Chapter 19 – Increased Security
Jack moved over to the couch and took a seat.
"The increased security is for a couple of reasons." Jack said. "First, there is a lot of foot traffic on the third floor. It sounds like someone is moving out. Also, apparently while we were out getting your new phone, your father showed up here demanding to see you. We can only assume that the Kensingtons told them where they thought you were."
Elizabeth let out a harsh breath.
"I am sorry." Elizabeth said. "I have been nothing but trouble."
"No." Jack said. "It is okay. You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn't cause this – Charlie Kensington and his father did. As much as I don't want to blame your family, I have to say that your father shares a piece of that blame."
"No, I get it." Elizabeth said. "I am not happy with my father either."
"There is more." Jack said.
"Oh." Elizabeth said softly.
"We will have security traveling with and staying with us tomorrow." Jack said. "Devin has a young man working for him that will be traveling and staying at the farm. If anyone asks, he is a friend of mine traveling with us. His name is Nathan and he will be here in the morning. Before you ask, I don't know anymore about him other than part of the reason that Devin chose him was that he is into horses and stuff. He will fit in at the ranch. He will be with us anytime we leave the ranch. Devin also thought it would help cut down on the gossip about you and I, because it will just look like a group of friends out having some fun. Devin said, even though he will be working we are to treat him like a friend so people don't know the difference."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "I can do that. The only friend of yours that I have met is Doug, so I will just get to know him like I would any of your other friends."
"Good plan." Jack said. "I am sure that Nathan will have been briefed about me and my background so it will appear that we are friends. I will let him take the lead. Also I am sorry about all of this. I know that I promised you more freedom when we headed up north, but with everything that has happened, we need to be extra careful. The nice thing is that my grandparents have a huge ranch and we can mostly spend our time there if you want."
"Not a problem." Elizabeth said. "I am just looking to get away from the city and everything that is going on. Hanging out with your family sounds fun. Don't forget you promised to teach me to ride."
"How could I forget?" Jack said. "I am looking forward to it."
Elizabeth smiled and blushed a little. She felt it would be better to change the subject.
"What were you thinking for lunch?" Elizabeth asked.
"There is leftover pizza and salad." Jack said. "Or we could order out now and have leftovers later."
"How about leftovers later." Elizabeth said.
"So what do you want for lunch then?" Jack asked. "I can pretty much have anything delivered. We just need to let downstairs and Matthew know."
"Do you like Chinese?" Elizabeth asked.
"As long as you don't expect me to use chopsticks." Jack said.
"What not that talented?" Elizabeth teased.
"I just never got the hang of it." Jack said.
"I could show you." Elizabeth said.
"I don't know." Jack said. "I think it is hopeless."
"What do you like?" Elizabeth asked. "I am not picky, but I love sweet and sour chicken or pork. I also like wontons."
"Okay." Jack said. "Let me pull up a menu online. There is a great Chinese place not that far."
Elizabeth sat down and looked at the menu that Jack had pulled up.
"Do you see anything that you want?" Jack asked.
"Not really." Elizabeth said. "How about something else?"
"There really isn't another Chinese place that is close that would deliver." Jack said. "I also don't like using Uber Eats or something like that if I don't have to, because their charges are ridiculous and the places charge more if you go through one of those outside companies."
"We can do something else." Elizabeth said. "I don't know what is close."
Jack pulled up the map and let Elizabeth pick. She ended up picking Mels Burger Bar. Elizabeth ended up ordering the Chinese chicken salad. It had fresh salad greens with crispy wontons, snow peas, savory cabbage, romaine hearts, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, and orange with a hoisin vinaigrette. Jack thought that looked good, but he went with a bbq brisket sandwich that was served with coleslaw.
After they ordered, Jack called downstairs to let them know that he was expecting a food delivery from Mels Burger. Jack also let Matthew know and asked if he needed anything. Matthew let him know that he was fine and would knock on the door when the food arrived. Jack thanked him and went back to the apartment.
"Food should be about half an hour." Jack said. "I need to get some things done on the computer."
"I am going to continue to update my phone." Elizabeth said. "I also might watch some TV. Right now, I have it on just for background noise. I am not used to things being so quiet."
"There is music as well." Jack said. "I can be piped into any room or the whole apartment. The controls are in the library. But do what you feel comfortable with. The apartment is pretty quiet because of the noise dampening aspects that we had added. Most of Dad's clients aren't used to the noise of the city."
Jack sat at the kitchen table with his computer and Elizabeth stayed in the living room working on her phone. At one point, she got up and went to get her journal. She curled up on the couch and opened it to where she had left off earlier. She read through her entry and then finished what she had been thinking. She also added more of what has been going on. She was worried what Jack's family would think of her, but she tried to tell herself that it was okay. Jack had tried to tell her that it was fine, but she still wasn't sure. She was glad that Jack and his friend had been there for her when Charlie confronted her in the park and then later when she was scared at the house. She just felt bad because it seemed like it was a lot of trouble to protect her. She knew that she couldn't go back to her father's house, but at the same time, she didn't know what would happen without Jack. She took a deep breath and tried to just be okay with things.
Before they knew it, there was a knock at the door. Jack quickly got up and looked out and saw that Matthew was there with their food. He smiled and opened the door. Matthew handed him the food and then went back to his spot. Jack felt bad that Matthew was just having to sit there, but he also knew better than to argue with his father when it came to safety. The only reason that they had stepped up security was because there was a real threat to both Jack and Elizabeth. Jack had to tell himself that it wouldn't last and they were leaving in the morning. Jack just hoped that Elizabeth understood that they were all just trying to protect them both. The last thing that he wanted was for her to feel trapped there.
Jack also knew that the Kensingtons had resources, albeit not as much as his family, but it still made them dangerous. The other thing that made the Kensingtons dangerous, was that they didn't seem to have the same moral code as the Thorntons. If it had just been him, he would have headed up to his grandparents early and not come back until school was ready to start, hoping that things would have died down.
"Food is here." Jack said.
Elizabeth looked up and smiled. She got up and joined Jack at the table. Jack grabbed a Mountain Dew and Elizabeth poured herself a glass of ice water. Jack looked between them and shook his head.
"You are going to make me look bad, if you keep eating all healthy like that." Jack said.
"What?" Elizabeth teased.
"You are having salad and water." Jack said. "I am having bbq and soda."
"I don't always eat like this." Elizabeth said. "I enjoy pizza and other things, but I also like salads. I wanted something lighter because I don't have as much of an appetite when I am upset."
"Okay." Jack said. "I will give you that. Just know that it will be meat and potatoes at most meals up at the ranch. There is usually a salad or veggie side, but then again we burn more energy when we are working."
"And I will be fine." Elizabeth said. "I can just eat less. Maybe I can talk to your grandmother and we can do more salads and veggies, while still allowing you boys your meat and potatoes."
"I am sure my grandmother will do whatever she can." Jack said. "She will want to make you comfortable. She usually has a very large garden and greenhouse, so I don't know what is ready. Granted, I know that she talked about cutting back, but I am not sure."
"I take it there are people who work at the ranch?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes." Jack said. "There are at least a dozen ranch hands and trainers that live on site with another seventy or eighty people that work on the farm in various positions. That doesn't include jockeys and other riders we have. Nor does it count the other various outside contracted workers that we have. The number I told you is people employed by us minus riders and jockeys.
No, they don't all eat at the house with us. Most have their own apartments, the hands live in a bunk house and have their own cook. The only ones that will be eating with us will be family and probably Nathan. When Doug and Lee come up, they will be at the house, so they will eat with us."
"Is there enough room for everyone?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes." Jack said. "I have a very large room, Doug and Lee will be in a room with me. Tommy will have his own smaller room. Mom and Dad will be in their own room. I think you will either be in Laura's old room, which is near my room or there are also guest rooms that are closer to my parents. No need to worry about space."
"If it is okay." Elizabeth said. "I wouldn't mind staying in Laura's room, I want to be near you, especially since I won't really know anyone else."
"I will let Grandpa James know." Jack said. "I am not sure what they had planned or what has changed since Nathan is coming with us."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said.
They continued to talk about a few things as they ate. When Elizabeth was done, she excused herself and went to her room. She looked to make sure she had everything packed. She wanted to be able to relax that evening and turn in early. After Elizabeth left the table, Jack finished his food, cleared the table and then went back to his computer. When he was done with his stuff on the computer, Elizabeth was still somewhere else so Jack headed over to the couch and flipped the TV to find some game on TV. He settled in watching a replay of the Mets game from the night before.
Jack and Elizabeth had a quiet afternoon. Matthew knocked on the door and let Jack know that he was leaving and that there were two downstairs in the security office. Things had calmed down around the building. The night doorman knew that Jack was in the building with a friend and they were not to be disturbed. Jack thanked Matthew and watched him head down the hall before shutting the door. When Jack turned around, Elizabeth was standing there. He jumped because he was surprised that she was so close.
"Everything okay?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes." Jack said. "Matthew was just letting me know that he was leaving. Things have calmed down around the building and there are two guys down in the office."
"That is a good thing right?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes." Jack said. "The doorman knows that I am in the building with a friend, but your name is nowhere. We are trying to still protect you as much as possible. We will leave for the heliport early in the morning. The cleaning service will come in while we are gone. They will stock everything the morning that we head back. I have let them know about your preferences. They said they would have everything stocked when you return. If anything changes, we just need to let them know."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "How early are we leaving in the morning?"
"I would think that Devin and Nathan will be here around six thirty or seven." Jack said. "It sounds like takeoff is scheduled for sometime around nine. It is just under an hour flight up there, so we should arrive in time for lunch. We will probably have an early lunch when we get there."
"Who is all flying in the morning?" Elizabeth asked.
"Us, Nathan, my mother and brother." Jack said. "Dad will be up Tuesday afternoon or sometime Wednesday. Doug will come up Friday and if Lee is coming, he will come with Doug. However, they could come up with Dad, I don't know."
"When is your jumping competition?" Elizabeth asked.
"Next Saturday." Jack said.
"When will we be back?" Elizabeth asked.
"Dad and Ma will probably come back after the jumping contest, Monday or Tuesday." Jack said. "For them it will depend more on when Dad has to be back. We can stay up there as long as we want. Tommy will probably head back with Dad and Ma. Doug and Lee will stay with us as long as we are there, unless they have something else going on. I am assuming Nathan will stay with us as long as we are up there since he was hired to be with us."
"Okay." Elizabeth said.
"Is something wrong?" Jack asked.
"I don't know." Elizabeth said. "I have never really been away from home for long."
"Okay." Jack said. "If you want to come back early, you are more than welcome to come back. You will have security here, they will be able to help you with anything you need if you come back. Originally, I had planned to come back the first part of July so I could get into a routine before school started. I was planning on moving into my apartment when I got back from Saratoga. Now I am not sure, I think I am going to have to wait and see how things are when I get up there."
"Oh." Elizabeth said.
"Hey, hey." Jack said. "Everything will be okay. My apartment down the hall or here, either way I will be around. I am not leaving. Okay."
"Okay." Elizabeth said.
"We have time to figure things out." Jack said. "What about your friend that you were going to live with?"
"Rosie is the one that I sent a message to asking for time." Elizabeth said. "She sent me a message back letting me know that she will be there whenever I needed or wanted. I am glad that she is understanding. I am not sure what my family has told her and I am sure that she is worried about me. We usually talk every day unless she has a production."
"Good." Jack said. "If you really trust her, don't shut her out. If you don't want people to know where you are, we can arrange for you to meet her somewhere. It is up to you what you tell people and when you tell them."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "Depending on how things go, I might let her know I am up in Saratoga, but I don't know if I will tell her exactly where. I know that she won't tell my parents, but I still want to be careful."
"Good plan." Jack said. "Are you hungry?"
"Not really." Elizabeth said.
"Okay." Jack said. "There are a couple pieces of pizza left over. There is also some salad. There are rolls in the freezer, they are easy to just throw in the oven. They take about fifteen minutes. There is also a little fruit left."
"That should be plenty." Elizabeth said. "I still have a little of my salad from lunch left. I think I will have that and the rest of the other salad."
"Okay." Jack said. "I don't mind the pizza. I am going to make some rolls for myself. If I am still hungry, I can order something later."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "What are you planning on doing this evening?"
"Hang out and watch TV." Jack said. "I finished what I needed to on the computer. I don't want to risk going out right now."
"Did you do your laundry?" Elizabeth asked.
Jack didn't say anything, but just gave her a dimpled grin. Elizabeth shook her head at Jack. He laughed at the look she gave him.
"We have time." Elizabeth said. "Go do your laundry. I am done and everything is packed, except what I will need for the morning."
"Yes, ma'am." Jack said with a mock salute.
Jack went and threw his laundry in the washer. He also double checked what he had packed. He quickly called the house and had Molly add a few more things to the bag that had his sweatshirts. She let him know that she had packed things for him and the bag was already to go with his mother's stuff. Once he had everything ready, except what was in the washer, he ran down to his apartment and made sure that there wasn't anything there that he needed. He saw his guitar and grabbed it. He knew that his grandfather had a few, but he liked his. Jack also grabbed a second pair of boots that he had at the apartment. It wasn't like he didn't have boots up at the ranch or that he couldn't get others, but these were one of his favorite pairs. When Jack got back and had everything ready, he sat down on the couch.
"Everything good now?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes." Jack said. "Laundry is in. I ran down to the other apartment and grabbed a few things. I also called Molly and had her put a few things in a bag for me from the house. It will be sent with Ma and Tommy in the morning. What I don't have here, I have up there or can get. So no problem."
"I take it Molly is a maid at your house." Elizabeth said.
"One of them." Jack said. "There is a lot of staff at the house. I know most of them, mainly because I need to know who has my back when I want to sneak out or avoid my parents."
