Stitch

by Jaime Lewis

  The Trident Series

  STITCH

  Jaime Lewis

  Copyright © 2021 Jaime Lewis

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The Trident Series - Stitch

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-952734-10-6

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter one

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Book List

  About the Author

  Chapter one

  "Okay, you little rascals, try not to give Lou any trouble tonight," Mia playfully warned the five chocolate and tan Dachshunds puppies as she gave each one a gentle scratch behind the ear before securing the crate. They were the cutest little furballs, especially as they burrowed close to each other. Lou was the clinic’s night time cleaning guy.

  Mia stood and adjusted the room's lighting, so it wasn't too bright or too dark. After checking on a couple of the other animals, she made her way down the clinic's main hall, flipping off light switches as she passed by exam rooms. It had been another busy yet productive day at New York's Riverside Animal Hospital. She sighed. She had been hoping to go for a run after she got off work, but once again, Dr. Walters had called and asked if she could cover his appointments. The last few weeks, it had become the norm—the first one in and the last one to leave.

  She had only been a couple of months into the job, and she already had begun to feel burned out. Dr. Walters had done a phenomenal job building the facility to be the city's top-rated animal hospital. The schedule was insane as they dealt with various cases, from routine check-ups to evasive surgeries. She was definitely getting the experience she had hoped to gain by accepting the job that Dr. Walters had offered. With the holidays approaching, it seemed as if they were double booking appointments to squeeze everyone in before they shut down for the four-day holiday weekend.

  She would never let on how she felt, as she didn't want to disappoint Dr. Walters. He had taken a gamble on her through word of mouth from one of her professors. Plus, she heard from a few staff members that a few doctors before her never even lasted a full year. When she questioned why, they told her it was because of the long working hours, and when they complained about it to Dr. Walters, he found reasons to terminate them. That wouldn't look good on a resume for someone like her, fresh into her career.

  What kept her going was the drive and determination to become the next great veterinarian. It didn’t matter if she was a workaholic; it wasn't as if she had a life outside of work anyway. She had a few friends from the clinic, and they would get together for dinner or drinks every so often, but that was the extent of her social life. At least in the city. When she could get a weekend off, she'd usually spend it at her soon to be sister-in-law and brother's house in Virginia Beach. It was there she felt at home. She always made sure that her brother was in town, because that meant the odds of seeing the one man who had captured her heart was guaranteed.

  Evan "Stitch" Watson was a member of her brother, Ace's SEAL team. She had met Stitch a couple of years ago. The team had been on leave for an extended weekend when Ace invited Stitch to spend it on their ranch in Oklahoma.

  Stitch possessed every quality she had looked for in a guy. He was polite, funny, caring, and not bad on the eyes. Their paths had crossed a few times after their initial meeting, but when she moved to New York to continue her studies, they hadn't seen much of each other until last Christmas when she spent the holidays with her brother and Alex. Those two weeks had been a whirlwind yet eye-opening. She and Stitch had been seated next to each other during Christmas dinner, and the conversation between them flowed so smoothly. The more they spoke, the more she realized how much they had in common. There had been a connection with him that she never felt with any other man. They had spent practically every waking moment together in between his work schedule the days following Christmas. When she went back to New York, they had kept in touch.

  At the time, she had been dating Terek, her now ex-boyfriend. Mia knew before the holidays that their relationship had fizzled out. In the last few months, the relationship had become monotonous. When he wasn’t working, he would grab take-out and bring it over to her apartment. Even then, his mind seemed elsewhere. Granted, he held the top security position at one of the busiest buildings in Manhattan, and she understood the stress he was under, but there just wasn’t any spark left between them. Being around Stitch during Christmas and seeing what she could have in a relationship had solidified that it wasn't fair to either her or Terek to continue seeing each other. One night after work, she went to his apartment to talk to him, but she surprised him and herself when she found another woman in his bed. Sadly, she wasn't even really that upset, proving that she had made the right decision to end their relationship. Terek had been the one who seemed most affected by it. Whether it was guilt or the realization of what he had lost, she didn't know, nor did she care.

  As the months went by, she and Stitch danced around the attraction they had for one another. The problem was that her brother Ace was not only Stitch's teammate, but his team leader. From what she had heard, there was an unwritten rule that teammates don't date other teammates' family members. In her opinion, it was a so-called asinine rule.

  Thanksgiving was just a few days away, and Mia was spending it in Virginia Beach. She had already hinted to Stitch that there was something she wanted to talk to him about. She’d had enough and wanted to come clean with her feelings about him. Hopefully, he was on the same page and hadn't led her on. That would be humiliating as everyone could see there was chemistry between them. Well, maybe not her brother, but together perhaps they would convince Ace to accept it.

  Mia flipped off the last light switch sending the main waiting room into darkness except for the one light that stayed on all the time. As she walked toward the side door that the employees used, she heard a noise from across the room that caught her attention. With her hand on the door, she looked across the dimly lit room and waited to see if she heard it again. Suddenly, something slammed into the main entrance. Mia jumped and felt an uptick in her heartbeat. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed 911 but didn't hit the call button. Slowly she approached the main door. She was halfway across the room when the handle on the door started to jiggle as if someone was trying to break-in. Seconds later, the lock disengaged, and she froze. She was stuck and had a decision to make. She had three options; stand where she was and confront the intruder, run to the other exit and call the police in the safety of her car, or hide in the closest room available. She chose option two and took off running toward the door. Suddenly, all of the lights turned on, and brigh
tness temporarily blinded her, causing her to trip over a row of chairs. She screamed as she hit the floor.

  "Mia!"

  Her body shook as she looked up from the floor in the direction of the deep familiar voice and saw Dr. Walters hurrying over to her. A gush of air was expelled from her body. She tried to calm her racing heart as Dr. Walters knelt next to her and rubbed her arm.

  "Jesus, Mia. I'm so sorry. I thought everyone would’ve been gone by now. Let me help you." He helped her to stand. She was so shaken she didn't think her legs would hold her up. Once she was on her feet, she looked up at him. His eyes held hers, showing signs of remorse. "Are you okay?" He asked, appearing very concerned.

  She nodded her head before she found her voice. "I’ll be fine." She took another deep breath. "You scared the life out of me. I thought someone was trying to break-in."

  He smiled. "That damn door gets stuck all the time. Why are you still here? It’s way after closing time," He asked. She wanted to laugh at his ridiculous question.

  Before she could answer, a whimper pulled her eyes away from his and toward the door. That was when she realized they weren't alone, and she met the gaze of a gentleman holding a carrier—his eyes were fixed on her. She looked back at Elijah, and he must have anticipated her question because he gestured toward the stranger.

  "Mia, I'd like to introduce to you a friend and business associate of mine, Demitri Barros."

  Demitri walked over and set the carrier down. Mia turned toward him and looked up to meet his eyes. He was tall, black hair with a sliver of gray at his temples. But what drew her in were his dark blue eyes. He was a good-looking guy, probably in the same age range as Dr. Walters. The casual light blue pantsuit with the white dress shirt's top two buttons undone, added to his appeal. He could easily be a model on one of the ad marquees in Times Square.

  "It’s is nice to meet you,” she said, holding her hand out.

  Demitri took hold of her hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Mia. Elijah has had nothing but high praises for you and your work here at the clinic.”

  She smiled, then took a knee to look inside the carrier. “Who are these little guys?” She asked, as there must have been around ten puppies stuffed in the medium-sized carrier.

  “Demitri found them in the alley behind his office.”

  Mia stood up. “Someone just left them in the alley?” She was angry, and it seemed as if it was becoming a trend of dumping puppies here in the city. Same thing which happened to the Dachshunds they were holding.

  “I’m afraid so,” Elijah answered.

  “This is what—the third or fourth litter of puppies that have come through here in just the last three weeks? What are you going to do with them?”

  “I’d like to examine each one and make sure they’re healthy enough to send to the rescue organization across town.”

  “Are you just dropping them off tonight?” She questioned, hoping that wasn’t the case because, with strays, you never knew if they were carrying any diseases.

  “I’d feel more comfortable looking over them before housing them in the kennel with the other animals.” She smiled, getting the answer she was looking for.

  “I can help you. That is if you’d like the help. I mean, two sets of hands are better than one. It would make the process quicker.”

  Elijah glanced over at Demitri, and Demitri nodded his head, which Mia found odd.

  Elijah smiled. “As long we aren’t keeping you from anything, then yes, I’ll accept the offer. With two of us, we should be able to knock it out pretty quickly.”

  She nodded and set her purse and bag on the reception desk, and followed Elijah.

  “Let’s use exam room six since it has more space,” Elijah said as he led the three of them down the hall with Mia between the two men. Mia had always felt self-conscious when someone walked behind her. Especially a man. During her early years of college, she had been harassed by guys while walking the campus. Even though she knew it was Demitri behind her, his presence still made her uneasy. She took a quick glance over her shoulder, and he pinned her with those dark blue eyes before he flashed her a smile. Something about his demeanor gave a warning. What that warning was, she wasn’t sure, but she’d be sure to keep an eye on him.

  ◆◆◆

  Even using the larger exam room, it was a little cramped with the three of them. Demitri stood off to the side and typed away on his phone most of the time while she and Elijah examined each puppy. At one point, Mia swore she saw from the corner of her eye Demitri hold up his phone as if he was taking a picture. She wanted to question him on it but didn’t want to add any tension, but the thought added to her suspicions about the man.

  She tried not to let his presence rattle her, and she pushed aside the uneasy vibe and focused on the pups. She was pleased and felt relieved that all the pups seemed in perfectly good health. Her only concern was their size. They seemed too small to be removed from their mom.

  “I wonder where their momma is. These little fellas seem awfully small to be on their own.” She asked as she cuddled one of the blue French Bulldog pups close to her chest. He was the cutest little thing. They were all cute. Mia couldn’t believe someone had dumped them in an alley, considering breeders fetched an average of $2,000-$3,000 for a blue French Bulldog. A well-documented pedigree could fetch even more—over $3,500.

  Elijah approached and stood in front of Mia. He looked at the pup then into her eyes. “French Bulldogs are small. I wouldn’t worry too much about their size. They all appear to be healthy. I’d say the odds of them finding a nice home are very high.” He scratched the puppy behind the ears, and in doing so, the back of his hand brushed against her scrub top, coming close to her breast. Not knowing if his move was intentional or not, she repositioned the puppy in her arms. There were already rumors amongst the staff that Elijah had the hots for Mia. She paid no attention, although she had noticed he had been very attentive lately. He didn’t seem to notice what he had done, so she let it slide. Accidents do happen.

  “What are we going to do with them, now?” She asked, taking a step backward to put some space between the two of them. As she went to turn to put the puppy back into one of the other carriers, she bumped into Demitri and gasped when his hands landed on her waist. When the hell did he move from the corner of the room?

  She looked up into his mysterious eyes. The dark blue orbs were intense, like a fire burning beyond them, and again she sensed he wasn’t a man to be messed with. She imagined he was full of dark secrets, maybe even dangerous. His expressions alone gave her an unsettling feeling. Without saying a word, he gave her waist a slight squeeze before moving past her, letting his hand brush her backside, sending a chill up her spine.

  As if paying no attention to what just happened, Elijah answered her, “Tonight, we’ll keep them in the kennel, and then tomorrow I’ll have Willow contact the rescue organization we use to place available animals.”

  Satisfied with his answer, Mia picked up the two carriers and started walking toward the door. “I’ll take these guys and get them settled for the night while you finish up with whatever you need to do?” She needed a breather, still feeling on edge with the two men and their actions tonight.

  Elijah nodded his head. “When you’re finished, stop by my office before you leave. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

  Before she could question him, he turned his back and started talking to Demitri. As she walked to the kennels, she heard the two men laughing. She shook her head. She just wanted to get the puppies settled and go home. She scooped up each puppy, gave them each a little hug, and placed them in the oversized cage. She hoped that those responsible for leaving the puppies out in the cold were eventually caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  ◆◆◆

  Elijah watched out of the corner of his eye as Mia walked out of the room. She had no clue the effect she had on him or Demitri, for that matter.

  Demitri whistled lo
w once she was out of earshot. “You hit the jackpot with that one. I’ll be honest, I’m fucking jealous.”

  Elijah grinned.

  “Where in the hell did you find her? She is the whole package; brains, beauty, and personality.”

  “I owe Professor Collins for the recommendation. I normally wouldn’t waste my time on a recent graduate, but there was something about the way she spoke of Mia that intrigued me, so I took a chance. And I’m glad I did. You know I like to interview job candidates in a more informal setting, so Professor Collins invited me to speak at a lecture for her class. After class, she introduced Mia to me, and I’ll admit, I was blown away by her professionalism and intellect within the first five minutes of speaking with her.”

  “You offered her a job on the spot?” Demitri asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Of course not. I called her the following week and asked her out for coffee to discuss her post-education career. When she told me she was still applying at clinics in the city, I told her not to look any further.” He chuckled, “I think I surprised her when I told her I was offering her the job at my clinic.” Elijah motioned to Demitri to follow him to his office. “She asked the right questions, like what her role would be here. She’s a go-getter, and you know, I like that quality in a person, especially a member of my staff. I think I shocked her when I told her she could start taking patients her first day.”

  “She’s really that good? You aren’t just looking for a piece of ass?” Demitri joked, but Elijah could sense there was some seriousness there as well.

  “I know a lot of veterinarians, including those who’ve been around for a while, and believe me when I say that Mia can run circles around them.”

  They each took a seat in the chairs in front of Elijah’s desk.

  “Just to make sure she’d take the job, I sweetened the compensation package.”

  Demitri grinned. Elijah could tell that Mia had caught Demitri’s attention. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Demitri wasn’t a one-woman man. Demitri used his charm, money, and good looks to hook the woman he was interested in, and then once he satisfied his needs, he’d kick her to the curb. What many people didn’t know was that Demitri had a dark side. He owned several businesses, both in the United States and in Europe. Buried beneath those legit businesses were illegal dealings. His European business was his money maker. He was the majority stakeholder but silent partner of the top lingerie design firm in all of Europe. Rumor was he ran a small but profitable high priced prostitution ring using some of the models. However, it wasn’t as if Elijah could cry foul, since he, too had his own dark secret.