Chapter 4. Why Would I Need Protection?

I should have looked through the loophole before opening the door. I was an idiot!

I was having a breakdown right at my front door. I was close to slamming the door shut and hiding in my room, but my shock prevented me from moving.

“Willow Taylor?” His voice was low and non-threatening. But what would I know what threats sounded like?

My thoughts ran at the pace of lighting: Who was the guy? Was he stalking me?

He noticed I was scared and held his hands up in surrender. He even offered me a guilty smile.

“You may rest assured, Miss Taylor. I mean no harm. My name is Virgil and Mr. Rowe sent me to speak with you.”

My mind went blank for a split second before I narrowed my eyes in suspicion at him.

“Please call Mr. Rowe if you are uncomfortable with me. You can confirm my identity with you before you speak to me.”

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I glance at my phone, hatching a plan in my head. There was no way in hell I would allow a stranger inside my house on his word alone.

“Please wait here,” I said and started closing the door. I saw him give a short nod before I shut it completely and bolted the door.

I walked into the kitchen and called Mr. Rowe quickly.

“Hello, Miss Taylor.”

It sounded like he knew I would be calling. His voice dripped with smugness and I could practically see the smirk on that pretty face of his.

I sucked in a deep breath so that I didn’t reprimand him badly. “Mr. Rowe, there is a man at my front door, claiming that you sent him.”

“Yes. That is Virgil. You can trust him.”

I was tiptoeing at the edge of exploding in anger.

“I would have appreciated a text or a call warning me that you were sending a stranger to my house.”

He snorted. “And those are the words of a girl who may or may not have used illegal means to get a hand on my private information. If I didn’t play along, what fun would there be?”

I had to curse him for his comeback. He must have caught my reaction because he chuckled.

“You effectively scared me, thank you very much, Mr. Rowe.”

“You have no reason to be scared. Virgil can be a nice guy.”

“If he is such a nice guy, why is he following me around?”

He was silent for a moment. “Virgil was complying with my wishes. I had some things that needed to be investigated.”

I didn’t understand what he was saying. He was speaking vaguely and I was growing tired of how he avoided the main issue at hand.

“Mr. Rowe, you have kept me waiting for a week without a word. Can you put me out of my misery and just tell me what your decision is?”

He clucked his tongue. “Patience… Listen to what Virgil has to say. And if you have any further questions, you may call me back.”

‘May?’ The nerve of this man!

“I ‘may’ call you back? Listen, you—”

“What was that?” he interrupted.

I snapped my lips shut before I could say something I would regret. “Nothing.”

“Oh? I do like your fire, Willow.”

If I ever met the man, I would show him how it felt to be burned by the fire. “You have only seen the tip of the iceberg,” I said in a saccharine tone.

“Moving elements, are we? I’m counting on it,” he replied coolly, continuing on before I could reply, “Will you speak to Virgil?”

“Do you promise he doesn’t have bad intentions? I do not like the idea of allowing a stranger inside my house.”

“I can assure you that he bears you no ill will. I don’t have the time to send someone across the country to harm you.”

He had a point.

“You could be petty, for all I know. But if you aren’t pretty, maybe not.”

“I am not petty.” He paused to think about what he would say next. “Virgil is my head of security and I trust him with my life.”

I believed him. A breath I didn’t know I was holding left me.

“I will talk to him. But I will call you immediately after. I need to know what is happening since I am in midst of packing everything I own.”

“Trust me.”

Trust him? How arrogant.

I walked back to the door after hanging up and peered through the peephole. Virgil was waiting patiently where I had left him. He hadn’t moved a muscle.

I opened the door slowly. “I spoke to Mr. Rowe. Please come in.” I really had no idea what to say or what his intentions were.

He entered slowly and stood in the hall, allowing me to put space between us if I so wished.

“I think you should sit down, Miss Taylor.”

I led him to the kitchen and took a seat as he had instructed. He sat down across from me and his eyes darted to the phone tightly gripped in my hand. I was prepared in case I needed to call the police.

Virgil reached into his suit and pulled out a letter. He slid it across the table toward me. I glanced at the envelope before looking back at him. He smiled at me warmly, making me feel less scared.

“I can see that you are uncomfortable, so I won’t waste time.”

I shifted in my seat. “I just want to know what is happening. Why are you here?”

He nodded. “I’m here to escort you to Quentin. We leave in the morning.”

“What?”

He chuckled. “We leave for Quentin tomorrow morning,” he repeated slowly.

I digested his words slowly. Did I understand the meaning of his words correctly? Was Mr. Rowe funding my college education?

“Miss Taylor?”

I shook my head to clear it and looked at Virgil, the security guy. He was still waiting for me to respond.

“I—what do you mean? Why am I going tomorrow? How am I going?” I babbled.

Virgil surely thought I was stupid. He tapped his finger on the envelope, trying to push my attention back to it. “Why don’t you read the letter and then we can talk?”