Page 28 of Royal Hacker

I got out of bed with Patty still in my arms and headed to the bathroom. “We are going to get cleaned up and have some breakfast because everyone is coming here.”

* * *

Patty

Our shower endedup taking more of our hour than we’d expected. Everyone would be arriving in a few minutes, and we still hadn’t eaten. The shower sex helped mellow me out and cooled my nerves. The stalker had made me realize how much he could shake my emotions. Sam walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. When I was in his arms, all my problems seemed to go away. I leaned my head back to rest on his chest. He smelled like aftershave and ocean-fresh soap. He kissed me a couple times on the crook of my neck, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

I spun in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. He leaned down and captured my lips. I was lost in the kiss. His hands roamed down and grabbed my ass. He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I heard the security beep that signaled approved fingerprints at the front door. I tried to pull away from Sam’s grasp to greet Brock. Then Sam pulled me in closer and mumbled across my lips that it was Brock. He had texted to say he was on his way up.

“Can’t you two stop for one second? Your life is all over the news, and you are here having sex in the kitchen,” Bridget said with laughter in her voice.

I broke away and ran over to give her a hug and tell her none of what they were saying on the news was true. I stopped short when I spotted Alex with their precious baby in a blue BabyBjörn carrier. The man who ran his world with an iron fist looked so strange with a blue baby carrier.

“Bridget, what they said is not true.”

“I know it’s not true. We should figure out how to fix this situation so you can walk out the door. Don’t worry about me. I have my end handled. We are all worried about you.” Bridget wrapped me in the most comforting hug.

When Brock walked in next, I could tell by his face that something else had happened besides the news release. I walked over, and he wrapped me in a hug. “What’s wrong? I can tell something else happened.” Over the last few months, Brock and I had developed a close friendship.

“We got another email.”

I had given Brock access to my email so he could watch for messages from the stalker. I ran to my computer to see what was sent.

Sam pulled me away from my computer and into his lap.

“Here is what it says,” Brock passed me a printed copy of the email.

From: B. Waterville

To: Patty Beckett

Subject: You will be mine again

Patty,

I’m sorry, my beautiful queen. I had to expose your identity. You weren’t listening to me. I told you to leave Sam, and you haven’t done whatyou weretold. You have one week to leave that woman-beating asshole before I expose his business to the media. I will also be coming for you in one week. I almost have your room ready, and we will be together forever.

Yours,

Waterville

15

Patty

The room was silent after Brock read the email. I knew what I needed to do, and certain people at the table would not be happy. Sam came before everything else in my life; he was not safe. I didn’t care what happened to me.

“Sam, you and your people need to leave. I will hire Asher and Antonio to take over my case and be my bodyguards. We need to—” I burst into tears. I didn’t want to go through this without Sam, but I needed to do what was best for him.

“No,” Sam replied angrily.

Brock was shifting in his seat. I could tell what he wanted to say was bad, and Sam would probably lose his shit. “Hold on, boss, let’s think about this. Do you want the club and your ties to it getting to the—”

“If you finish that statement, I will take a page from Alex’s book and fire your ass.”

“Well, that was rude,” Alex replied while bouncing Alonzo on his lap.

“I’m not leaving Patty. We are not pretending to break up,” Sam shouted at everyone around the table while tightening his arms around me.

---