The Defender

Chapter 12

Mark sat outside at the fire pit at his house. He was almost a 6 pack into the night. He was not thinking that this is what he would be doing when he came home from the promotion. "How could I have been so stupid?" Mark asked the night sky as headlights pulling up to the house caught his eye. He got himself together and stood up. He didn't feel wasted, but sure was not feeling any pain. A man got out of the car and Mark squinted to see who it was.

"Hey, I knew you would be here" Roger's voice rang out "Can I get a cold one?"

"Roger? What are you doing here?"

"I figured we could share a beer." Roger walked up to Mark and clasped his hand giving him a hug

"Here" Mark handed him a beer "Now tell me what the hell happened?" Roger opened his beer and took a nice big long drink of it.

"With what?" He asked

"Now that is a stupid question," Mark said and Roger finished that beer and grabbed another one out of the chest. Mark sat back down his elbows on his knees as the fire crackled in front of him. Roger opened the next beer taking a few sips out of it.

"It was nothing personal. I had no idea that you were going to fall for her." Roger said and Mark looked over at him.

"Yeah"

"You fell for her hard too," Roger said as he took another drink and Mark was starting to lose his patience since he just wanted to know what the hell happened.

"Yeah moved past that fact because I don't feel like talking about that," Mark said and Roger knew that he was hurting.

"Dean came to me months and months back and started to tell me there is this young actor that is up and coming. He said he knew a man that was a bit off his rocker and if he kept telling him that there was a relationship he would believe him. My business was still starting it did not take off as it has now since serving Mia. So, I took him up on his offer. I had no idea that the guy was that much of a wack job that he would hurt her or even threaten her life." Roger continued to drink his beer and tell his story to Mark. " I knew something was wrong that night we went for a beer and Mia freaked out. The guy was just supposed to scare her nothing more... a few break-ins set off the alarm and leave."

"So when did the plan change?" Mark asked opening another beer and looking at the fire.

"I am not sure, but I have to tell you. I hope that Dean guy is out of the picture." Roger said, " He was going to milk that baby dry."

"Dean is out of the picture. He is a sick son of a bitch." Mark took a long drink of his beer. Roger and Mark sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Mark started "I really fucking fell hard for her, and now between you and that bastard. She can not even trust me."

"Sorry man" He took a drink "I didn't mean to cramp your style. What can I do to fix it?"

Mark stared into the fire as he took long sips of his beer "How about you tell Mia the truth." Roger sat in silence as he continued to drink with Mark. He knew his friend was hurting and he was the part of the reason for it.

It has been several days and Mia was back to her normal busy schedule. She tried to keep that day in the back of her mind and always kept an eye out for people around her. She stood in a white off the shoulder dress that genitally draped on the ground. Mia stared at herself in the mirror. There was a small scratch that she was getting used to cover up with makeup, but her mind went to another place thinking about Mark.

"You sure that you want me to go with?" Anna Lee stood in front of Mia with a light blue copy cat of her dress.

Mia smiled and took her hand "Why not? You look beautiful and we will get tons of pictures taken."