The Trouble with Family 3/4

As they started toward the living area of the suite Mia's phone began to ring with an extremely specific ringtone that she had not heard in years. Mia picked up the phone without question.

"Nicholas, what is happening, why are you calling from this number?" Mia asked alarmed. Timothy stopped in his tracks before walking back to Mia so he could hear the call.

Nicholas chuckled, "This is my number, Mia."

"Don't be obtuse. You haven't called me from your personal phone since..." Mia glanced at Timothy and stopped talking.

"It's been a while." Nick said in a bland tone. "I do have a reason for calling, don't hang up."

Mia shifted uncomfortably as Tim crossed his arms across his chest. "What is it?"

"You know I am not your enemy, don't you?" Nick said with a sigh. "I don't want to be your enemy, Mia."

"Is that why you called? To tell me that. If you don't want to be my enemy, then why conspire with my brother against me?" Mia asked irritated.

"Is that what you think I am doing? You infuriate me. How can such a brilliant woman be so damn clueless. Your brother is determined to keep you from Barrett at any cost. Better me than some high society tool that would treat you like a paycheck and your children like burdens. At least I give a damn. You don't have to like that I went along with your brother's plan, but I didn't do it because I'm your enemy." Nicholas was truly irritated, and Mia was shocked by it.

"Fine, why did you call?" Mia asked frostily.

Nicholas cursed, "Your brother just called to remind me that we have a dinner date tomorrow and he expects both of us at La Bella at six."

"You could have said that in a text." Mia told him bluntly.

Nicholas took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I called because I want to tell you not to come. If you come Dominic will try to take you back by force. While I would marry you, I would prefer not to do it by force and have you hate me for all eternity."

Mia took a minute to think. "I need to see my brother and try to stop this. It is too far out of control." Timothy was looking at her and shaking his head no. "This would be a public place, an environment I can control." Mia finished her eyes on Tim.

"Mia, your brother isn't rational right now. Eva has threatened to divorce him over how he is treating you. Even Connor has fled from his madness. I do not think you can convince him. I am not pandering when I tell you that if I refuse, he will find someone else that does not have your best interests in mind." Nicholas told Mia sharply. "I did not save you and your children's lives to watch you be sold to the highest bidder."

"I need to think about this. They can't divorce. They are a real love match and that is rare." Mia said angrily. Nick snorted at her words. "What now?" Mia said with exasperation.

"Nothing, it's not that rare." Nick replied coolly. "Call me back when you figure out what you want to do. I need to get back to my rounds." The phone hung up. Mia sighed with frustration and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" Mia remarked with irritation. Tim's eyebrows drew together, and his scowl deepened.

***********

Timothy put a hand on Mia's shoulder to steady her. "I hate to agree with Nicholas, but you shouldn't go anywhere near Dominic right now."

Mia stepped away from Timothy, ignoring the hurt look on his face when she did so. "Instead of trying to stop me from saving my family why don't you tell me how you can keep me safe if I go? I can't let my brother ruin his marriage over this."

Tim sighed, taking Mia's hand he led her to the office in the suite. He called for Caleb to join them. After explaining the phone call Mia had just had and the proposed dinner with Dominic. Caleb's answer was to not go as well. Mia asked the two men to design a plan where she could go but not become Dominic's captive. After an hour, the two men laid out a plan to keep Mia free and returning to her husband after dinner.

"One problem Mia, how will we get the restaurant to comply?" Caleb asked at the end of the discussion.

"That isn't hard. La Bella has a small catering business that they have been trying to break into high society events with but can't get traction. I will propose that Aide Castle endorse La Bella Catering to all its clients that want outside catering. They have been proven to be reputable already and this will just work in our favor." Mia explained to Caleb.

"Sweetheart, I don't want you to go. If something goes wrong, we will be separated." Timothy said his voice was laced with anxiety.

Mia put a hand on Tim's arm, "baby, I will do everything in my power to stay with you, but I can't allow my family to self-destruct over it. I must at least try to get through to him." Mia sighed tiredly. "I trust you to protect me and stop anyone from taking me against my will."

Tim pulled Mia into his arms where he leaned against the desk. He hated everything about this plan. If they misjudged in any way Dominic would have control of Mia and in his current state of mind who knew what the man would do. Dominic had declared war on him, and the battleground was his wife.

Tim hated that she was in such an unnecessary situation. Worse was that he knew Dominic wasn't a bad man. He was a man trying to save his sister from a person he thought of as a monster when the sister didn't want to be saved.

"Caleb, can you give us a minute?" Tim asked. Caleb rose and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Tim looked at his wife pensively. "Mia, do you have any idea what would happen to me if I lost you now?"

Mia stared back, "you are not going to lose me."

"You can't guarantee that. If you go in there, it's a risk." Tim remarked. Tim's hand wound through Mia's hair. Pulling her head back he claimed her mouth aggressively. Kissing her hard for a minute. Pulling back, he whispered his words against her mouth. "Don't ask this of me."

Mia sighed unsure of what to do.

"Nothing terrible will occur in the next couple of weeks if you choose to stay safe. We can set up a meeting then and smooth things over." Tim reasoned. "Baby, please I need you to see this my way."

Mia rubbed her face with both hands. "All right, Tim, we will do this one your way. I won't go. You know that I will have to speak to my brother at some point though, right?"

Timothy nodded, "we just need time so that we are on firmer ground and Dominic can't separate us. The situation is tricky enough without creating opportunities for others to benefit from."

Mia looked at her husband seeing the stress that had held him slowly start to ebb. She brushed a hand along his cheek. Timothy was a handsome man, and he was hers. Mia could give him this and keep herself from danger if it allowed him to be at peace. With any luck, in a few weeks this would all be a bad memory.

Mia called Nicholas back a few minutes later and told him not to expect her. They hadn't found a way to guarantee her freedom and weren't going to risk it. Mia asked Nick if he had told Rachel yet about the engagement. Nicholas told Mia that he hadn't because Rachel hadn't been well since the dinner. Going out in public had taken a toll on her health and he hadn't wanted to burden her while in a treatment.

Mia let Nick know that it was fine for now but that being honest with his sister was important for more than just this situation. Nicholas had always kept Rachel in the dark about hard life issues. He could be too protective sometimes. Mia told Nicholas that it was probably better that they stay engaged for the time being for the reasons he had stated himself. This made Timothy scowl and curse. It didn't matter because Mia didn't need a new suitor.

Mia thanked Nicholas for looking out for her and the children in this matter and reminded him that they were friends, and she didn't hate him. Mia simply didn't feel they were compatible for marriage. After hanging up the phone Mia felt a little hopeful that her friendship could survive this engagement.

Mia sent Eva a text next telling her not to give up on Dominic and that in a few weeks this would seem like a bad dream. She told her sister that things would begin to right themselves soon and not to lose hope. Mia told her that she knew her brother was a good man that was only trying to protect her but, in this circumstance, he was misguided. Mia waited but didn't get a text back which she thought was odd. It wasn't like Eva to ignore her texts.

Timothy let Caleb know that Mia had decided against going to meet her brother at this time. Caleb was extremely relieved to hear this because while their plan had been good, it hadn't been perfect. It had a lot of working parts and if a single part had failed there would have been a huge gap in Mia's security. Caleb had not liked the idea of dealing with Timothy if Mia had been taken away from him.

Mia asked Angela and Peyton to join her. With Peyton, Mia instructed him to hire six new bodyguards. They were to be vetted and paid well to insure loyalty. Anytime someone left the hotel they were to have two guards on them. The twins were to always have two guards on them outside the hotel.

Mia didn't put it past Dominic to try to pick up the twins from school. Mia encouraged Timothy to continue his daily lunch visits. They could look out for Dominic this way. Mia talked to Angela and walked her through the new regiment that would be for getting twins to school and picking them up every day.

Mia also rented a room at a mid-level hotel near the twins' school so that Angela would have a place to go during the day. It would not be safe for them if was Angela coming and going several times a day from the hotel and car park. The twins would have two guards at school. Angela would have two guards with her, and there would be two guards at the hotel if needed. Tim's guards had been on standby for some time and Tim chose to keep them there but transferred them to stay at the same hotel as the drivers.

With logistical issues dealt with Mia and Tim set to turning their hectic Sunday into family night. Tim ordered food for delivery and Mia picked a movie for the family to watch. They waited for food to arrive and watched the animated antics of Ginger.

Ginger currently had her dolls in the middle of the living room floor and was currently having an animated conversation between them. Apparently one of her dolls had misbehaved and Ginger was furiously reprimanding the doll for not behaving like a lady at their luncheon.

Mia snorted as the little girl carried on. Maybe Ginger could deal with the supposed ladies that she knew. Shelly and Luna could learn a thing or two from the four-year-old. Timothy watched the tiny terror, his expression changing constantly. Mia watched them both thoroughly entertained by Timothy's captivation by the girls' antics.

"Ginger does know the dolls can't respond to her, right?" Timothy whispered sideways to Mia.

"It is called imagination, Tim. Perfectly natural for a girl her age." Mia responded smirking.

"But she looks truly upset about her doll's behavior." Timothy continued to whisper concern in his voice.

"Ginger is quite the little actress." Mia shook her head with a small smile on her lips.

Timothy looked at his wife with a frown, "I remember." He glanced back at his daughter who was once again speaking with her three dolls sweetly. "Where is our son?"

Mia sighed, "he is hiding in his room on his computer. I will call him out when our dinner arrives."

It was Timothy's turn to sigh, "I wish I knew how to get through to him."

Mia looked at Tim and took his hand. "Sage has always been incredibly intelligent. Have you considered apologizing to him and answering the questions he has for you? I am sure he has a few. Perhaps try having a real conversation with him, Timothy."

Timothy went to rise but Mia stopped him. "After dinner Tim. If you talk to him now, he may refuse to eat, and he is supposed to be putting on weight after his illness."

Timothy sat back down, "of course, sweetheart."

A few minutes later there was a knock on the hotel room door. Timothy answered the door taking two large bags from the delivery person after handing the person a hefty tip.

"Thank you, sir," they said smiling, "have a wonderful evening."

"I shall." Timothy answered thinking how not long ago he wouldn't have bothered to acknowledge someone delivering food. People were a lot nicer when they were shown basic decency.