THREE

The wait until Mace could confirm it was safe to go to our room was agonising. My stomach was growling and I knew Joy was feeling the same what with her her grouchy vibe. But knowing that Lucian and Mace were going above and beyond do ensure the safety of my child and I's warmed my heart.

When Mace said it was okay to go in, he escorted us inside the hotel building and straight towards the life. My hands were firmly clasped in Joy's, having her pressed very close to me. We got to our floor and room and I saw an unfamiliar man standing outside the door.

I stopped walking instantly.

Mace looked back over his shoulder. "He's with us." He stated.

I nodded at him, feeling slightly stupid at stopping like some freaked out cat but hid my embarrassment by continuing towards the door with my head down.

"Quan." The man standing at the door introduced himself, a wolffish grin plastered on his face. I don't know what it was with Lucian, but he sure knew how to recruit the most good looking men in this whole country.

He had dark hair and equally dark eyes. His facial structure was nothing but solid, with a small beard that I knew would make every woman crawl towards him.

"Orianna," I said and then pointed at Joy. "Joy."

Quan looked down at her and smiled. Joy didn't smile back. "She as feisty as you?" He asked without losing his smile and connecting his eyes with Joy's.

I gaped at him regardless. "I'm not feisty!" I gasped incredulously.

Quan returned his smile at me. "Yeah, that's what they all say."

I didn't want to argue further about his comment since I knew it held no validation. For starters, he didn't know me at all. And secondly, I was far off feisty. I knew a handful of woman who were the real definition of feisty and they scared the hair off of me.

I ignored him but not without rolling my eyes at him and following Mace into the room. He had it open and was waiting for me to enter. Upon walking inside I saw that there was a double bed in the middle of the room with nice decor on each side above the bedside table. There was a small circular table off to the side near the window with a small chair next to it. It was a nice sweet place and the bed was practically calling for me.

I was half listening to what Mace was telling me, my eyes wandering around the room and lingering on the bed a few seconds too long. I had driven all the way from Brighton, had some man already pointing a gun at me and stalking me, heard someone's growl and still hadn't been to the lawyers office. But what I really needed this second was some shut eye and get my daughter's belly full.

"I'll order some pizza and Quan will be outside whenever you need him."

At those words I shot my head back at Quan who was leaning against the door I presumed would lead to the toilet. "You don't have to do that." I told him. I couldn't possibly let these men camp outside my door.

"Yeah I do," Quan replied simply.

I shook my head at him. "No. that's insane! You can't stand outside the door and just keep an eye out and--just stand there!" I was sputtering over my words, knowing perfectly well I was making a fool out of myself but my point was clear.

Quan shot his wolffish smile back at me again. "Babe, I will be sitting on a comfy bed watching some TV. Not standing outside your door." He filled me in. I ignored how him calling me babe made me feel.

"Oh."

He kept smiling. "Yeah, oh."

I turned back to Mace. It seemed as though I could handle myself better around Mace and that was probably because he hardly spoke unless it was necessary. But with Quan, his wolffish grin and his oh-so-manly beard was making me lose my ability to speak properly.

Mace took control back again. He told us he'll order the pizza and that Quan would be the one to knock on the door and give it to us. He also ordered not to open the door to anyone unless Mace calls and says that someone will knock on the door - which would either be him or Quan.

I told him I had to go to the lawyers office tomorrow (I decided that it was the end of the day for Joy and I. Eating pizza and in bed watching a movie was too good to ignore) and Mace told me he'd be here in the morning to take me.

He was in the midst of telling me more important stuff when my phone rang. I tried to ignore it and stood there waiting for Mace to carry on speaking but he had stopped. And he was looking at my purse.

"You going to pick that up?"

In all honesty, I didn't want to pick it up but what with Mace and Quan both staring at me and waiting for me to pick it up, I reluctantly went for it. I pulled it out of my purse just in time to see who was calling before it stopping ringing.

Alexa.

Oh crap.

I was about to put my phone back in my purse again when it started ringing again. Alexa was calling again. I went to answer it and put the phone against my ear and braced.

"Girl." One innocent word. But how Alexa drew out the 'r' and added all her sassy attitude filled voice to it made it from one innocent word to a meaningful one.

"Uhm."

"Where the hell are you?" She practically bellowed through the phone and I had pull my phone away from me to prevent any serious damage.

And that's when Mace took his chance and ripped the phone off my hand.

"Who is this." He asked straight up.

If I wasn't surprised at how quickly Alexa shut up and how she didn't say any quick retort I would have been annoyed how Mace snatched the phone off my hand. He had no right to do that.

Alexa must have said something in a much smaller voice since I didn't hear anything but Mace looked at me and asked, "she a friend?"

I nodded at him. He gave my phone back to me.

"Alexa-"

"Why did a man just talk to me?"

I didn't know what to tell her and my brain wasn't in high peak to quickly make up a believable story. And Alexa could easily tell if I'm lying.

I let out a sigh. "I'll tell you everything if you promise to hang up now and I'll call you back when I'm alone again."

Another surprise from her. She agreed instantly, didn't wait for a goodbye and then just hung up.

"Tell her what you need to say to make your life easier. But don't say too much."

I agreed. Alexa was going to know only what I wanted her to know. And in my case, it was going to be everything.

Mace gave me one final lift of his head, an indication that we were done here and left the room. Quan shot me his wolffish smile again. "Feisty friend." He said and then closed the door behind him.

I couldn't agree with him more.

Alexa was a force to be reckoned with. Ever since I moved to Brighton and had this woman as my neighbour, she had done everything in her power to make me feel welcomed. After that, she became a friend. And after that, she became my best friend and we practically told each other everything.

I told her all that had happened to me the years ago and why I was driven out of my home. I told her about my losses and my heartaches and my longings. I told her about my miracle Joy and Alexa had come to love Joy as her own.

And when I told her why I had to come back here, she made me promise not to go without her. She wanted to protect me. But alas, I had just left without telling her.

I turned towards the bed and dropped down on it.

"Can I take of your shoes?"

I lifted my head slightly to see Joy at the foot of the bed. I squinted my eyes at her. "You going to tickle me again?"

She shook her head at me. "No."

I didn't trust her because that's what she always did. And I always said yes even though I knew what would come. I kept my eyes on Joy as she playfully took off my shoes and just saw she was about to go in for the tickle, I pulled my legs away.

"Hop in the shower." I told her and she instantly listened. I knew she could give herself a shower and just needed that alone time to have a good ol' chat with Alexa.

****

Link

He knew the second she was back. It was like everything shifted in the air. He knew the moment she had come inside Lucian's office and he knew without even having to be there. Her perfume had filled the whole room.

And no one had called him when she was there for him to see with his own eyes.

His hands were turning white what with how hard he held the steering wheel of his car. He was furious before but now he had contained himself enough to go to her. Not another day would go without him seeing her again.

And she's not alone. She got a kid.

If it was anyone that was going to keep her safe this time, it was going to be him.

He stopped outside the hotel he knew Lucian would take her. It was the hotel he owned and had every corner under security. It was the only place Orianna could be fully safe, with the addition of a man in the opposite room as hers.

And one man right outside the hotel building. Who, when spotted Link was instantly making his way towards him.

Link stepped out his car and slammed the door shut behind him loudly, making it clear that whatever bullshit Mace was going to say in order to keep Link away wasn't going to stop him.

"Mace."

Mace stopped when he was a few feet away from him. "Fuck, you're not over her."

Link scoffed out loud. He was over her. It was too long to be pining over one girl who Link knew wasn't the same anymore. But he had that need to keep her safe, his youth days ramming back into his head. He owed it to her.

Link ignored Mace and asked his own questions. "She good?" Mace knew Link wanted to know more than if she was just good.

"She's strong." He told him, crossing his arms across his chest. Link nodded, expecting nothing less from her. If all these years did anything to her, becoming stronger would be one.

"She got her kid with her?"

Mace eyed Link with a weary look. He was unsure where to go with this and where Link was taking this. "Yeah, she's strong too," he answered carefully, hoping Link would drop the topic of the the kid before it even became a topic.

"How old is she?" Link asked. Link knew he was threading on thin ice but he had to know. No matter what Mace told him, he was still going to Orianna's room and seeing for himself.

"Man, don't take yourself there."

Link ignored Mace's warning. "How old," he repeated.

"Six."

Link's heart sped up and there was so little he could do before it would leap out.

"What colour hair?"

"Link-" Mace started to say, knowing damn well where Link was taking this.

"Tell me."

"Brown."

And that's all he needed from his friend. He walked passed him towards the hotel, trying his best to ignore how his legs were feeling, how his heart was thumping loudly. And lastly, ignoring all the warning bells that were blaring in his head telling him to turn around and forget about it.

Six. Brown hair.

He knew the protocol and how everything was laid out. So when he was on her floor, he wasn't surprised to see Quan standing outside her door, his dark eyes trained on him. Mace had probably already called him to tell him he was coming up.

And he also most likely called Orianna to say there was going to be a knock on the door.

Quan moved away from the front of the door and back into his room, but not before clasping his massive hand on Link's shoulder. It said it all in that one touch.

Link waited until he heard Quan fully settle in his room before he lifted his hand and knocked on the door. It felt as though he stood there for hours but in reality it was only a few seconds before the door opened.

And there was Orianna Shea standing barefoot.

////

> not fully Link's POV but took some comments and decided to not give all away :)
> Sorry it took so long but last chapter for me, felt like 2 chapters because of how long it was. Next time, I'll split longer chapters into two!
> comment whether you think Ori should keep Joy away still! (I know what she's going to do regardless lol)