can Poppy and you know it." He stepped closer, taking my drink and car keys from my hand carefully. "You want to know what's going to happen? You're coming home. Whether you want to or not. We can talk more about what you've done over the past 4 years when we get there."

"I am not going anywhere with you Jaxson. I've got a life here."

"You had a life with me too and you left that. Now you're leaving this one just as easy." He tossed my keys to one of his men behind him. "Get her phone. She's got a call to make to her boyfriend if she knows what's good for him." He looked back down at me. "You're very lucky I'm keeping calm about this Poppy. The only reason he's not being dragged here and shot in front of you Poppy is because he has indeed kept you safe. That's it. If I find out anything happened to you in those 4 years, I'll have his head in a box under the Christmas tree this year. Got it?" I nodded slowly. "Good girl. Get in the car." He pointed back at the car but I didn't move. I couldn't. It was like my feet cemented into the ground. I love Alex, more than anything. If Jaxson was here and I told him a single thing about us, he was dead. There wasn't a question about it. If he knew I'd be at this coffee shop then chances are he listened to me talking to Alex earlier which means he's bugged the house so he knows where Alex lives. If he knows where Alex lives, he knows where we work. He wouldn't know how to get away from Jaxson.

I didn't want Alex dead.

Him being alive was going to be the only thing that was going to get me through this. I'd have to break up with him now, Jaxson would make sure I did and it's breaking my heart. I hated him for this.

"Penelope." I sighed, looking down at my stubborn feet. Don't cry. Do not cry Pops. "Hand out." I looked at him confused and he grabbed my left hand, shuffling in his pocket and grabbing my ring, sliding it back onto my finger. "Do not take it off again."