Don't Let Go

Threats Intensify

ELLIOT POV

The meeting went horribly.

I was anxious about getting back to the estate.  Once we arrived it was a flurry of hugs and hand shakes and updates from everyone on how missed we were.

While they tried to help us relax with a steak cookout, courtesy of Ethan on the grill, I could feel the anxiety pouring from Cordy while we ate before meeting with the team,

As suspected, Cordy's phone was flooded with abusive texts from Lewis while I had a few that were combative, too. Once she went to bed I gave the team a full debriefing on our trip.

How we laid low as promised but still worked out at the hotel gym. That Cordy and I got along well and made the best of a tough situation.  I shared about pharmacy trips for snacks and how nice it was to have the Postmates account for takeout, too.  George and Aidan cracked up when I mentioned the perfect Southern accent Cordelia used with the staff, both mentioning that she played with accents when she was a child just as a fun game.

When you're the only one at a party with a bed time it had to be difficult to stay occupied.  Studying accents was such a Cordy thing to do.

George asked me to stay behind and once the room cleared, looked at me with a gaze I had only ever seen him use with his daughter.

"You care about her."

It was a statement, not a question.

I nodded and focused on my hands as they flexed, "More than I should."

"Have you talked about it?"

"We agreed it would be better to get to know each other and let things lie for now. It's just... it's dangerous and she's worried about not being objective."

He nodded at my response then let out a sigh, "Well, of course I'm not surprised but I am glad you're both open about how you feel. Are you doing okay with everything? This has gotten far more stressful so soon after you were hired, Elliot. You didn't sign up for this so I understand if you need to step away from the position."

I shook my head and tried to show how determined I was in my straight posture and squared shoulders. "George, I am even more determined after spending that time with Cordy. I give you my word that I'll do anything I have to so she is safe.  There is no way I would be able to let go of her now."

"I don't doubt you one bit... I'm just worried. Those messages from Lewis are going to haunt her for a long time." George paused, his green eyes meeting mine as he continued, "They were best friends for ages and even after the bastard cheated on her she still insisted we hire him. He got injured so couldn't finish his time at the police academy so had a bit of experience, but I was not sure how I felt about it. Cordy... well, you know my daughter is a determined little thing."

We shared a chuckle as I nodded, "No matter how this goes I'll be there. I promise you I'll keep close watch and support Cordy any way she needs that support. Right now, that's giving ourselves a little space so we can adjust to being home."

"You deserve to have some time off so take a couple days if you need to. If you want to go anywhere, Ethan can go along just to keep an eye out in case they know you're with Cordy now." He let out a long sigh, "I don't like how stressful this is but we can't change it."

When I was finally in my room, I laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Everything felt even less settled now than it did when we were away.

Then again, if my best friend sent me messages like what Cordy received after betraying me, I would be devastated. She needed time to process.