Page 19 of Finally

While we waited for the building to clear out, I called Maddie to let him know how everything went and to check on Charlie. I was still on the phone with him when Greg gestured that it was time to go. I hung up and slipped my phone back in my pocket.

“Everything okay at home?” Greg asked as we walked down an empty hallway to the door marked “exit.”

“Yeah. He said he’s been treating Charlie like the pampered princess she is,” I answered, rolling my eyes good-naturedly.

Greg was laughing as he opened the door and peered out, but his laughter quickly died. Through the crack in the door, I could see a group of protestors, around fifteen or twenty altogether. They were shouting and holding up signs with hateful, homophobic slurs that sent a shiver down my spine. Several of them made vile threats against me, promising to beat the gay out of me if they got their hands on me.

Greg slammed the door shut on them, but I’d already seen and heard enough. I’d had protestors show up to my rallies in the past, but this was different. This was hatred, pure and simple, and it was being directed solely at me. It had nothing to do with politics or my stance on issues, it was personal. These people hated me based on who I was as a person and their numbers gave them the confidence to act on it should they choose to do so.

My eyes widened even more as Greg turned to me. Outwardly, he looked like the same perfectly calm man I’d just been talking to, but one look in his eyes revealed the furious storm that was brewing inside. For the first time, I was seeing Greg the Marine. He looked fierce and intimidating and absolutely lethal, but instead of freaking me out, it made me feel safe. I knew without a doubt that Greg wasn’t going to let anyone get to me.

Pulling out his phone, he punched in a few numbers then held it to his ear. “Yeah, get your guys here. They’re around the South side of the building. A group of about twenty.” He ended the call, and then looked up at me. “I called a buddy of mine earlier and asked him to be on alert. He’s a state trooper and I figured it couldn’t hurt to have a few extra hands in case there was trouble. They’ll be here in a few minutes and will distract those assholes while I get you to the truck.”

I grinned at him. “I always knew you were smarter than you gave yourself credit for.”

Something flashed in his eyes, and for just a second, he was that boy again. The one who seemed to care about what I thought of him. His phone chirped and he glanced down at the screen then shoved it into his pocket. “Time to move. Let’s get you home to Charlie.”

---