Page 51 of Hear Me Roar

It was then Luis, Reyna, and Liv scrambled into the kitchen, reminding me we had guests who’d heard how serious the situation had gotten in seconds. They were all well aware of who Dimitri was, but now he wasn’t just some scary bedtime story. He was real, and it was clear he was very much a threat. Not only was Maya in possible danger, but so were Knox and I, just as he’dfeared.

The six of us stood around, glancing at one another. Liv was latched on to Rey who was latched on to her brother. Knox was slumped over the pass-through, pinching the bridge of his nose every so often. And Maya...the poor girl was whiter than a ghost, her eyes glossed over, as if she were lost in some alternate universe. I could only imagine the images flashing through her mind. The mere thought of them rolled a shudder down myspine.

“We need Manny,” I said matter-of-factly, pulling my phone out from my backpocket.

Knox grunted his agreement as I opened my text messages and scrolled down to ourthread.

Me:911!!! Dimitri called thehouse!!!

“That’s all he said?”asked Manny, who was now sitting in our living room, a little more than just concerned with what took place not a half hourago.

He’d rushed over here at lightning speed after receiving Hazel’s text and recommended our friends leave before he sat down with us to discuss the matter at hand. Not because he didn't want them present, but because he didn't want them worrying. The less people involved in this mess, thebetter.

“That was it,” I restated, hearing the disturbing voicemail play out in my head for the fiftiethtime.

“This is a big problem. We already know he's a violent son of a bitch, and as Maya has mentioned, he’s into some dirty shit. I’m going to try my hardest to find out exactly what that dirty shit is, to gauge just how dangerous he is, but I can’t make any promises. In the meantime, we need to be prepared for the worst, in the event he decides to come here. Maya, I need you to listen to me verycarefully…”

She nodded to ensure him she was hanging on his everyword.

“I know you and I haven’t been the best of friends in the past, but now is when I really need you to knock down that wall and cooperate with me. You’re the main target in this equation, which means your safety is paramount. If Knox and Hazel will allow it, I’ll be crashing here every night, just in case shit hits the fan and your husband decides to try some sneaky shit in the middle of the night. Aside from myself, I’ll have four of my most trusted buddies with FBI background on the job too. Two of them will keep watch on the building for any suspicious activity and the other two will be for escort purposes. Think you can work with me this time?” he questioned, his expression one-hundred percentserious.

“Y-yes,” shestammered.

“Fantastic. I appreciate it.” He turned his attention to me. “Knox, are you gonna be good driving around townsolo?”

“I’ll be fine. It’s the girls I’m worried about. Neither one of them are to leave this condo without me, you, or your men,” I stipulated, bringing an impatient finger down on the armrest of the couch. “I need someone with Karley too. She’s in as much probable danger, after sending those divorcepapers.”

“We’re on the same page, and I’ll make sure someone tails her all times. In the meantime, no more get togethers. As a matter of fact, you should make sure your friends steer clear of here at all costs.IfDimitri does decide to make a trip out here, he may very well scope you out for a few days from the shadows and learn your schedules. The more people he sees in and out of here, the more people whose lives are at risk. I’d say three is plentyalready.”

Hazel shivered beside me and nodded. “Agreed. I’ll text Rey and let herknow.”

“Maya, is there anything about Dimitri you could tell us that could possibly put us one step ahead of thegame?”

“He’s smart. Business smart, street smart, all of it. He has friends in different places and can get around even the hardest obstacle with a snap of his fingers. It doesn’t help he has money coming out of his ass to get the jobdone.”

“Do you have any photos ofhim?”

“No, but if you Google him, he’ll come right up.Why?”

“Because I’m going to give my guys a full file on him. I’m also going to give one to the Bureau so they can keep an eye on all flights in and out of the state, from every airport. If Dimitri steps foot in California, we’llknow.”

Maya nodded and swallowed down what I assumed was a huge lump in her throat. Her eyes shifted between the three of us, unshed tears sitting right at the surface. But she couldn’t hold them back for long. In seconds, she was bawling, her body slowly folding in on itself as despaired sobs echoed off thewalls.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I never should have thought I could escape him. I never should have come here. I’m sorry,” shewailed.

Hazel was on the floor at her feet in an instant, her arms coming around Maya’s rattling body like a shield. “If you hadn’t left, he could’ve killedyou.”

“Yeah, but now he’s angry; really fucking angry” – her breath hitched several times – “and the fact that he knows I’m here with you means you’re right in the crosshairs of a possible war. I never meant for anyone to gethurt!”

“No one is going to get hurt. If anyone was built for situations like these, it’s Manny. We’re all going to beokay.”

“I’m so sorry…” she mumbled over and over again, almost inconsolably, and after a beat, I couldn’t fucking take itanymore.

“Maya, listen to me…” I ordered, harsher than I’d intended, darting wet, brown eyes up to where I sat. “This right here is what had me on edge when you first arrived. But since then, you’ve become part of our family. As unhappy and downright terrified as I am for everyone’s safety right now, no one is blaming you.Youdidn’t do this. If anything, witnessing it firsthand has helped me further understand why youleft.”

“Knox is right,” my girl jumped in, wiping the tears from underneath her eyes. “You didn't do this, not at all. Why don’t you go take a nice hot shower and get some sleep. There's nothing more we can do tonight. If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, you wake me up, do you hearme?”

Maya bowed her head in understanding and then turned to Manny, surprising us all when she asked, “Will you be heretoo?”

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