Run

There was Tim sprawled out on the sofa with Luna straddling his lap. Her skirt was around her waist, and she had no underwear on. They were on the floor by the couch. Tim's hand was on Luna's bare ass and the other on her waist. Her arms were flung around his neck, and they were locked in a kiss. Mia gasped but there was no response from Timothy.

Mia turned on her heel and bolted out of the door. She hit the elevator and raced for her chauffeur that had just been there and was supposed to take Jasmine home. Mia jumped in and yelled for the driver to take her to the children's school. She was in a race against time to escape. He would come for the children now that she had caught them.

Mia called Mr. Barlow and told him to have the children outside for her in ten minutes. He tried to ask questions, but she hung up the phone. Ten minutes later she was ushering her children into the car and speeding away without the bodyguards. She told the driver to take her to the Research Center. When she got there, she took the children to the playroom and asked about Nicholas. The nurse said he was in his office.

Mia walked up to Nicholas's office and knocked on the door. She heard grumbling then the door opened. Nicholas looked tired. He took one look at her tear-streaked face and trembling body and pulled her inside.

"I need you to hide us. Can you hide us?" Mia asked desperately.

Mia couldn't stop shaking. Nick tried hugging her, but she was shaking too hard, so he walked her to the chair and sat her down.

"I don't have time Nick. He'll find us here. I caught him. It's been about the heirs the whole time. I'm so damn stupid." Mia knew she was rambling.

"You don't have to go anywhere with Tim, doll. Just stay here. He can't make you go." Nicholas tried to calm her.

"Nick, we're married. If he finds us here, I'll have to go with him. I don't know where else to go."

Nick stood up and pulled off his lab coat and put on a suite jacket. Taking Mia's hand, he pulled her after him. They collected the children and Nicholas took the children's apple watches off them and powered them off. He then checked that Sage's laptop was off. He took Mia's phone from her and powered it off. Then he turned his phone off.

"Let's go." Nicholas steered them into the parking garage behind the hospital and walked them to a small silver sports car.

Nicholas ushered them into the car and was about to climb in when Rachel ran out.

"Nicholas where are you going?" Rachel asked.

"There's been an emergency. I need to take them to a safe place. I will call you soon." Nicholas told her. Rachel nodded understandingly and he climbed into the car.

Both Nick and Mia watched a black Rolls Royce pull up to the Research Center in the rearview mirrors just as they sped down the street.

"Will Rachel be alright?" Mia asked her friend.

"Rachel is tough. Nobody will bother her and since she doesn't know anything. No one will try." Nicholas said to reassure Mia.

"You said you caught him? How do you mean exactly?" Nick questioned.

"Not in front of the children." Mia said looking out the window. Nick simply said alright.

Mia realized where they were going a little while later and couldn't help snorting out a laugh. Nick looked at her funny but didn't say anything. They pulled into the Merches estate, and the woman and two children followed Nicholas inside. Nick told the children to look around while Mia wandered out onto the back terrace. A good distance away she could see what was supposed to be her marital home, but it was just a dusty mausoleum after all.

Nick stepped out onto the terrace and walked up to stand beside her. "What are you looking at Mia?"

"I am looking at my house. I can't stay here. He'll come here." She said pointing at the house across from them.

"So, it was Barrett that bought the house and you who designed it. People have been going crazy wondering who was moving out here." Nicholas exclaimed and Mia nodded.

"This is just a stopping point. We can take my jet out of the country tomorrow, I have my assistant procurring documents for you and the children. Barrett can't get into this estate it is more secure than yours." Nick said. "If you want me to take you somewhere he can never get to you, I can. Is that what you want Mia?" Mia looked away for a moment before looking at him with sad eyes.

"That is what I want. We will leave tomorrow then." Mia confirmed. Nicholas nodded and squeezed her hand quickly before letting go.

"Please tell me what happened." Nick asked.

Mia described every detail of what she had walked in on and who Luna was in relation to Timothy. She told him about Asher and how he had never confirmed or denied who Asher was until he had met Ginger. Now Tim was fighting to get the twins named as his heirs. He had convinced her to marry him to stop her engagement to Nicholas and now she was here and pregnant to boot. Mia felt like she must be the stupidest woman ever.

Nicholas stared at Mia. "You married Barrett to get out of an engagement with me."

Mia sighed. "I don't want to be forced to do anything, especially marry. Tim and I have children. It made sense at the time."

Nicholas scrubbed a hand over his face. "I am glad that worked out for you." Nicholas said sarcastically.

Mia snorted. "Me too." Nicholas tried to hide his smirk and failed.

"Why do you think he will hunt you down?" Nicholas inquired in a bland tone.

"Barrett wants his heirs. Nothing else makes sense. He doesn't need me except for this baby. He has someone else, so it must be the children. He wants legitimate heirs." Mia could barely believe that everything had been a lie, but she knew Barrett and he was a despicable bastard.

"Why am I so stupid?" Mia groaned.

"You are not stupid, a bit naive maybe but not stupid." Nicholas walked up to her and put a hand on her upper arm. They looked up in time to see Barrett's car pull up to the other house along with three other vehicles. Nick pulled her back behind a pillar.

"Do you think they saw us?" Mia asked him nervously. "How could they have tracked us so fast?"

"There must be a tracker. I turned everything off." Nicholas told her.

"Where are the children?" Mia became nervous as she watched men pour out of the cars across the way. She took off into the house to find both her children sitting on the sofa looking bored.

"Do either of you have any electronics?" Nick asked, looking the children over. "Ginger, where did you get that bracelet?"

"From Daddy, isn't pretty Uncle Nick." Ginger rattled off cheerily.

"Can I see it?" Nick asked.

"I'm not supposed to take it off. Daddy said never take it off." Ginger pouted.

"Let mommy see it, Ginger." Mia ordered, holding her hand out.

Ginger pouted for a minute then handed it over. Mia and Nick immediately went to the kitchen, under a counter light they looked at the silver puffy heart. There was a tiny hatch on the side. Nick grabbed a safety pin and pried it open. A tiny microchip popped out.

"That bastard chipped my child. He has been tracking us this whole time." Mia stammered. Mia took the bracelet back to her daughter now that it was completely innocuous.

Mia took the chip and a barbeque lighter out to the veranda and stood looking at her marital home. There were people milling around outside everywhere. Not this time Barrett, Mia thought and set the little plastic chip to burn. A moment later she could hear faint yelling from the other property.

"Enjoy tracking us now you prick." Mia snapped angrily. Nick watched Mia carefully. Trying to understand exactly what was happening here. She was angry, sure but she was also hurt. Barrett had rattled her, and Nicholas didn't like it one bit.

"Mia, you should go feed the children and don't come outside please." Nicholas said quietly. Mia looked at him and then glanced across the land between the houses. Three men were walking their way.

"You can't take three of them." Mia said.

"It won't come to that; you need to trust me." Nick told her as he watched them get closer. Mia finally nodded after a minute going inside.

Mia went into the kitchen and grabbed some snacks for the children. Then she went back to veranda door and cracked it a little hiding out of sight behind the curtain.

When Barrett, Caleb, and surprisingly Jason walked to about fifty feet from the house they stopped. Nicholas eyed them trying to figure out what their plan was. He raised an eyebrow in their direction.

Barrett huffed crossing his arms. "My wife and I had a misunderstanding this morning and I would like to speak to her about it."

"What business is that of mine Barrett?" Nicholas asked easily.

"Cut the shit. I know they are here."

"They were here but who knows where they are now." Nicholas sighed; "I never know what Mia might do."

"Nick, I appreciate that you are trying to protect them but it's not necessary. It was a misunderstanding." Jason was reasoning on Barrett's behalf?

"How do you know it was a misunderstanding?" Nick asked the Lane brother.

"Barrett explained himself and what he said makes sense." Jason replied.

"Mia explained what she walked in on in graphic detail and it doesn't make any sense to me at all. You have been married maybe three weeks and to a woman like Mia. You would do that to her? Disgusting. Get off my lawn." Nicholas said acidly.

"I swear I didn't do anything. I wasn't trying to do anything. It was a trick. Mia, you must believe me." Barrett yelled.

"I said leave." Nicholas sighed.

"Just let me talk to her." Barrett implored.

Nicholas groaned with irritation. "I'll ask her if she feels like talking to you." Nick stepped back to the door. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow knowing she had heard every word. Mia took a deep breath and stepped out onto the veranda.

"Mia." Barrett exclaimed, starting forward.

"Stay there Barrett. Say what you want to say and leave. I have a life to rebuild again." Mia crossed her arms over her chest.

"It wasn't what it looked like. Luna tracked us down and then she heard you in the hall and jumped me. She planned it meticulously so that it would look real. She admitted she had done it to get rid of you and Ginger. I swear I would never do that to you." Barrett ruffled his hair looking very desperate.

Mia scoffed. "Do you have proof? Why the hell wouldn't you do that to me? Who the hell am I to you?" Mia pushed away from the rail to go back inside.

"You are my wife and the mother of my children." Mia didn't stop. "Damn it, Mia. I love you! "Don't do this to us" Mia paused for a beat looking out at Barrett.

"How dare you say that now after what you have done? To try to use those words against me? That has got to be the lowest most dispicable thing you have ever done. Stay away from us." Mia turned and walked back inside. Barrett was leaned over hands on his knees close to hyperventilating. He tried to stand then collapsed to the ground, his face in his hands.

Nicholas watched him and found that he could sympathize with the man's pain, if it was real. He might not be faking. Perhaps he cared deeply for Mia. Did that matter? Mia said that he was using those words against her then wouldn't that mean that she loved Barrett. That would certainly explain why she agreed to marry him so easily. Why she had fought so hard against their engagement. Why she allowed herself to get pregnant so quickly.

Caleb and Jason helped up Barrett and were trying to walk with him back to the other property. Nicholas called out to the men telling them to stop. If she loved him and this was a misunderstanding. Well, he loved Mia too much to allow her to hurt like that if she didn't need to.

Nicholas had the men come up the stairs and follow him to a seating area. He opened a cubby and pulled out four glasses and a bottle of scotch. Once the glasses were filled, he handed them out. Nicholas looked at Barrett for a long minute before speaking.

"Here is what is going to happen. Option one is that Barrett is going to convince me in detail about this misunderstanding and the level of his devotion to Mia and I may let him see her. Or tomorrow, Mia, the twins, and I will board my jet to Niveo where in thirty days according to Niveo law, Mia will be my wife. Making her royalty in Niveo and her children my royal heirs. As in he will never see any of them again.

Nicholas looked Barrett in the eye with an icy stare. "Convince me, Barrett..."