Page 71 of Daddy's Little Survivor

“That would be foolish,” Ezra said.

Michael had wanted to say that, but he didn't want to hurt Monroe's feelings or call her stupid because she wasn't. She just wasn't thinking straight right now, and he had to do that for her. She might think she was doing him a favor by leaving so he didn’t get hurt, but in reality, her leaving would make him worry about her even more and Michael would still go after her.

“We’ve had this conversation and I’ve told you that you won’t be leaving. Ezra and This We’ll Defend Security will find Jared and take care of him,” Michael said.

She glared at him but he ignored the look. He knew she wasn't happy about his decision, but he wasn't going to let her leave and be in more danger. He wasn't going to let her go back to Jared. She was his and she wasn't about to do that.

“It's not foolish. I'm trying to save you guys from him. I lived with him for over six years. You don't know half of what I went through and what he's capable of,” Monroe spat out.

“So, you can tell me what we can't find out about him. Once I have all the information, I'll list off what we have and if you think of anything else, you can let us know. We want to be as prepared as possible,” Ezra said. “This case was given to us on pretty short notice, but we have our best guys getting information on him right now and trying to find out where he is.”

Monroe shook her head and all he wanted to do was comfort her. Right as he was about to go and hug her, she stood up, grabbed her protein shake, and started to walk off.

“You guys are making a big mistake,” she said.

He thought it was best right now that she go and cool off. She was clearly upset and he knew this normally wasn't her.

“Sorry about that. She's scared right now and doesn't want anybody to get hurt. She hasn't told me, but I know she would feel like it would be her fault if someone got hurt,” Michael said to Ezra. “Do you want any coffee or food? I was making pancakes before you got here and can make some if you want.”

“Coffee, please,” Ezra replied. “One spoonful of sugar but besides that, black.”

Michael got to making Ezra’s coffee and while he was at it, poured some for himself. He knew it was going to be a long day and he was going to need this.

He felt like Monroe was going to fight at every turn and he was prepared to fight right back. He wasn't going to let her go and she needed to realize that.

“How did she meet Jared? If you don't mind me asking,” Ezra asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

“She told me they met a few years after she was in high school,” he replied. “She didn’t really say what her relationship was with him, though.”

He didn't know how much information he should give Ezra. It wasn't his story to tell but at the same time, he wanted to give him enough information so he knew the whole situation. Maybe once Monroe came around, he could get her permission to tell him more or she could.

“I heard he's done this before,” Ezra said.

That was news to Michael. He’d had no clue that Jared had done this before and now he was worried.

“What happened to the girl?” he asked, but maybe he didn't really want to know.

“After she told one of her friends all about it, the authorities found her dead the next day. They couldn't pin it on him, but they were pretty sure it was him. He has all the resources to do anything and make it look like it was someone else’s fault.”

Michael didn't like the sound of that. What if that happened to Monroe? She had already told two people what happened and now, Ezra and the whole company he worked for would know as well. This could be really dangerous for her.

“That isn’t going to happen to Monroe, though,” Ezra said. “We’re going to catch the guy before he can do anything.”

“I thought Jaxson said he was going to hand it over to the authorities that had previously worked on the case,” Michael said.

He nodded his head. “Yes, but he decided against it because when Jared left the state, they shut down the operation instead of giving it to the next state. He wants to be safe and let us handle it and not get it thrown under the rug. It’s been over six years and they don’t know who he has in his pocket and who he doesn’t.”

That made a lot of sense. When Jaxson had told him he would possibly go to the people who had opened the case before, Michael was worried. It had been years since the case was open and a lot of things could have changed.

“So, I looked on your website yesterday and it doesn't say anything about you going after people. Is this just a one-time thing? Sorry, I just am worried for Monroe's safety and I want to know things,” Michael said. “I understand if that was unprofessional and if I can't know.”

“No worries. Most of our clients are in a situation where we're just bodyguards, but we have a different side to our company where we do search and rescues and also go after bad people and take care of them,” Ezra explained. “I got the okay from my boss to tell you this, but we would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. We don't advertise it.”

“No worries, I can keep the secret. Do you have a lot of search and rescues?”

Michael couldn't help his curiosity. It was like they were a whole new group to him, and he wanted to know everything. They were protecting Monroe and she was his.

“Sorry, just tell me to stop asking questions if you can't answer any. I just like to know things,” Michael said. “Especially when it involves Monroe.”

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