Light tapping on the door to The Brew had me turning around, a cleaning rag in hand. Nash filled the door’s glass. He smiled at me, but I knew each curve of his lips, and this one was strained around the edges.
I hurried toward him and unlocked the door. “Hey.”
He moved inside and wrapped me in his arms, holding on longer than he normally would.
My hand stroked up and down his back. “Everything okay?” Worry niggled at me. “Did something happen on duty?”
I’d never forget the first time Nash had dealt with a death on the job. He’d answered the call for an accident. Icy roads had sent a man veering off into a tree. Nash had done everything he could to keep the man alive, but he’d been too far gone. I’d held my best friend as he cried, not letting go until morning came.
“No, nothing like that,” he mumbled against my neck, still not letting go.
I wanted to relax but couldn’t. Something was wrong. All I could do was wait for him to tell me what that might be. But every moment he held me like this, his lips pressed to my neck, the harder it would be when it felt like there was an ocean of distance between us. Yet still, I held on.
“I have to tell you something,” Nash finally said. He released me just enough so that I could see his face.
“Okay…”
“I had Holt do some digging into Adam.”
My grip on Nash tightened, but I didn’t let my words snap out. He’d already been honest with me about telling his brothers what was going on. Of course, Holt would use the resources he had to try and help.
I let out my breath slowly. “What did he find?”
Nash’s gaze bored into mine as if searching for something. But I had no idea what that might be. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the action. “There were three charges brought against him by past partners.”
I stiffened, a burn lighting the back of my throat. “I thought it was only me.”
Some part of me had thought something innate inside me called out for abuse. My father, then Adam. It had felt as though I’d somehow asked for it.
Nash cupped the side of my neck, ducking so we were eye-to-eye as if he could read every thought in my brain. “You did nothing to deserve this. And nothing you did brought this on. He’s a manipulator and an abuser.”
Pressure built behind my eyes, but I didn’t let the tears fall. “What happened with the charges?”
I couldn’t imagine that Adam would’ve had the luck he’d had fundraising if all of this were on record.
“The charges of stalking and harassment were dropped.”
My fingers dug deeper into Nash’s arms. Stalking. Harassment.
Nash kept going. “Another ex filed a civil suit for assault.”
I jerked in Nash’s arms. “Assault?”
He nodded slowly.
“What happened?”
Nash paused for a moment before speaking, as if this were the last thing he wanted to tell me. “Her statement says that he pushed her down the stairs.”
Memories battered at the walls of my mind—my father’s voice screaming at me. “You’re trash. Good for nothing. Take all my money. Ungrateful bitch.” He’d been so mad when I’d asked for that little bit of extra money to go to the movies. I’d tried to get away and escape our trailer. I’d run to the front door, even made it to the top of the cement steps that led to the driveway—a tall set since we were on the mountainside.
He’d kicked me from behind, sending me flying down those stairs. But he didn’t stop there. He kept kicking once I reached the bottom. I likely would’ve been killed if a neighbor hadn’t heard my screams. As it was, I almost had been.
“Mads,” Nash said softly. It wasn’t a question, yet that one syllable held every unspoken query.
“She’s okay?”
Nash didn’t let me go. “She was in the hospital for a week but made a full recovery. She settled with him out of court for damages, but those records are sealed.”
My teeth gnashed together so hard my jaw ached. “He got away with it. Just a bit of cash, and he went on his merry way.”
But I knew the woman he’d inflicted the harm on would live with that terror for the rest of her life. She’d never look at a set of stairs the same way again. She’d always look over her shoulder, wondering if he’d show up to hurt her.
“He’s not going to get you,” Nash vowed.
My eyes burned as if someone had poured acid into them. “But he could do it to someone else.”
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Nash asked as he sent me a worried look over his morning coffee.
“I need some normal. And I missed Grae and Wren. This will be good for me.” I’d slept so poorly I might not be able to string more than three words together, but at least I’d have a distraction.
“Why don’t you let me drive you?” Nash offered.
“I’m good. Really. And I need to take those new tires for a spin.”
Nash and Lawson had kept their promise. The repair shop had gone ahead with the new set of tires and had even delivered the car to my doorstep this morning. The insurance company was taking longer, but it was all in progress, and the kindness of a small town meant they returned my car on the honor system that someone would eventually pay the bill. I’d missed that kind of thing while living in Atlanta.
Nash frowned at his coffee. “Will you text me when you get there and when you leave?”
I fought the urge to sigh. I really shouldn’t indulge the crazy overprotectiveness, but the fact that it came from a place of care had me giving in. “All right.”
He crossed to me, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Thanks. Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
I arched a brow at Nash. “You mean I can streak downtown on a dare?”
A devilish grin spread across his face. “It was just one time.”
“Your dad was not pleased at that call from the police.”
Nash shrugged. “It really isn’t a challenge to do it at night. You need to do it during the day for a true thrill.”
I snorted. “You definitely gave the knitting club a thrill, all right.”
“Those ladies are a bunch of dirty birds. Did you know that Darlene still pinches my butt every time she sees me and says, ‘If you put it out there, I’m going to break me off a piece.’?”
I covered my mouth with my hand. “She doesn’t.”
“If I didn’t admire her game, I’d arrest her for harassment.”
I shook my head but did it smiling. “I’m never gonna look at her the same.”
“You shouldn’t.”
I grabbed my purse from the counter. “Enjoy your day off, but no streaking.”
Nash’s lips twitched. “I’ll try to restrain myself.”
I sent him a wave and headed out the door to my SUV. Climbing behind the wheel, I started for Grae’s place on the outskirts of town. She lived in an adorable one-bedroom cottage with a gorgeous lake view. It had a million windows, letting that view in from almost every room.
Pulling to a stop in front of the house, I turned off the engine and got out. I climbed the steps to knock, but the door flew open before I could, and Grae pulled me in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I fought off the wince as she hit a still-tender rib. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Come in, come in. I just pulled the quiche out of the oven.”
“As a favor to us all, I did not cook, but I did pick up a few pastries from The Brew,” Wren called.
I chuckled. “I told you I could’ve brought something.”
Grae shook her head. “This is your welcome-back brunch. You only had to bring yourself.”
“Well, that I did.”
“I’ve got us set up in the living room,” Grae said.
Everything about her space was personal. Family photos. Tchotchkes from different adventures. Artwork you wouldn’t think would go together but somehow did.
Grae had set the coffee table with a bouquet of wildflowers, cloth napkins embroidered with a delicate design, and gorgeous dishware. We carried the serving dishes and drinks over and settled on pillows on the floor.
“You have the best place,” I marveled.
She grinned. “I’m pretty partial to it myself. How’s Jordan’s place treating you?”
I took the basket of pastries from Wren and selected one. “Honestly, it wasn’t that bad after a thorough cleaning. It’s outdated, but everything works.”
A smile played on Grae’s lips. “And I heard you’ve had a visitor staying with you.”
I stilled, a bite of muffin halfway to my lips. “Not a visitor. Nash.”
Grae’s smile widened as she shared a look with Wren. “Does that mean my big brother has finally pulled his head out of his booty and seen what’s right in front of his face?”
I winced. “It’s not like that with us. We’re just friends.”
Wren gave me a doubtful look. “Holt and I started out as just friends.”
“You and Holt were never just friends. You were just too young for him to act on his feelings until he did.”
Grae leaned back against the couch. “I don’t get it. I see the way you two are together. It’s like no one else exists.”
I sighed, dropping my piece of muffin to my plate. Grae had always been nosy about her brother and me, but now that I was back, and we were both single? She wouldn’t drop this unless I gave her a good reason.
“Besides the fact that things are unbelievably complicated for me right now?” I swallowed my pride and gave her the simple truth. “I’ve always had feelings for him, but he’s never reciprocated. And I’m not going to push it. You know how women are around him. They make fools of themselves to get his attention. I won’t do that.”
“But you haven’t just put it out there?” Grae asked.
“I don’t need to, G,” I said. “You know if a man is interested or not. He’s never made one move.” And it hurt more than I could say.
“Maybe he’s just scared,” Grae started. “Maybe—”
“G,” Wren cut her off. “It’s their journey. They have to walk it themselves.” She reached over and squeezed my hand. “But we’re here to listen if you ever need to talk.”
“Or I can put his face on my kickboxing dummy, and we can throw knives at it because he’s such a dumb-dumb,” Grae offered.
I snorted. “You guys are true friends.”
Grae wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Nothing says friendship like a little knife-throwing and baked goods.”
Wren shook her head. “Just don’t open the champagne if we’re throwing knives later.”
“Noted.”
I grinned at the women I could slip so easily back into friendship with. We got caught up on all the things that had happened while I was gone. Holt coming back to town and how Wren and he had found their way back to each other amidst a madman stalking them. Her dispatch job. Grae’s work leading hiking trips for Jordan’s company, and the latest with her family.
I studiously avoided much talk about Adam, not wanting to go there just yet. Instead, I told them about my new job at The Brew and plans for the cabin. I even shared that I was thinking about brushing up on my dog training skills, a piece of myself I’d erased for a man who’d never loved me at all. By the time we finished brunch and cleaned up, I felt like I hadn’t missed a moment away.
Wren hugged me gently. “Call me if you need anything. I can help paint or lug furniture when you get some.”
“I suck with a paintbrush, but I’m good with bringing snacks,” Grae offered.
“Thank you both. Really.”
“Oooooh!” Grae cried. “We need a girls’ night. Whenever there’s live music at Dockside next.”
I grinned. “That would be fun.”
“I’ll look up the schedule and text you,” Grae said.
“Sounds good.”
I waved to them both and started down the steps to my SUV. As I rounded the back of the vehicle, my steps faltered, and my blood ran cold. There was a white lily on the windshield.
The same flowers Adam gave me after every slap and punch. The apology that meant nothing but a brief reprieve before the next brutal blow. And the flower was here. On my car. In Cedar Ridge.
