Chapter Seven
A mind-numbing panic throbbed through Addie’s brain, rendering her powerless to act. She tried to remember what she’d learned about being locked in a trunk. Wasn’t there supposed to be some lever in newer models? How was she supposed to pull a lever when she couldn’t use her hands? She strained against the plastic that held her hands, but it was futile. Sweat beaded across her nose as a suffocating heat surged through her. Her lungs were bound with iron. She couldn’t breathe! A prayer for help went through her mind. Please, help me.
She had to be strong. She had to think of her family. Of Maddox. Her last words to him had been spoken in anger. Why did everything have to be so complicated with him?
It occurred to her that the car had not moved. She kicked as hard as she could. “Help!” She heard a muffled pop. She went still, straining her ears as she tried to figure out what was happening. Hope sprang in her chest. Was someone else out there? She jerked into action. “Help!” she screamed. “I’m in the trunk!” She kicked again and again on the side and the top. Maybe she’d imagined the pop. There was probably no one out there except for her attacker. Still, she had to do something!
A lifetime seemed to pass. Addie kicked and screamed until she grew hoarse.
The trunk opened. She sat up, ready to give her attacker the fight of his life. Then she saw his face. “Maddox,” she uttered, a cry wrenching her throat.
“I’m here,” he said, gathering her in his arms.
The sight of Addie bound and stuffed in a trunk had unleashed something dark and primitive inside Maddox, making him want to pummel her attacker to mush. He probably would have, had he not needed to keep the man intact so he could be interrogated. The man in question was tied up, gagged, and stuffed in the closet of the guest bedroom. Right after Maddox rescued Addie, he called Corbin, updating him on the situation. Corbin freaked when Maddox told him about the attack and how close Addie came to being kidnapped. The only thing that kept Corbin from hopping on a plane and heading this way was Maddox’s assurance that from this point forward, he wouldn’t let Addie out of his sight.
Maddox and Corbin then got on a conference call with Sutton. He instructed Maddox to keep the man there until picked up for interrogation. A part of Maddox wanted to conduct his own version of “interrogation,” but Sutton assured him of his foolproof methods of obtaining information. One thing Maddox learned in the SEALs was that it was better to leave the interrogations to the “experts.” He’d never had the stomach for that sort of thing.
Maddox’s main priority was Addie’s safety. Whether she liked it or not, he was stuck to Addie like glue. He thought back to the moment when he rescued her from the trunk. She threw her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder. Even amidst the terror of the moment, he couldn’t deny that it had felt right having her in his arms. The softness of her springy curls had brushed against his skin, tickling his face. The familiar scent of her light floral perfume mingling with the fresh smell of her shampoo enveloped his senses. Stop it , he commanded himself, balling his fist. He couldn’t let this hang-up on Addie continue.
In retrospect, it was good that he mentioned Felicity at the diner. “A girlfriend” was the very thing needed to put a safe barrier between him and Addie. Things could get confusing right now with emotions running high, but then where would he and Addie be afterwards? The obstacles between them weren’t just going to disappear. He had a dangerous profession, and she was opposed to it, end of story.
Maddox couldn’t allow himself to get close to Addie knowing, that in the end, she’d dump him all over again. He surveyed Addie’s bedroom, annoyance resurging at the sight of the scattered papers, books, and clothing. Someone had done a number on the place. Addie was making a valiant effort to put the place back together, but there was still a ton to do. He bent over and picked up a handful of books, stacking them on the bookshelf above her desk. A smile pulled over his lips when he saw the guitar songbook. Addie was teaching herself how to play. He loved that about Addie—how she was always learning new things. His gut tightened. Her guitar. Had it been damaged? He spotted it in the far corner of the room, intact. He relaxed.
His eye caught on a burgundy book with the word “Journal” embossed in gold lettering across the front. He picked it up. First, he thought he couldn’t dare look at it. No way could he invade Addie’s privacy. He reached for more books, stacking them on the shelf above her desk. Then, he looked at the journal again, noticing a corner of what looked like a picture sticking out the side.
None of your business, Maddox. Keep stacking books! It’s one little peek. What could it hurt? He opened her journal to the picture. His heart came to a screeching halt. The picture was of him and Addie, a selfie taken on the summit of the mountain they’d hiked. They were arm-in-arm, their heads close together. They wore triumphant grins, having reached the top in record time. The sheer joy on their faces caused his heart to clutch. They’d been happy together … so happy. His finger traced Addie’s features. She’d taken the trouble of printing this picture and putting it in her journal. He wasn’t sure what to think about this.
He jumped guiltily when he realized the water in the shower had stopped. Quickly, he tucked the picture back into its place and closed the journal just as the bathroom door opened.
“Hey,” he said, his voice sounding too cheerful in his own ears. Her hair was wet and hanging in ringlets over her shoulders. She’d changed from her dress slacks and blouse into jeans and a t-shirt. Yeah, she looked good in those snug jeans and a form-fitting t-shirt that emphasized her tall, slender figure.
A crease formed between her brows as her eyes went to the journal. “What’re you doing?”
“I figured I might as well be of some help, instead of just sitting here like a lump on a log waiting for you to get out of the shower.” There was a window in her bathroom. It was locked, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t break through it and get to Addie. Corbin was having a security system installed tomorrow, which would make protecting her easier. Still, he wanted to be close enough to hear what was going on, hence him sitting in her room while she showered.
“Have you been reading my journal?” She gave him an accusing look.
“Geez, no.” Heat crept up his neck.
She arched an eyebrow, her hand going to her hip.
He held up both hands in defense. “Promise, I wasn’t reading it.” Guilt cloaked over him. Then again, looking at a picture wasn’t the same as reading her journal. He’d answered her honestly…somewhat. “How are you feeling?”
She managed a rubbery smile. “Better.”
Right after the attack, Addie was pale as alabaster, a dazed look in her eyes. For a few seconds, Maddox feared she might be going into shock. Thankfully, that hadn’t been the case. Addie was a tough cookie. Still, she was wound up tight. Maddox suggested that a shower might help her relax. It seemed to have done the trick.
“Good.” The conversation lagged. Maddox missed how it used to be, the two of them having so much to say to each other that they could hardly draw in a breath between sentences. “Are you hungry?”
She shoved her hands into her pockets. “A little, I guess.”
He chuckled. “You hardly ate two bites at the diner. Unless you grabbed something afterwards, I’d venture to say you’re pretty hungry.” The Addie he knew had a healthy appetite. He used to tease her about having a hollow leg because she could eat him under the table and was naturally thin. In fact, Addie had to work to keep from becoming too skinny.
She laughed in surrender. “Yeah, I’m hungry. Starving, actually.” The moment slowed as he caught something in her eyes—a longing that matched the fire raging in him. The two of them were here, alone, the memories of how it was before swirling around them like beckoning sirens to unsuspecting sailors. She was a mere two steps away. He could pull her into his arms and crush his lips to hers, drinking in her passion.
She cleared her throat and broke eye contact, scrunching her hair with her hand. Maddox remembered the unconscious gesture as something she did when she got nervous. His gaze took in her thick mane of curls. Everything in him wanted to bridge the distance between them, take her in his arms and explore her soft, sensual lips. “Want me to do that for you?” he uttered in a low tone.
She jerked as she caught the intent of his question. For one agonizing second, he feared that he’d gone too far, but she only laughed. “Thanks, I think I can handle it.”
“Is there anything we can fix in the kitchen?” He hoped so. If they ordered takeout, that meant he’d have to vet the person who brought the food. Another ordeal.
Her eyes clouded as she lowered her voice. “We’re supposed to eat and go on like normal with that guy tied up in the guest bedroom?”
“Sutton’s men are due to arrive in the next couple hours.”
She nodded, her lips vanishing into a thin line.
“Are you sure you don’t recognize him?”
“No, I’ve never seen him before.” She clenched her hand, the words coming out in ragged strips. “Do you think he’s the one who killed Jordan?”
“I don’t know.” He clenched his jaw. “But you can rest assured that Sutton will beat it out—get to the bottom of it,” he amended when he saw her stricken expression.
The kidnapper was in his early thirties. An average looking Joe with hard features and thinning hair. Maddox punched him a couple of times, demanding to know who he was and who’d sent him, but the guy sat in stony silence. He had no identification. No phone. Nothing. He snapped a picture of the guy and texted it to Corbin and Sutton, knowing that Sutton would run it through a database.
Addie shuddered, her eyes taking on a haunted look. “I keep thinking about what might’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
Maddox didn’t like to think about that either. “I’ll stay right by your side until this thing’s over. You have my word.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
His mind went back through the events that had led them here. Maddox left the diner in search of Addie. Unfortunately, she’d gotten too much of a head start. He assumed she was going back to the resort. When he realized Addie wasn’t there, he headed to her cabin. He saw another car in her driveway with no license plate. He parked a short distance away and jogged back. He reached her yard just as the man was shoving her into the trunk.
Addie stepped up and touched his face. Her finger trailed lightly down his skin, sending a jolt of awareness through him. He gave her a questioning look. “You have a bruise,” she explained, frowning, “from your fight with that horrid man.”
“I do?” A wry grin twisted his lips. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Her eyes lit with amusement. “Tough guy, huh? The weasel was obviously no match for your hotshot, ninja, Navy SEAL skills.” There was a touch of admiration in her voice.
He laughed in surprise, not sure how to answer.
A shadow darkened her features. “When I heard the gun, I wasn’t sure what to think …” She shivered. “I’m so glad you were there.”
“Me too.” The attacker had an elementary level of combat skill, but he was no match for Maddox’s SEAL training, meaning he wasn’t Special Ops.
After they got some food in their systems, Maddox planned to question Addie in hopes that he’d find a common thread to help him figure out why she was being targeted. “Is there something in the kitchen we can fix for dinner?” he prompted.
“We have a few cans of soup. I can make us some grilled cheese sandwiches.” She scowled. “Thank goodness I put the food back into the fridge last night after the break-in. Otherwise, the perishables would’ve been ruined.”
He touched her arm as the familiar attraction zinged through him. “I’m sorry for all that you’re going through. I know it’s rough.”
“Thanks,” she said, offering an appreciative smile. Their gazes locked as something akin to attraction flashed in her eyes. For one wild moment, Maddox got the distinct feeling that Addie wanted to kiss him. To his disappointment, she took a step back as if to put as much distance between them as possible. It’s for the best , he reminded himself, even though, he really didn’t believe it.
Addie motioned to the shelf above her desk. “I appreciate you putting things away.” A sheepish grin tugged at her lips as she rocked forward on the balls of her feet. “Sorry I accused you of reading my journal.” Laughter simmered in her eyes. “Read anything interesting?”
His eyes rounded as he coughed. Ouch! The guilt was killing him!
She laughed lightly, brushing his arm. “Just teasing.”
This was the Addie that he craved—the playful one who kept him on his toes. He motioned with his head. “Shall we?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She held up a finger. “As long as I’m the one doing the cooking.”
“Hey.” His face fell. “My cooking’s not that bad.”
“No, it’s great,” she paused, her mouth giving way to a grin, “if you don’t mind Mohave Desert dry and charred like a brick.”
He rolled his eyes. “I burn the pancakes one time and never hear the end of it. Just like a woman to never forget.”
“Never,” she uttered, her eyes holding his.
What in the heck was happening here? A part of him wanted to call Addie out, demand to know why she was sending him mixed signals. But he didn’t want to throw a monkey wrench in the gears. Better to let it ride … see where the road took them. He offered a slight bow and flourish of his hand. “After you, ma’am.”
She clucked her tongue. “Always the perfect gentleman.” She tipped her head, her emerald-gold eyes sparkling with mischief. “You know I never could resist that Bama boy charm,” she quipped, traipsing out.
He stood there for a moment, befuddled. Watching her move was fascinating. The confident bounce in her step. The graceful lines of her lithe body with just the right amount of curves. Her rich chocolate hair bouncing jauntily on her shoulders. Was Addie flirting with him? Or toying with him? Geez. How in the heck was he supposed to remain unaffected by a woman like her? She was playing him like a fiddle.
“You coming, hotshot?” she called over her shoulder.
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” he uttered, feeling like a gullible moth going helplessly to the flame.