Natalie~
Natalie settled into their new normal fairly easily, with a lot of guidance and support from Pierce. He understood that she was not a soldier and he didn't expect her to be. She didn't have the same outlook and perception of her surroundings that he did and wasn't used to the level of hypervigilance that was now required to keep her safe, but Pierce was patient and taught her the basics.
During the day, while Pierce was at work, Natalie would spend her time at Lexi's or Claire's or go up to Luxe to help with the prep work for some major events they had coming up. She had no problem keeping herself busy and frequently checked in with Pierce throughout the day letting him know where she was and how long she'd be there. It was a lot to handle and get used to all at once, but Pierce made it so easy. He was patient and supportive as she transitioned to their new routines, reminding her of things without being condescending and checking in on her frequently out of an abundance of caution and care for her well being. It had been a little over a week and she felt like she was getting used to things.
Her shoulder was still achy and she didn't have full mobility in it quite yet, but wearing the sling during the day helped with the soreness, which was getting better with every passing day.
She stood in the aisle of the party supply store, looking at fun necklaces and crowns for Claire's birthday celebration that was coming up. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the brightly colored accessories that matched Claire's fun, bubbly personality perfectly.
She was smiling like an idiot at the neon decorations, when she suddenly felt eyes on her.
The hairs on her neck stood on end and her stomach sank at the jarring change in emotion.
Something's not right.
The first thing that Pierce had taught her was to trust her gut, that people's intuition was right more often than not, so she listened to her own at that moment.
She casually lifted her head and searched for the source of her uneasiness, sweeping her eyes over every face until one in particular stood out.
Her blood ran cold as she locked eyes with a man who was staring directly at her with a look that sent chills through her body. His gaze was unyielding and their eyes meeting hadn't deterred his him in the least. He was staring right at her, glaring as if she'd offended him in some way. It was a malicious glare that made Natalie's skin crawl and her stomach tighten into knots.
She took a few steps in the opposite direction, moving to the next aisle to test her theory, but the cold dark eyes followed her every step of the way, spiking her adrenaline and giving her the confirmation she needed.
He's following me.
Fear seized her lungs, but Pierce's words started replaying in her mind as if he were standing there giving her instructions.
Stay calm even when you're scared. Battle breathe. Take in a breath for four seconds, hold it for four seconds, then push it out for four seconds.
She took in a deep breath and held it before blowing it out, just as he had instructed and readied herself for whatever was about to happen.
Move to the most densely populated area. Do not run to your car. It's isolating and you could be easily pushed into another vehicle.
Her feet started moving toward the front of the store where the checkout lines were, getting her phone out and dialing Pierce's number as she walked.
"I was just thinking about you," he answered happily.
"Someone is following me. I'm at the party supply store on Pacific." Her words were short and to the point, no hysterics, just information.
"I'm on my way. Do not leave the store," he instructed.
The man had followed her to the front of the store and was pretending to flip through a magazine rack with his dark, hateful eyes glued to her. He raised his phone slightly and she saw the flash of his camera aimed right at her.
Did he just take a picture of me?
The man's gaze left her only once as he shifted his sights toward a man who had just entered the store on the other side of her. They gave each other some kind of nonverbal hand signal which meant they were together. At that point, both men slowly started moving toward her, closing in on her from both sides.
No, no, no.
"He just took a picture of me and now I think there might be two of them." she said in a low shaky voice.
"Make a scene. Draw attention to yourself." Pierce's voice was even and commanding as he spoke and she was ready to do anything he asked of her.
"Did you just take a picture of me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she charged toward the man.
"You. Yeah you! Why are you taking pictures of me? This guy is taking pictures of me!" she hysterically screamed to anyone who would listen. All heads turned in her direction which is exactly what she wanted.
Both men started to slink down, trying to become invisible and avoid the attention that was now completely on them.
"Atta girl." she heard Pierce's praise through the phone as she carried on.
One of the scarier looking men was furious. He glared at Natalie and walked toward her, taking quick heavy footed steps.
"One of them is walking toward me, he's walking toward me fast." she said desperately into the phone knowing she was no physical match for his monstrous man.
"Say my name out loud, loud enough for him to hear and tell me every detail about him." Pierce ordered.
"Pierce! He's got short buzzed cut hair and a spider tattoo on his neck, he's got a scar across the left side of his forehead that goes down into his eyebrow and another on the bottom of his chin." she started spewing details about his appearance faster than she could register them in her brain.
The man froze as he realized who she was talking to and what she was telling him. He obviously knew exactly who Pierce was and the fear that flashed in his eyes briefly was noticeable and satisfying to watch. The man walked straight past her and toward the door, signaling his accomplice to join him as they moved to the exit. Before they were completely out of sight one of the men craned his neck toward her and pursed his lips as if he were blowing her a kiss which made her want to vomit.
"I think they're gone." she said blowing out a shaky breath of relief after watching them disappear through the doors.
"Do not leave the store. We are two minutes out."
Pierce and Caleb were a force to be reckoned with as they barged into the store with their heads on a swivel.
Pierce's eyes immediately searched for Natalie and softened a fraction once they finally landed on her. While Pierce's focus was solely on her, Caleb's eyes were ever-moving, cataloging every person in the store and taking in his surroundings.
Without speaking, Pierce wrapped her up in a tight hug, pressing his lips against the top of her forehead forcefully and leaving them there. It was less of a hug and kiss and more of a need to engulf her body completely in his, which was comforting to both of them.
He tilted her face up to look at him with an emotion that was difficult to read. He wasn't angry at her, but he was angry. His anger was evident in his inwardly drawn brows and tight jaw, but his eyes were full of concern and worry.
"You did so fucking good, Nat." he praised her.
"Which way did they go?" Caleb asked, still surveying the store.
"Out the front doors maybe two or three minutes before you guys walked in."
Declan's large frame appeared behind them slightly winded as if he'd been running.
"You alright Natalie?" he asked with fear and concern in his eyes as well.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
The terror and urgency in the eyes of the fearless warriors around her was unnerving. It was obvious they had seen what Estrada's men were capable of and it clearly terrified them, which meant she must have been in more danger than she had realized.
"Would you recognize them if you saw them again?" Declan asked.
"Absolutely."
She'd probably be seeing those faces in her nightmares in the near future.
Declan took out his phone and extended it to her.
"Any of these look like the guys?"
She took the phone from him and started scrolling through the mugshots, but her hand was shaking so badly she thought she might drop his phone.
Pierce kissed the side of her head and gently took the phone from her, steadying it in front of her so she could see the pictures and thumbing through them himself.
"It's just adrenaline, sweetheart." he soothed.
"We got you if you feel light headed." Caleb said, taking a step forward on her other side closing her in between them.
"Thank you."
She focused her attention on the pictures and shook her head no at the first one. Pierce swiped through several pictures before landing on one of the men. She recognized him instantly.
"Him." she said firmly.
Pierce held the phone up so Declan could see and she watched his jaw tick in response.
He flipped through dozens of photos before she identified the second man.
"Him. That's the other one." she said with absolute certainty.
"I'll go ask the manager if he's got cameras in the parking lot to see if we can get some plates for Nate to run. Let's meet at my place to go over next steps. It'll be more comfortable for Natalie there." Declan said.
"Sure thing, Boss." Pierce answered, taking Natalie by the hand.
"I'll drive your car over, so you can ride with Hollywood. Not fond of the idea of you behind the wheel right now." Caleb insisted.
The men around her were fixers. They took charge and made moves, seeming to have all the answers, knowing exactly what to do. It was like watching a well oiled machine and their efficiency was comforting to Natalie. She didn't have to think or analyze, she could just follow Pierce's lead and trust that he was going to take care of her.
Once they were safe inside Pierce's truck he pushed out a hard breath and leaned forward, resting his head on the steering wheel instead of putting the key in the ignition. She left him alone and watched him breathe in and out deeply a few times before he turned his attention to her.
"Scoot over here baby, I need to hold you for a second before we do anything else." he said honestly, raising the center console to create a clear pathway for her.
Her body immediately reacted to his words and started moving before she could command it to.
His strong arms curled around her and held her tightly against his chest, pulling her into him as much as he could and burying his face into her neck in the process. Inhaling her scent deeply he nuzzled her neck and placed a few soft kisses there as he soaked her in. The muscles in his back were tight and knotted under her hands, but she felt them slowly relax one by one the longer he held her.
"I'm so proud of you." he finally said.
"But that scared the hell out of me."
His words were drenched in pain and they pulled at Natalie's heart.
She brought her hands to his face, pulling his gaze down to hers as she spoke.
"I'm okay Pierce." she reminded him, letting her thumb sweep back and forth across his cheek.
With tortured eyes he looked down at her as if it were the last time he was ever going to see her before shifting his gaze to the floorboard, clearly struggling emotionally with what had just happened. She knew that all three men looked at her today and saw Lexi. They thought they were on their way to relive that horrific event all over again and it was understandable that Pierce was struggling.
Taking his hand, she lifted it up to and pressed it against her chest, holding it there with enough pressure for him to feel the thumping of her heart.
"Pierce..."
The sound of his name along with the placement of his hand on her chest pulled his attention back up to her.
"I'm okay...Nothing happened to me...No one hurt me... I'm right here."
She kept her words calm and soft, trying to bring him back to the present gently with her affirmations.
He stared at his hand on her chest, before closing his eyes for a few seconds as he focused on the beating of her heart and nothing else.
"I've never had anything that I was this scared to lose before." he admitted, bringing his blue eyes to meet hers.
"I feel the same way." she said honestly, recalling how close she was to losing him in the fire at the garage at Knight.
"But how lucky are we to have something that would make saying goodbye so hard."
The corner of his mouth lifted into a half smile that caused his dimple to make an appearance.
"What did I do to deserve you?" he said before lifting her chin toward his mouth and blessing her with a deep sensual kiss - the kind of kiss that made her insides melt and her toes curl - the kind of kiss that fused two souls into one.
He pulled away from her slowly and smiled down at her with much more light in his eyes than before.
Starting the ignition he kept his gaze on her with a smile that was steadily growing, before putting the car in reverse.
"Can I ask you for one more thing?" she asked looking up at him sweetly.
"Anything."
"Will you take me to a drive thru to get some chicken nuggets on the way to Lexi's? I haven't eaten anything all day and I'm starving."
Throwing his head back, Pierce let out a deep laugh that started in his chest and echoed through the truck.
"From deep emotional feelings to chicken nuggets...now I know that we're soulmates." he said with a laugh.
*********************************
Don't forget to vote and comment! Your votes help me be seen and your comments help me grow as a writer!