I wrapped my arm around Maddie, tugging her close and breathing in that faint peach and vanilla scent. I didn’t give a damn that we were standing outside The Brew, and locals would likely gossip about the two of us. The need to hold her was too strong.
I hated the idea of her working here unprotected all day. But Maddie was determined, which was nothing new. My girl was stubborn and refused to let anyone down.
“I’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll be surrounded by people all day. It’s not like Adam will do anything in public. He values his reputation too much.”
But he would do something in private. Those were the words Maddie didn’t say. That he had hurt her.
That was never going to happen again.
I pulled back so that I could meet Maddie’s gaze. “You’ll call if you see him?”
“Promise.”
I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “See you at home.”
Maddie’s eyes flared for a moment, and then she nodded, sliding out of my hold and disappearing inside the café.
The words had just slipped out. Home. I hadn’t been back to my house on the outskirts of town for anything but a few changes of clothes since Maddie returned. And somewhere along the line, her cabin had started to feel more like home than my place ever had. It wasn’t the space, though. It was Maddie filling it. Her scent. Her light. Her very essence. She had always been home to me. And that would never change.
I crossed to my SUV and climbed inside, heading for the station. As I pulled into a parking spot, I caught sight of Lawson striding across the lot. I slid out of my vehicle and moved in his direction. “Hey.”
Lawson’s jaw tightened a fraction. “Morning. How are you feeling? How’s Maddie?”
“She’s a lot better this morning.”
“And you?”
I made a small movement, testing my shoulder. “I’m good. Doc said I can lose the sling tomorrow.”
Lawson’s brows lifted. “You sure about that?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “You can call her if you don’t believe me.”
His lips twitched. “Might have to do that.”
“Where are you headed?” Lawson had looked way too determined not to have a destination in mind.
He sighed. “I finally figured out where Adam Westchester is staying.”
My gaze narrowed on my brother. “I’m going with you.”
“You can’t. You have a personal tie to the case.”
“And you don’t? Every single person in that station knows Maddie. That’s what happens in a small town. I bowed out of the SAR investigation, but I won’t do that here. Either you take me with you, or I go alone.”
Lawson muttered a curse under his breath. “That was why I was trying to get out of here before you got in.”
“You know I would’ve found out and kicked your ass.”
“You could’ve tried.”
He might’ve had a point there. Lawson and Holt sparred to work out their demons. Holt’s had largely faded thanks to having Wren back in his life, but Lawson still hit the heavy bag for at least an hour every day. I had speed on my side, but Lawson had sheer power.
I slapped him on the shoulder. “Good thing we won’t have to find out, and Mom won’t fry both of us for getting into it.”
Lawson grunted in agreement. “Come on. You can ride with me. I don’t trust your one-armed driving.”
“Hey. I’m an excellent driver. I don’t need two arms.”
“You’re a reckless speed demon that I should’ve arrested more than once.”
I climbed into the passenger side of Lawson’s SUV. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He started the engine. “Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.”
“Dad jokes? Really?”
“I am a dad.”
“We need to work on your humor. You’ll never get a woman if you can’t make her laugh.”
Lawson pulled out of the lot and headed out of town. “A woman is the last thing on my mind. I’m just trying to keep my head above water.”
Some of the Hartleys weren’t made for relationships: me, Roan, even Holt for a time. But Lawson was the kind of person who had marriage and family stamped on his forehead. He was steady, dependable, and protective. The kind of man any woman would want—and a large portion of those in our town did. But the past had skewed his mind on the matter. No matter what any of us told him, he didn’t think it was something he deserved.
“Where’s he staying?” I asked, taking pity on Lawson and changing the subject.
“The Peaks.”
I felt that muscle in my jaw tick. “I should have Caden kick him to the curb.”
“You could, but then we wouldn’t know where he was. At least we can keep tabs on him this way.”
“You’ve got a point there.” And, of course, Adam was staying there. Only the highest-end spot for the douchebag.
“You have to keep a lid on your anger. You deck this guy, and you know he’ll press charges.”
My fingers fisted involuntarily as if they were already halfway to punching him. “I know.”
“Hopefully, once he knows the cops are involved, he’ll realize it’s not worth the trouble and go back to Atlanta.”
God, I hoped so. But you could never tell with a guy like this. Our little visit might scare him off, or it could make him dig in his heels.
Lawson pulled up to the guard shack and rolled down his window.
The guard nodded at us. “How can I help you?”
“Caden Shaw called in a pass for me. Chief Lawson Hartley.”
The guy immediately moved to hit the button to open the gate. “Do you need a map?”
Lawson shook his head. “We’re good.”
“Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
Lawson rolled up his window and eased through the gates.
“You got the decent security guard. The last time I was up here, they made me show ID, and the guy looked at me like I was going to rob the place.”
Lawson snorted. “You must just have that look about you.”
“Rude.” I glanced at my brother. “Did you tell Caden what was going on?”
“I told him a guest here was giving Maddie some trouble, and I wanted to have a word. He slipped me the cabin number.”
Caden’s dad would be pissed as hell at him if he knew, but neither of us would rat him out. “I need to ask Mads if I can tell him. He deserves to know. Especially if the douche is staying here.”
“She still pissed at you for telling us?”
I shook my head. “No. And she told Grae and Wren yesterday. It’s just hard for her. She feels a lot of shame that this happened to her a second time.”
“I can’t even imagine how much this has messed with her head. It’s gonna take time for her to sort it all out. But she’ll get there.”
“I know she will. And she’s starting to see that she has a great community surrounding her while she heals.”
Lawson pulled to a stop in front of one of the larger cabins. “That’s good. She needs to know she’s not alone in this, and that no one looks at her any differently. None of this is her fault.”
“Damn straight.” I pushed open my door. “Let’s get this over with.”
Lawson got out, shutting his door with enough force that whoever was in the cabin should’ve heard us. “Let me start the conversation.”
“Fine,” I clipped.
We climbed the stone steps to the luxury cabin. Lawson lifted a hand and pressed the doorbell. I heard nothing but silence for at least a minute.
“He’s trying to throw us off balance, regain power and put the ball back in his court,” I said.
Lawson nodded. “Won’t work. I’ve got three little monsters at home. I’m used to all the tricks.”
I snorted. “Maybe we should sic them on ole Adam. He’d be crying for mercy in less than an hour.”
Footsteps sounded inside, and the humor instantly bled from my face.
The lock clicked, and the door opened. I’d met the man in front of me twice before when he’d come to Cedar Ridge to visit Maddie before she moved, but he never seemed as smarmy as he did right now. His light brown hair was so meticulously styled it probably would’ve caused him a coronary to have a single strand out of place. And he was dressed as if he were attending a business meeting, not on a supposed vacation.
“Officers, to what do I owe the pleasure?” His gray eyes flashed as they landed on me. “Nash. It’s been too long.”
“Not long enough,” I muttered under my breath.
Lawson took a step forward. “Mr. Westchester. I’m Chief Hartley with the Cedar Ridge Police.”
Adam extended a hand. “Another of the Hartley clan. There’s quite a lot of you around here.”
Lawson gave him his best disarming smile. “That there are.”
“What can I help you with?” Adam asked.
“I need to have a word with you about Maddie Byrne.”
Adam raised a brow in false surprise. “Is my fiancée all right? She wasn’t in an accident, was she?”
“She’s not your fiancée,” I growled.
Adam sent us a sheepish smile. “I’m afraid Madison and I had a bit of an argument back home. She stormed off to make a point, but we’ll get it sorted out in no time. You know how women can be. Overdramatic.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that Maddie wouldn’t have anything more to do with him, but Lawson stepped on my foot. Hard. I bit back a curse.
“I’m afraid Ms. Byrne doesn’t see things quite the same way. I’m going to have to request that you give her the distance she has asked for and not contact her in any way. I’d hate to have to get things like restraining orders involved,” Lawson said casually.
The first flicker of true rage flashed across Adam’s eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “I can’t imagine what evidence Madison would possess that would convince a judge to grant a restraining order. She’d, of course, be free to try, but I doubt it would make it that far.”
“How about the photos and X-rays a doctor took of her three broken ribs?” I gritted out.
A look of concern swept over Adam’s face. I would’ve believed him if I hadn’t known what a bastard he truly was. He shook his head. “That’s horrible. Did Madison fall? She’s quite clumsy. It wouldn’t be the first time…”
Fury surged in me, and I lunged. Lawson yanked me back. “Don’t. It’s exactly what he wants.”
Adam chuckled. “Listen to your brother. You don’t want to mess with me. And who are you anyway? Some nobody from the middle of nowhere who disappeared on Madison the second she moved away.”
The anger swirling through me made it hard to breathe.
“Mr. Westchester. This warning is going on record. I’ll be keeping meticulous notes on this case, and all my officers have been briefed to keep an eye out. It would be a shame if a restraining order, even a temporary one, became public record. I bet some of these big-city news outlets would love to do a feature on any accusations leveled against you,” Lawson said, keeping a firm hold on me.
Redness crept up Adam’s throat. “That sounds a lot like a threat from a law enforcement officer. I can’t imagine the powers that be in this town would take kindly to hearing about their officers’ behavior here today.”
Lawson shrugged. “I’m just making you aware of what can happen when things become public record. I’d hate to see it happen.”
“I’ll make sure to give my lawyer a heads-up.” Adam slammed the door in our faces.
Lawson released me. “Get in the SUV.”
I didn’t say a word as I stalked toward the vehicle. Climbing in, I slammed the door. Lawson got in more calmly. He started the engine and reversed out of the drive. “That is exactly why I didn’t want to bring you. Do you know what would’ve happened if you’d hit him?”
“I’m sorry. I just—he hurt her.” My voice cracked. “She’s fucking terrified and broken, and there’s nothing I can do to fix it because I wasn’t there when she needed me. I promised her I’d always be there.”
Lawson pulled over to the side of the road and put the SUV in park. “There was no way you could’ve known this was happening.”
“I should’ve. She was different. Pulling away. I thought it was just because she was in this relationship. That she was leaving me behind.”
“That’s natural,” Lawson said. “People drift apart. Things change.”
Fire lit in my throat—the pain of the truth as it burned its way out of me. “I missed it before, too. Her dad was beating the crap out of her, and I missed every damn sign. He almost killed her, and I just let it happen. I swore to myself that no one would ever hurt her again. And here we are.”
“Nash,” Lawson said quietly. “Victims get good at hiding this kind of thing. That’s not on you.”
My gaze snapped in his direction. “I know her better than anyone. Knew she was alone in the world. I saw a few of those bruises and just thought she’d tripped. But I should’ve known she was lying. You know Mads is a shit liar.”
Lawson stared at me for a handful of seconds before he spoke. “Are you in love with her?”
Each pulse of my heart thundered in my ears. I’d never said the words out loud. Not once. “I’ve been in love with her since the moment she tripped that damn bully in kindergarten.”
“Why the hell haven’t you told her? You know she’s in love with you, too. Why are you torturing both of you?”
I turned to stare out the window. The mountain landscape with its peek of the lake was gorgeous, but it didn’t do anything to soothe my ragged edges. I knew Maddie was in love with me. It killed me that I couldn’t give her that. But it was the only way.
“She’s had so many people let her down. People who were supposed to love and care for her did the worst.”
“So don’t be that person,” Lawson pushed.
I turned to him. “You know I’m a screwup. I’d mess this up, too, and then what? Maddie would be alone. So, I swore to myself that I would never go there. It doesn’t matter that I feel her in me every moment of every day. It doesn’t matter that I want her more than my next breath. I can’t cross that line because I’m not going to risk losing her and leaving her alone.”
But I was weakening. There were cracks in the walls I’d so meticulously built to keep Maddie out. One carefully placed blow, and I’d be powerless to stay away…
