14

Chad and Mandy drove her to her new place later on that Saturday night. She had worked all day and gone to a Callum family cookout with them that afternoon. It was awkward, really awkward and they had ended up leaving early to go shopping for her place.

Chad said he didn't want to run the risk of anyone seeing her coming in or out so, coming in after dark was the only way. They had gone grocery and supply shopping and he had insisted that she wear a baseball cap with a hoodie over it as well as dark glasses. Of course, Mandy hadn't liked the outfit and had picked out her own version for her to wear. A cropped black hoodie with her nick name BABY GIRL in rhinestones across the front, black spandex yoga pants with grey inserts black footies and black Nikes. She had kept the hat that Chad had given her and added a grey fitted tank top underneath the hoodie.

"Now that's hot!" Mandy had grinned, and Chad had rolled his eyes and said, "Baby, we're trying to keep her under the radar. Not draw attention to her."

Now, she was standing behind the couple in the back corner of the elevator of her new building. Chad was using a utility cart to bring it up the stuff she had bought and her stuff from his place while, Mandy chattered away about how they could share responsibility for her as if she were a puppy or a kid. She just smiled to herself and kept her head down as she followed them out of the elevator. Chad had her keys. As she waited for him to unlock the door she leaned against the wall and continued to keep her head down.

"Hmm...new neighbors...Baby Girl," She heard a familiar voice say and she almost lifted her head but, didn't. She saw Chad tense but, not stop trying to get the key to work, "Isn't that what they call Katie?"

"Yeah, but you know that's like a thing on girls clothes these days, right cuz?" Another familiar voice said, and she did lift her head to see.

"Yeah, its. I've seen other girls at school with shirts like that on too but, that looks like the guy that picks Katie up all the time too." He said.

"He's a parole officer man. She's not his only one, remember and remember he told those movers he was moving his sister in here so that must be who it is."

"Oh. Yeah. You're right." He agreed. "But how cool would it be if it was Katie, right?"

"It's be awesome but, we're not that lucky and we'd have to hide it from Aiden."

She smiled a little as the two younger Lawrence men walked down to the apartment at the far end of the hall and glanced down toward her. Just as Chad got the door open and pulled her inside.

Before he could say anything, she said, "I tutor them sometimes. They're really sweet. Their cousin and brother is the big guy that thinks I'm spreading rumors about him."

"I know who he is. You know he went to school with us, right?" Chad said, as she looked around her new place. It turned out it wasn't a studio apartment but, a one bedroom with a living room and kitchenette with a breakfast bar. It had already been set up for her.

"Really? I don't remember him." She said, as she walked to her new bedroom to see the nice queen-sized bed and other furniture that was set up in there.

"I told the movers it was for my sister, so they hooked me up." He said, answering her unanswered questions. "And yeah, he played football. He was senior the year we started high school. Pretty popular guy, actually. His dad had died before he graduated. He left and joined the Air Force then, after his mom passed, he retired and came home to raise his brothers and cousins. He's got one more cousin still in high school. Gage, he's sixteen."

"You sure know a lot about them, Baby," Mandy smirked as she helped Katie put things away.

"He liked Katie back then. He was always asking me questions about her." He frowned. "I didn't like it. He had a bad rep with girls."

"Awwwww!!!!" Mandy gushed, adoringly. "You blocked him, Babe!"

"How am I just hearing some popular senior liked me when I was in ninth grade?" Katie laughed at him. She wasn't even mad. She paid no attention to the guys at school back then.

"I told your Dad and Mr. Edgar about him, first." He said, and both Mandy's and Katie's mouth fell open. "They made sure he knew their little princess was not an option."

Princess. She thought, frowning. That's why Aiden calls me Princess.

"What's the matter, Katie?" Chad asked, concerned. "What did I say?"

"Aiden Lawrence calls me Princess." She admitted. "He never calls me by my name. Just Princess and, it's almost like it's a curse word when he says it. What did they say to him, I wonder?"

"Knowing, my Daddy," Mandy said, "He told him what he was going to have to do to be worthy of you and what the consequences would be if he approached you before then. Daddy was sweet to his kids, but he was ruthless with anyone else."

"Your Dad and Uncle Kevin paid him a visit at football practice and called him out after." Chad admitted, sheepishly. "I was, uh, there for that one. They had me by the collar the whole time, right in front of him. Mr. Q said, Hey son, your name Aiden Lawrence? Aiden says, yes sir it is. Is there a problem? Your uncle says I don't know yet. You know Katie Quinn? Aiden says, I've seen her around, but I've never met her. Your Dad nods his head like he approves of that answer. We understand you're asking around about her. Why? Aiden says, well I think she's smart and beautiful and I just want to get to know her better. He was scared shitless. Because back then your pop and uncle were big and intimidating as hell and your Dad and uncle were quiet as hell as they just stood there looking at him. Your uncle asks, how old are you, son? Aiden says seventeen. He says, Katie's fourteen. Then repeated. Fourteen. Like he was trying to make a point. Your dad says, I assume you'll be eighteen soon? Aiden says yes sir before Thanksgiving. Your dad says, she'll still be fourteen. When you graduate in May, she'll still be fourteen. In June she turns fifteen. All summer, she'll be fifteen...are you getting me, son? When Aiden didn't respond your uncle says, Katie's our little princess. We're real particular when it comes to her. We want to make sure she stays our little princess as long as possible. We're letting you know that our little princess is off limits to you. Are we clear? Aiden nodded and said, yes sir, crystal. Then your dad says, nothing personal son, she's my baby girl. The only one I've got. I don't want her getting into anything she isn't emotionally ready for, and from what I hear about you...I'd have to hurt you. I wouldn't want that, and neither would she. Then, they left him sitting on the bleachers and dragged my scrawny ass with them. Aiden didn't approach me about you anymore but, he still watched you."

Katie was stunned. That explains why he would assume I was in on those ignorant comments too. "Huh! I never noticed." She shook her head, heart racing in her chest. Why the hell didn't I notice? She thought as she finished unpacking the stuff for the kitchen.

"I did." He grumbled. "It made me nervous as hell because I thought he was going to kick my ass for snitching but, he never did."

Mandy laughed. "Let me guess, you only had eyes for your books, right?"

"She was shy." Chad defended. "And the other kids were mean to both of us, so we just stuck together mostly. We had your Dad and each other."

That sobered herup. They spent the rest of the eveninghelping Katie unpack and put everything in place. They ordered pizza and sodaand laughed and shared stories until Chad decided to take Mandy home—with him,of course.

It was close to eleven when they left and not long after there was a knock on her door. She thought, it was them and maybe they forgot something. So, without thinking, she opened the door and gasped as she came face to face with Aiden Lawrence.

"Hello, Princess." He said, unsurprised to see her. "I saw your friends leave. Thought I'd stop by and welcome you properly."

She was confused as to how he knew she was the one moving in.

"I helped the movers bring your stuff in earlier this week." He said, as he pushed past her into the apartment. "Your name is all over your stuff. Don't worry. They weren't locals."

She blew out a breath and closed the door behind him. "Oh, uh, so... you're here to warn me not to be friendly to the neighbors especially your brothers and cousins, right? No problem. No one is supposed to know I live here and I can't cross that threshold without it alerting my parole officer anyway. Happy?"

He turned and frowned at her looking her up and down until his gaze landed on the ankle bracelet on her left foot that had a steady green light. "You're restricted to this apartment?"

"On Fridays, all day and night." She nodded. "Saturdays and Sundays too, unless my parole officer comes to take me on errands. I have similar restrictions at school. I can only go into certain areas. I can only be out in the city during certain times of the day and only if I have an armed escort. See, I'm no threat to you or your family, Mr. Lawrence. I'm still very much a prisoner."

He stared at her. "What happened Monday night, then?"

"Someone put a death threat and pictures of me in my mom's house and out on errands with my P O in my back pack when I wasn't looking." She said, still bothered by the whole situation, "When I got home they had broken into my place and trashed it and spray painted some really nice things all over the walls."

His fists clenched. "So, Morgan moved you here? Alone?"

"My mom wanted me out. No one else would take me in. I went to his place until the state could get this place ready for me but, his girlfriend and her family are the kids of the man I'm accused of killing so, that went over really well, as you can imagine. I thought I was gonna end up with another stay in ICU. They calmed down and came around though."

"What do you mean another stay in ICU?" He growled, eyes narrowing and nose flaring.

She swallowed, unsure of what his reaction was about. "I got beat up pretty badly at the first place I moved into, the first week I was out. For just being... me." He was pissed. She could see the vein pulsing in his neck and she wanted to reach up and kiss it or just hug him so he wouldn't be mad at her.

"Lock up. Put the deadbolt and the chain lock on. Check the damned peephole before you open that door and don't open it unless its someone you know... and trust." He said, as he headed for the door. As he reached for the knob he said, "I'll check on you tomorrow, Princess."

"OK. Goodnight." She said, chewing on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you by being here."

He looked back, hand gripping the knob so tightly his knuckles were white. "That's not what upset me, Princess. Goodnight."

She locked every lock and noted that he didn't move away from her door until she had. She went through the same routine she would have had she been in her basement apartment at her mother's house and then crawled between the sheets of her new bed and fell fast asleep.