*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much* I apologize this isn't that long but it was a busy few days I will make the next one longer.
My driver pulls up in front of one of my homeless shelters in Manhattan. He parks the car and hops out before rounding the car to my side but I already have my hand on the handle as he opens the door. I let it go and climb out of the car. "Thank-you," I say lost in the damage of what was my homeless shelter. I make my way to the door, the glass door shattered as I walk in with my security team behind me. I walk over broken glass as I make my way through the damaged shelter. Papers have been thrown all over the floor and the desk looks as if someone took a baseball bat to it as does the wall. I make my way into the shelter surveying all the damage as I see the police officers interviewing the lady I have chosen to run the shelter. Many of the occupants which are women in this particular shelter because it is for women and children that have been abused and are running away from their abusers. It was supposed to be their safe place until tonight when some guy came in and destroyed most of the shelter frightening the women and children that were staying there. "Kelly, what happened?" I ask interrupting her talking to the officer.
"I don't know, Mr. Ambrose, this guy came in here. He was upset. I asked him if he needed any help and he said he was looking for someone. I told him everyone that stays here is confidential and I can't give him the information he requested. He came in carrying a baseball bat which is what made me nervous. I didn't know what his intentions were. He was looking for some woman and his daughter. I told him I couldn't help him and he got upset so he started to hit the baseball bat against the wall and then when I told him I would call the police he took it to the desk, threatened me saying he had a gun and he would kill me if I did. He showed me the gun and I had no choice but to comply so he walked into the shelter where all the women and children were looking for someone named Alexis, Alexa or something like that. I remember the little girl's name was Zoey. He kept yelling for them and I kept telling him that they weren't here. He said he would be back and then he left after he broke the door. I didn't know what to do, Mr. Ambrose, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," I say. "You did the right thing. I mean I feel bad for all the women and all the children but you did the right thing so no one got hurt. Are you okay?" I ask.
"Yes," she says. "I'm shaken but I'm good."
"That's good," I say before I introduce myself to the officer. "Hello, I am Dean Ambrose, I own this shelter."
"Mr. Ambrose, I am Detective Peters, I was just trying to get some information on who would come in here to attack a bunch of women and children."
"Granted this is for battered women and children I would assume that it was an ex-boyfriend or husband. It has happened before but just not to this extent."
"Do you know an Alexis?" he asks me and my heart stops as I think about Journey. The man that came tonight is looking for her and Zoey. I piece it together. The man that came into the shelter is Cody; Journey's ex-husband. I didn't know that he would be this close, that he would ever be this close to finding them.
"No," I lie, "is there any suspect that comes to mind on who could have done this?"
"We have no leads just a man looking for someone named Alexis."
"No description?" I ask.
"Yes," says Kelly. "He was probably about 6'0, he had blue eyes, a bit of scruff on his chin and his hair was blonde but that's all that I saw," she explains.
"Thank-you," I say, "We're going to need to up our security here and all my shelters."
"I hate to do this but because it is the investigation of a crime scene is there somewhere these women can go?"
"Of course," I say. "I have another shelter for battered women and children that they can stay at until the investigation is over and until the damage is cleaned up. It might give them an easier peace of mind by staying somewhere else. I want them to feel safe. I don't think they will feel safe here," I suggest.
"That's a good idea," says the Detective. "We'll try to get as much information as we can but I don't know how much that will really be. Kelly, would it be okay if you came down to the station to give our sketch artist a description of the man so he can composite a sketch and we can send out a picture?"
"That would be fine," says Kelly, "Mr. Ambrose, what about the women and children?"
"I'll take care of them," I say.
"Thank-you," she says with a smile.
"You're welcome," I say.
Once the detective takes Kelly to the police station to provide the sketch artist with a description of the man that attacked the shelter I start to help the women in the shelter pack up their bags to move them to another shelter. We shuttle them to a safer location and I order that there be security present not only at the shelter I sent the women and children to but to all my shelters. I don't want to risk anything happening again at any of my shelters. "You need to find out some information for me," I say to my security guy Paul on the phone. "I need to know who attacked my shelter and what their agenda is. I need you to look into a Cody Thompson's background and I need you to get in touch with the CPS agency to speed up getting Zoey back. Also I need to get Zoey's room transferred into the house in Connecticut," I demand.
"Yes, Mr. Ambrose," says Paul. "I'm on it."
"Thank-you," I say before hanging up the call as I look out in the traffic of Manhattan. I need to get Journey, Zoey and myself to a safe place. I will just need to work from home until everything is cleared up with this intruder. I need to make sure my girl is safe from harm. I need to make sure both my girls are safe from harm. I can't wait to get home to Journey to make sure she's safe and hold her in my arms. The traffic tonight is unbearable. It feels like years have passed before we pull into my parking garage. I jump out of the car before my driver can get to me, my security chasing after me as I enter my building. The elevator doors nearly close on my security. I just have to get to Journey. Finally my elevator reaches my floor and as soon as the doors open I run into my penthouse apartment. "JOURNEY!" I yell out.
"I'm in the living room," she calls out. I run into the living room and smile as I see her sitting on the couch watching TV and see her security guard standing guard by the entrance of the living room. She looks up at me with her beautiful dark brown eyes and smiles. "You okay?" I make my way over to her, daring anyone to stop me. I take her into my arms and hold her tightly. "Dean, what happened? You're scaring me is everything okay?" she asks me again but I just take the moment to hold her in my arms, savoring and rejoicing in the fact that she's safe. She wraps her arms around me as I take in her scent. "I think you still owe me dinner," she says.
"There's going to be a change of plans," I say as I finally break our embrace.
"What's going on?"
"We're leaving tonight," I say. "We have to get out of New York."
"What? Why?" she asks in a panic. "What about Zoey? We can't leave tonight. She's coming back at the end of the week."
"My security guy is working on that," I explain. "She will be in our custody tonight. There's an emergency."
"You're scaring me, what's going on, Dean?" she asks again. "First you run out of here leaving me behind and now you come back here telling me we need to leave. What's going on?"
"What does your ex-husband look like?" I ask.
"Cody?"
"Yes," I say, "what does he look like?"
"I don't know," she says, "why are you asking me about him?"
"I need to know, Journey what does he look like?"
"He's probably about 6 feet tall, blonde hair like Zoey but it's more of a dirty blonde and he has blue eyes," she says. "I don't know why you're asking me about him. I haven't seen or heard from him for a couple years now."
"I need you to listen to me," I warn her. "And I need you to follow my rules."
"You're giving me rules now?" she asks jokingly. "I like that."
"This isn't a joke, Journey," I say and she senses the seriousness in my voice. "Cody is in New York."
"WHAT?" and all her joking faded away and her face was filled with fear. "We need to get Zoey before he gets Zoey."
"I know like I said they are working on that. In this circumstance CPS will understand and release her to us but I need you to listen to me."
"Okay," she says and I can see her visibly shaking and it breaks my heart. "He's going to kill me."
"No one is going to kill you," I promise. "No one is going to hurt you but he is close to finding you. He went into one of my shelters tonight looking for you and Zoey so he knows that you're here. I don't know how he knows but he knows and we need to get out of the city before he does find you."
"What happened at the shelter?" she asks with concern. "Was anyone hurt?"
"Thankfully no but he did a lot of damage to the place but that's not important what's important is making sure you and Zoey are safe."
"How did he find me? What happened?"
"I don't know from what I was told he went into the shelter demanding you and Zoey and got upset when he was told he couldn't be helped and she couldn't give away that information. He had a gun."
"Shit," she says. "He's crazy, Dean and he will kill me."
"He's not going to do anything to you," I promise her. "He has to get through our security team first."
"Okay," she says with relief. "So where are we going to go?"
"I have a house in Connecticut," I answer. "We're going to stay there for the time being."
"And what about your job, how are you going to get to work?"
"I'll work from home," I say. "It's more private than this penthouse and it's much safer. If he knows where my shelters are he knows where my penthouse is and I want to take the precautions that I need to take to prevent him from finding you. This will buy us some time. Do you have a protection from abuse order against him?"
"That's only a piece of paper that's not going to stop him from killing me," she says convinced that she is going to be killed by Cody of course I would never let that happen but at the same time I don't know how ruthless he is. "That can't protect me."
"My security team will protect you," I say. "You have nothing to worry about. We do need to start packing to get on the road."
"Okay," she says. "How much am I allowed to take?"
"We'll take a few outfits and I am going to have Zoey's room done the exact same up there. We'll take some of her toys. We can always buy clothes and toys when we arrive."
"Okay," she says. "I don't want you mixed up with all this Cody stuff."
"Journey, I'm a part of it now," he says. "And we're going to work together to make sure he goes to jail."
"But he hasn't done anything yet."
"He harassed a shelter of battered women and children and destroyed property the police are looking for him," I say as the doorbell rings to my penthouse. "That's weird no one buzzed us."
"I know," she says as we start walking to my door but my security guy steps out in front of me.
Jack opens the door for me and Journey stands behind me to see that my other security guy Paul is standing at the door holding Zoey in his arms. Jack lets him in. "Zoey!" cries out Journey.
"Mommy!" squeals Zoey. Paul puts her down and she runs to Journey.
"You're home now, Baby Girl," she says as she scoops her up in her arms holding her tight. She kisses her cheeks making me smile. "Zoey," she says with a smile. "This is Dean. He's Mommy's boyfriend."
"Hi, Zoey," I say nervously. I have never really been around kids in my life. "It's nice to meet you." She smiles and buries her head into Journey's chest shyly.
"She'll warm up to you," says Journey as she senses my disappointment. I didn't expect her to be over excited and to like me right away but I was hoping for a little more than a smile from her. "She's shy and she's in a new environment."
"I understand."
"Zoey, do you want to see your room?" she asks. Zoey nods and Journey takes her to her bedroom as I follow behind them. I smile as we walk into the room. Zoey looks around and smiles. "Do you like it?" she nods.
"I love it, Mommy," she says softly and it makes me smile.
"Zoey, we have to go on a little trip," I say, "why don't you pick out 5 toys that you want to take with you okay? And in a couple days your room at our new house is going to look just like this one okay?"
"Okay," she nods with a smile before Journey puts her down and she starts to search the room for toys to take while Journey starts to pack for her. I leave the room to pack up some stuff for Journey and I. Maybe getting out of the city will be good for us it will be a lot calmer, less paparazzi and most importantly we'll be away from Cody. I don't want to uproot Zoey so soon but it's for all of our safety.
*A/N: What do you think about Cody finding them? How do you think he knew where to look for Zoey and Journey? What do you think of them going to Connecticut? Is it safer for them and will it be a better environment for them? What did you think of Zoey and Dean meeting, do you think she will warm up to him? Do you think Dean was nervous about meeting her? Please review and thank-you for reading.