Chapter 198
Somehow, despite the fear and anger quaking through me, I manage to get the girls home to safety. The moment I usher the girls into the house, and they sit down to do their homework, I go into a separate room to call Garnar.
Blessedly, he actually answers this time. I don’t even hear his terrible fiancé in the background. Hopefully he’s actually alone. I don’t think I could handle hearing her arguments right now, with how much righteous motherly fury is channeling through me. I’d definitely lose my cool.
“What is it, Esther?” he sounds annoyed. Well, he’s about to get way worse.
In one, long breath, I tell him what happened to our daughters today.
“They are okay?” he asks.
“Yes,” I tell him. “For now. I’m going to call the school and see if they can get more eyes on those practices. Our girls are supposed to be safe there.”
“Okay. That sounds good.”
That reaction makes me stumble over my thoughts. I’m glad, I guess, that he’s leaving this in my hands, trusting me to handle this. But he is entirely too calm.
“Why aren’t you more upset?” I ask him.
I can practically hear the shrug in his voice. “The girls are safe, right? And all this guy did was talk to them. Maybe he’s just an old man or something. Not everyone is out for trouble, Esther.”
“He told them he was a friend of mine,” I say with urgency. Surely that will make him see.
“Even if the situation was dangerous, it is over now. The girls are safe. Acting this panicky is only going to scare the girls. I want to build them up to be confident women, not frightened old spinsters who are afraid to leave the house.”
That’s likely a dig at me.
I ignore it, pressing onward for the sake of our daughters. I’ve already explained some of my past with Edward to Garnar, hoping he would see the danger to our girls and want to take steps to protect them. So he should understand when I tell him, “The man sent me a message through them. It’s Edward, Garnar. I just know it.”
“This again,” Garnar says with a sigh. “Listen, Esther. I’ve put up with your paranoia to try to keep you from having a nervous breakdown, but this is getting out of hand. Your paranoia is starting to affect others. You even have your precious Miles Hamilton cursing Edward out at the debate.”
“He’s a monster, Garnar. I told you that –”
“Rachel says he’s harmless. She’s known him for years, and I trust her judgement.”
“She’s mistaken. He puts on a friendly face, but underneath it –”
“Are you sure this isn’t a cry for attention? Or maybe you are hoping to spread rumors to make your candidate look good.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with the election, Garnar. This is about the safety of our daughters.”
Garnar’s loud sigh crackles the speakers of the phone. “I’ve enabled your delusions long enough, Esther. I miss my daughters. I will pick them up tomorrow night, and we’ll get back to our usual trade-offs.”
“The danger of Edward is very real, Garnar. You need to take this seriously.”
“I take the safety of my daughters very seriously,” he snaps. “Which is why I will be taking them away from you. The pressure is getting to you, Esther. You need a few days to chill out.”
“Garnar –”
“Tomorrow, Esther. Have their bags packed. And if you even think of hiding them from me, or anything else, I will go to the police. How would that look for your candidate?”
With that, he hangs up.
The girls need their father, and I know in his heart, that Garnar will protect them. But he’s blinded by Edward’s charms. Rachel likely is too.
I can’t run away with the girls, and not just for the campaign. It would traumatize them to be on the run, and when we’re caught, I would lose them forever.
I need to think. There has to be a legal way to protect them from Edward Zimmer.
God, I wish Cynthia was back from her vacation. I need a friend now more than ever. I can’t call Hugo, what would he do? And I Kimberly and I are friends, but not good enough ones to share troubles like this. Mom and Dad are still caught up in their worry of Thea. They are sympathetic to me, but they don’t have the capacity for more than that at the moment.
I hate to keep depending on Miles like this, but with Cynthia out of town, who can I depend on more than him?
I dial his number, and he picks up instantly. “Esther? You okay?”
“I am, but I need help.”
An hour later, Miles walks into my living room, with two large security guards behind him. One I kind of recognize. Is he a former wrestler?
“Iris. Violet,” Miles says. “Meet Walker and Pete. Your new bodyguards.”
Iris and Violet’s eyes go wide. They glance at each other, then back to the men.
“Cool,” Violet says, smiling.
“Do they have to do everything we say?” Iris asks.
“They aren’t doing your homework,” I tell her, already reading her mind.
She slumps a little. “Still cool, I guess.”
“They aren’t going to interfere at all with your day to day life,” Miles says. “But they will always be nearby in case you need them. They are vetted and highly recommended. If you need anything… If something happens, or you feel uncomfortable or scared, you can go to them and they will protect you, okay?”
Violet leans into Iris. “We’re like celebrities.”
“Duh,” Iris tells her. “Mom is on TV.”
That they are handling this so well fills me with relief. I thought they might feel some unease being followed, but instead they seem excited to have their own security detail.
Even so, a deep discomfort churns in my own stomach. I hate that things have come to this.
As the girls fawn over their beefy bodyguards, who seem to be taking the youthful excitement in stride, Miles turns to me.
“I’ve taken extra measures for your safety, as well,” Miles says.
“You assigned people to follow me too?”
“I already have a security detail protecting you,” Miles admits. “I just doubled it.”
“Miles… It’s the girls I’m worried about.”
“You are all important to me,” Miles says. With a sigh, he admits, “I’m even paying a few security to keep an eye on Garnar as well. Discretely, of course.”
That surprises me. “Garnar?”
“He’s the father of your children, Esther. I may…” He glances at the girls. “Dislike… the man. But Iris and Violet don’t. I’d rather throw myself in front of a bullet before I’d see them sad.”
“Don’t talk like that,” I tell him, the image too real in my mind.
“Sorry,” he says. “It won’t come to that. These guys are good. I’ve worked with them for years. They have no ties with the Whisperers and I’m paying them so ridiculously well, they will not be bought.”
“Miles…” I have no idea how to truly thank him. He’s going above and beyond for me and my family.
His eyes swoop down to Iris and Violet and I see the fatherly affection in his eyes that makes my heart ache.
If only we could be our own little family.
The girls would welcome Miles with open arms.
My heart aches. Why does this all have to be temporary?
