Chapter 4 – Jack to the Rescue
After two rings, Jack picked up.
"Elizabeth." Jack said. "Is everything okay?"
("No." Elizabeth cried through the phone. "I need your help.")
"Slow down." Jack said. "Take a couple of deep breaths."
By this time, Jack had Doug's attention.
"Elizabeth." Jack said. "I have you on speaker. Doug is here as well. What do you need? What happened?"
("It is my father." Elizabeth cried. "He is demanding that I call Chief Burke and tell him it was a mistake. He then invited Charlie and his father over here tonight and wants me to apologize. He basically said that I can't go to Columbia if I don't apologize to Charlie. I don't know what to do? I can't talk to them right now, they won't listen.")
"Elizabeth." Jack said. "Do you want me to come over? I can try talking to your father again. I can take you out. What do you want?"
("I am afraid." Elizabeth said. "I really wish you would come over.")
"Okay." Jack said. "I am putting my shoes on right now. Doug and I will be there shortly. Are you safe?"
("Yes." Elizabeth said. "I am in my room with the door locked.")
"Good." Jack said. "Don't open the door for anyone, until I call you. I have to make a call and then I will be there. Give me an hour."
("Okay." Elizabeth said. "I will stay in my room. I don't want to talk to my father right now anyway.")
"Elizabeth." Jack said. "One last question – do you trust me to handle this my way?"
("Please." Elizabeth cried. "I just want Charlie to leave me alone. I am afraid he is going to really hurt me. My father is pushing for me to go out with Charlie. He said something about it being good for business. What about what is good for me? It sounds like he promised Charlie I would marry him. I don't think I was suppose to hear that, but I did.")
"I will talk to you soon." Jack said. "I have a couple of calls to make. I am on my way."
Jack looked at his watch and saw that it was just after four. That gave them about three hours. He was sure that Charlie Kensington wasn't going to wait until after seven. As Jack raced down the back stairs and out the door to his Jeep, he was looking up a number in his phone. Doug was right behind him.
"Want me to drive?" Doug asked.
"Please." Jack said tossing him the keys.
Jack put the phone to his ear and waited for the other end to pick up.
"Devin." Jack said when he heard him pick up. "I need your help."
("What is up, JP?" Devin asked.)
"I know that I don't ask favors of you." Jack said. "I know that I have also refused a bodyguard, but I really need you this time. It is not for me, but a girl."
("Slow down." Devin said. "I will do what you want, since I am employed by you, but explain what is going on.")
"Okay." Jack said. "This afternoon, Doug and I stepped in and prevented a girl from getting assaulted in Central Park. The guy was Charlie Kensington and two of his frat buddies. Apparently, Charlie has been bugging this girl and she keeps telling him to leave her alone. The local police where she lives won't do anything. Chief Burke took a report and has talked or at least tried to Charlie Kensington.
Anyway, Doug and I took the girl home. Her father doesn't believe her. He is demanding that she drop the charges and apologize to Charlie and his father. He basically told her, he won't allow her to attend Columbia in the fall if she presses the issue. He has also apparently all but given her to the Kensingtons, saying it would be good for business."
("What is the girl's name?" Devin asked.)
"Elizabeth Thatcher." Jack said. "William Thatcher's middle daughter. William went as far as inviting Charlie and his father over to their house this evening. Elizabeth called me crying. She is scared. Doug and I are headed there."
("Okay." Devin said. "Text me address and I will meet you there. Please don't approach the house until I get there, unless there is immediate danger to Elizabeth. See you in a few.")
Devin hung up and Jack texted him the address. Then Jack called Chief Burke and relied what was going on. He said that he was headed that way as well. Jack also let him know that he had called their private security and that Devin and a couple of guys were headed that way as well. Chief Burke asked Jack the same thing, to not approach the house unless there was immediate danger to Elizabeth.
Back at Elizabeth's house, she wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she wasn't going to stay in that house that night. She needed to get away. She threw some clothes in her bag. She grabbed her last couple and current journals, since the current one only had two entries in it. She gathered her passport and other documents. She wasn't sure what she was going to need, but she was trying to think. She sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. She looked around her room. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She needed to slow down and think.
"Okay." Elizabeth said to herself. "What do I need that can't be replaced? I have my passport, driver's license. What else do I need? Oh, my paperwork for school."
She went to her desk and grabbed the folder that had all of her school paperwork in it. She looked around her room and was trying to figure out what else she needed. She packed up her laptop and cords, her phone charger, as well as a couple of other things. She zipped up her laptop bag and then looked at her two pieces of luggage. She didn't have a lot of clothes in there, but what she did have was things that were more important to her. Elizabeth knew that she could replace clothing, her journals and books were more important to her. After throwing a few more clothes in her bags, Elizabeth sat on her bed and was looking around her room. Her eyes fixed on the music box she had been given. She got up and grabbed it. She put it in her bag and then sat back on her bed. She was lost in thought when there was a knock at her door.
After Jack had hung up with Chief Burke, he looked at his phone and debated his next call. Doug saw Jack and knew that he was struggling.
"Are you okay?" Doug asked.
"I don't know." Jack said. "If something happens to Elizabeth, I won't forgive myself. I should have never left her there after the way that her father reacted."
"Elizabeth, will be fine." Doug said. "Go ahead and call him, he could help."
Jack just looked at Doug.
"How did you know?" He asked.
"Because he is your father." Doug said. "You may not see eye to eye, but he could help."
Jack didn't say anything else, but just press send on the phone to call his dad.
("Hello." Thomas Thornton said.)
"Hey, Dad." Jack said. "I know I don't ask for a lot of favors, but I was wondering …."
("It is okay." Thomas interrupted. "Devin already called. He will have paperwork for you. You really care about this girl, don't you?")
"Yes, Dad." Jack said. "I can't explain it. I was going to talk to you about it later."
Thomas sighed, he had never heard his son like this.
("It is fine." Thomas said. "I understand. Just be careful. If she doesn't want your help, are you willing to back off?")
"Yes." Jack said. "But she was the one that called me. She was crying and sounded frightened. It broke my heart. I just want her to be safe."
("The paperwork that Devin has, will help with that." Thomas said. "I will talk to you later tonight.")
"Okay, Dad." Jack said. "I will talk later."
Jack hung up the phone and looked at Doug. Jack let out a deep breath.
"Devin already called." Jack said. "I just hope that I am doing the right thing."
"She called you and asked for help." Doug said.
"True." Jack said. "But she didn't exactly agree to all of this."
"What did you do?" Doug asked.
"Devin has a temporary restraining order against the Kensingtons." Jack said. "I have also secured a safe house for her and texted my grandfather in case her parents cut her off and don't pay for her schooling. I have also gotten two of Devin's biggest guys to protect her."
"Okay." Doug said. "That is a lot. Maybe one thing at a time."
"I will do whatever I can to protect her." Jack said. "If she doesn't want it, no harm done. But I heard the fear in her voice."
"I know." Doug said. "Just remember, this is a lot for her to take in. She just meet you. She doesn't know your background. Just don't come on too strong."
"I get it." Jack said. "I just want her safe."
Traffic seemed to zip along, so Doug got off and started to take side streets winding his way toward Elizabeth's house. He wasn't sure that he was going to be able to keep Jack in the Jeep when they got there, but he would do his best. He also knew that taking side streets, it would take a little longer to get there even with the normal traffic. Doug wasn't sure what was going to happen when they got to Elizabeth's house, but he knew that he needed to take a little longer to get there, so he took a few extra turns hoping that Jack didn't notice, but he was busy back and forth on his phone. Doug wanted to ask who Jack was texting, but then also didn't want for him to see how close they were. He knew that his dad and Devin was heading that way. He didn't want Jack to make things worse. He knew that Jack could have a temper if pushed and if William Thatcher pushed Jack, he might push back. Doug if that happened it wouldn't end well for anyone involved. Doug hadn't seen Jack lose his temper in a long time, but the last time that it happened it even scared Doug.
Doug knew that he had to be there for his best friend no matter what happened, but he also had to keep telling himself that this was different then what happened to Jack's cousin. Hopefully, Jack understood that as well. Doug also knew that was why Jack pulled out all the stops and would do anything to help Elizabeth. He didn't want to have to face that type of situation again. Little did Doug know that as he was thinking about Laura, so was Jack. Somewhere in his head, Jack knew that this was different and Elizabeth wasn't in immediate danger, but he also knew that things could go sideways and fast. Maybe that is why Jack reacted so strongly when he saw Charlie with his hands on Elizabeth. Jack remembered that helpless feeling that he had felt when he learned that Laura had been hurt and he hadn't been able to protect her, even thought she was his older cousin. Jack still felt like it was his job to protect her.
For once in his life, Jack was grateful for his family's resources and influence. He knew that his didn't ask his father for a lot of things, so when he did, he knew it was important. Jack still wasn't sure what was going to happen in the future with Elizabeth, but he would do whatever it took to make sure that she was safe and happy. Jack just knew that he couldn't lose her. As Jack and Doug approached Elizabeth's neighborhood, Jack texted her that they were close. He just wanted to make sure that she knew that they were coming. Jack also knew that he was going to have to wait until Devin got there. So he sent a second text to Elizabeth, to let her know that Chief Burke and others were also on their way. He asked her sit still and stay safe until he called.
William Thatcher was not happy with his middle daughter. She had never behaved like that before. She has always been his obedient daughter. The one that he never had to worry about. He just couldn't believe that she would talk back and be defiant when he told her to do something. He expected behavior like that, from his youngest daughter and a little from his oldest, but not his middle daughter. She had always been the one that he could count on to follow the rules and do what was expected of her. William was at his wits end with Elizabeth. He wondered if the two new gentlemen in Elizabeth's life had anything to do with her recent behavior. William decided that he had had enough of Elizabeth's behavior and would demand an apology. He wasn't going to allow her defiant behavior to continue if she wanted to stay in his home.
William made his way upstairs and to Elizabeth's room. He knocked and there was no answer.
"Elizabeth." William called. "Open this door right now."
Elizabeth didn't answer her father, she could hear the anger in his voice. If he didn't believe her, then she didn't want to be near him. She couldn't believe that he was willing to put business over her safety. As Elizabeth sat there ignoring her father, her phone chimed. She looked at it and it was from Jack letting her know that he as close. A second text came in and let her know that Chief Burke was also on his way. Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that Jack was there. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she knew that she needed to get away.