That hurt.
But still, not hearing from him is concerning.
It’s late afternoon, and the sun is beginning to set. I’m taking Cody for an afternoon walk in his stroller when I hear my name being called. Chills creep up my spine when I recognize that voice. Mick. I want to run, but at the same time I can’t act like I have any reason to hide, I could simply be here visiting family, so I turn slowly and stare at him. He’s approaching me with a wide grin on his face. I feel sick, but I keep my face straight, even though everything inside me is screaming at me to get the hell out of there.
Stopping in front of me, his blue gaze drops to Cody.
“Well, I’ll be dammed. I do have a grandson.”
How does he know about Cody? My blood runs cold.
It’s Mary. Everything inside me is screaming that she told him I’m here. The guys made too much effort to ensure I was safe, and he just finds me? This easily? No, someone had to have told him.
“What do you want?” I say, my voice hard. “You said you wouldn’t bother me if you got Jagger.”
“Yes, I did say that, but I don’t have Jagger, do I? Why, my boy has been sneaking off to see his lady and baby. I don’t know how stupid you all think I am, but I can tell you that you underestimated me.”
My entire world feels like it stops spinning.
“Where is he? If you hurt him, I swear to god ...”
Mick laughs. “Jagger’s fine, better than fine actually. You didn’t really think he was coming back to you, did you? The only reason he was seeing you was because of guilt.”
I know what he’s trying to do, and it won’t work.
“You’re wrong about that.”
“Am I? Where has he been the last week, Willow? Why hasn’t he come to see you. He could have, because we’re still here, but he hasn’t bothered to come to you. That’s because he knows it’s not worth it. He knows where he belongs and no matter how hard you pull, he’ll always come back to me.”
“You’re wrong about that,” I seethe.
“Trust me, I’m not. He’s been very busy ...”
I don’t know what he’s talking about.
“Why are you here? Just leave me alone. I’ve done everything you asked. You’ve got Jagger, just leave me and my son alone.”
“It’s because of the boy that I’m giving you this chance. Leave Willow, stay away from my son, and I’ll let your son have his mother.”
“I can’t just leave, I live here and ...”
“No, you don’t. You moved away and you’re going to go home, leave Jagger and end it or, I’ll make you pay. I know what you and your little friends are planning, you won’t get near my island. You even try and that little boy of yours will find himself in some trouble.”
“You touch him, and I’ll kill you myself,” I growl.
Mick smirks, as if I’m nothing more than a pathetic little woman. “Thought you’d say that. So, let me try something else, why stay when he doesn’t want you? My son might love you, but he knows it’ll never be. He made a choice this week, and you need to accept it and move on.”
“He loves me, nothing you can say will change that.”
Mick digs through his pockets and tosses a picture at me. “Well, he has a funny way of showing it.”
I stare down at the picture I caught in my hand, and my world stops. I feel my vision blur for a moment, and my whole body becomes hot and cold all at the same time. In the picture I see a couple. The woman is on top of the man and his arms are around her. She’s got her face buried in his neck and her naked back is on view for the world to see. I can clearly see he’s naked too, but the bottom half is covered with a sheet. His eyes are closed, and his mouth is opened in pleasure. That couple is Sharleen and Jagger.
“This is old. I know what you’re trying to do,” I whisper, my voice far too weak.
Mick laughs. “Look at the stitches in his lip. Now, I know you’ve seen him lately so you and I both know that’s recent.”
I stare closer and sure enough, the exact same stitches are in Jagger’s lip. I drop the picture to the ground and my heart pounds against my ribcage. I can’t hear anything, I can’t feel anything. Cody begins to cry, but I’m too numb to get him. From head to toe, I’m numb. Mick is laughing, but all I can hear are my ears ringing loudly. When I can focus enough to hear Mick, I manage to get his last words.