Chapter 11

Mia stretched and moaned as she glanced at the alarm clock for the third time that morning. She was still having trouble convincing herself to get out of bed. She flexed her leg, testing the muscle, wincing when she felt a sting of pain. It had been a week since the accident that had injured her leg, and although it was starting to heal, it still provided her with a measure of discomfort.

She finally rolled over and tossed back the covers and sat up on the edge of the bed. She checked her cell phone, then partially opened the curtain and gazed out at the sunshine beyond the window. At least the day would be bright, even if it was still a little chilly.

She sighed as her thoughts drifted to Wade. Tracing her finger up the side of her leg where he had caressed her, she shivered when she recalled his touch. She wondered what it might be like to experience more, to feel him run his hands through her hair, to feel his lips graze against hers, to feel his body pressed against her own. Mia quickly shook the thoughts away. She knew that was never going to happen.

Reluctantly, she moved from the bed and headed to the bathroom to shower, hoping it would give her the boost she needed. Thirty minutes later, she was showered and dressed, and she emerged from the bathroom feeling only slightly better. She sat on the edge of the bed again and flipped on the tv, but she payed little attention to what was on the screen. Thoughts of Wade continued to distract her.

Mia couldn't help but wonder about his strange and sudden appearance in the trainer's room after her accident. He was the last person she had expected to see that night. And his attitude toward her had been even more confusing, considering the last time she'd seen him, he'd acted as though he didn't want anything else to do with her. She had hoped for another opportunity to speak with him, but since then, it seemed like she had barely had more that a few minutes at a time alone. If John wasn't around, Kelly was. And if she was gone, there was always another friend ready to step in and take her place. Mia knew they were only concerned about her, but she hated feeling like someone was constantly babysitting her.

Since her injury, she had been unable to actively compete in the ring, and it had been pure torture for her. Her workouts had also been severely limited, mostly to some light walking. She'd been confined to either a car or a hotel room for the majority of the past week and she was bored out of her mind, with no way to burn off her restless energy. She needed a break from the forced monotony of her days. Just a few hours away from everyone and everything, so she could calm the anxiety that kept building inside of her.

Picking up her phone, she punched in her location and searched through the list of nearby stores and attractions. She found a shopping mall close by, and she programmed the directions into her phone, grabbing a hoodie and pair of sunglasses as she headed out of the room. It seemed like a good day to do a little shopping.

XXXXX

Mia found the place easily enough, and when she pulled into the parking lot, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the shopping center contained a large book store. She could easily kill several hours scanning though the shelves, reading snippets from various paperbacks and flipping through the glossy picture books. She headed there first, and once inside, took her time browsing through the aisles, occasionally pulling a book off the shelf and flipping through the pages. Thankfully, the store was not very crowded, so she was allowed to shop in peace without anyone recognizing her.

Pausing in front of a shelf, she picked up an interesting paperback and skimmed over the first couple of pages. As she studied the book, she thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, near the end of the aisle, and she turned her head, expecting to see someone approaching her. She was surprised to see that the aisle was still empty, except for herself. Shrugging it off, she scanned over one last page, then returned the book to the shelf.

Moving on to the next aisle, she stopped in front of the fiction section. She spotted the newest novel by her favorite author, Stephen King, and she picked it up excitedly and thumbed through it, reading over the summary. Again, she was certain she saw something move off to the side and she glanced up quickly, but there was still no one else to be seen. She turned around slowly, wondering if her mind was starting to play tricks on her.

Looking back down at the book in her hands, she quickly became engrossed in the story, losing track of time as she read through the first chapter. Flipping through a few more pages, something to her right suddenly caught her attention and this time she looked up at just the right moment. Her eyes widened in surprise. Then throwing the book back on the shelf, she turned to the left, stalked down the aisle and rounded the corner. And ran directly into Wade.

He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Mia stared up at him in shock.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

Wade smirked as he removed his sunglasses.

"Just browsing." he replied, letting his eyes travel over her.

Mia felt the heat rising in her cheeks in response to his boldness. She stared up at him, speechless, as she considered his words. How convenient it was for him to randomly show up at the same store where she just happened to be shopping? Planting her hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you following me?" she asked, raising her voice.

Wade frowned as a nearby clerk turned and looked at them. Grabbing Mia by the upper arm, he pulled her down the aisle to the opposite end, where it would be more difficult for someone to see them.

"A little more discretion on your part would be nice." he quipped, as he released her.

Mia continued to walk past him, then she stopped and turned to look at him.

"How long?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Wade gave her a questioning glance.

"How long have you been following me?"she repeated, the irritation evident in her voice.

Wade sighed and looked away.

"How long?" she repeated again, gritting her teeth.

He looked back down at her.

"A few days." he replied.

"A few..." Mia stopped, trying to get her anger under control.

"How dare you?" she continued, only slight calmer. "What are you thinking? Why would you do something like that?"

"Well apparently somebody has to keep an eye on you because you've made it abundantly clear that you're certainly not capable of keeping yourself out of trouble..."

"That's because you refuse to tell me anything..." she interrupted.

"We are not having this conversation again." he warned, cutting her off.

Mia turned away from him, hugging herself protectively. She could feel tears of frustration welling up inside her and she fought them back. Why wouldn't he just tell her what he knew?

He stepped closer to her.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"Why?" she asked.

He hesitated. "I just want to help."

"If you really wanted to help, you'd stop lying to me." She turned, giving him a hurtful look.

He gazed down at her and shook his head. Mia turned away from him again.

"Don't." Wade reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Mia closed her eyes, remembering their encounter in the trainer's room.

"What happened the other night?" she asked.

Wade paused. "I don't know. You said the boxes fell..."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Mia turned to slowly face him.

"I meant what happened with you. What made you change your mind?"she asked.

She could see him stiffen at the new direction her questions had taken, his whole demeanor changing suddenly.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." he stated cautiously. "Change my mind about what?"

Mia frowned at him. He knew exactly what she meant. She resigned herself to the obvious fact that he simply wasn't going to tell her anything she wanted to hear.

"Never mind." she sighed, weaving around him as she started to walk away.

"What do you want from me, Mia?" he asked. "What do you expect me to do?"

She whirled around quickly, her anger rising to the surface again.

"I want you to stop playing these stupid games and tell me the truth!" she argued.

"I don't know why you have to be so hard headed." he replied, shaking his head.

Exasperated, Mia stepped back and glared at him.

"What are you hiding from me? You know, I'm beginning to think maybe John is right. Maybe you did have something to do with the accident that first night." she accused.

It was exactly the wrong thing for her to say. Anger flashed in Wade's eyes and within seconds he had closed the distance between them, looming over her.

"Well, you can send word to him that if he thinks that I'm capable of such a thing, he might be just the one to find that out." he growled. Mia cringed at the coldness she heard in his voice.

"Excuse me. Can I help you two with anything?"

Surprised, they both looked at the young sales clerk that had stopped beside of them.

Wade took a step back and looked from her to Mia.

"No thanks. I was just leaving." he replied, slipping his sunglasses back on as he stomped down the aisle and around the corner.

"No, thank you." Mia smiled politely at the clerk, before turning back in the direction that Wade had gone.

Her accusation had apparently struck a nerve with him, but for what reason? She wondered what he was really hiding. And if she would ever be fortunate enough to find out what it was.

Reluctantly, she followed Wade's path and headed to the door, her shopping mood ruined.

Exiting the store, she never noticed the man who emerged from two aisles beyond where Wade and herself had been standing. He watched her leave, the wheels in his mind turning as he processed the information he had just obtained. He was sure it would turn out to be useful. He just needed to figure out how.