“You have two seconds to release me before Imakeyou.”
Footsteps crunched from somewhere off to the side before Jules’s voice sounded. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“One second left,” Addie pushed, not answering Jules.
“I told you, answer my question first.” His fingers tightened.
She moved quickly, turning her wrist toward Rhett’s thumb, then pulling her arm back and up sharply, using her body weight for momentum.
When he was off-balance, she shot her palm into his nose.
He released her and grabbed his face, blood now pouring between his fingers. “Fuck!”
“You touch me again and I’ll do worse.”
She turned and reached her car just as Jules ran up to her. “Addie, honey, are you okay?”
“I warned him.”
“I know you did. I saw.” Jules shot a glance at Rhett, who was still leaning over, holding his face. “Should we call Noah or Colt?”
“I’ll let Noah know tonight.”
Jules’s gaze flickered between her eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
No. She was shaking. But she didn’t feel bad. The asshole had gotten what he deserved. “I’m fine, really.”
Jules’s frown deepened before she nodded and stepped back.
Addie slid behind the wheel and drove away. She’d just pulled into Noah’s drive when her phone vibrated with a text.
Unknown: You’re still here, which means you’re either stupid or you don’t get it. Leave before you make me do something you won’t like.
Noah parked in his driveway,his gaze going to his front door.
He was late getting home. Later than he’d wanted to be. He’d tried to get home earlier, but every time he’d attempted to leave the park, he just wasn’t able to.
He’d had another therapy session yesterday, where he’d told Toby about his fear of being around Addie. Toby had suggested that a bit of space might actually be good.
But Addie was in trouble. He didn’t want her alone at her place. His house was safer, especially when he was there at night to protect her.
So what the hell was he supposed to do?
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Fuck, he was tired. He’d been tired for so damn long.
Eventually, he forced his body up and out of the car.
Inside the house, he keyed his code into the alarm before locking the doors. Just like every other night, he snuck a peek into the master bedroom. Addie was asleep beneath the covers, and she looked so peaceful.
A yearning pulled at his chest. One that called for him to cross the space between them. Wake her up.
Tell her that she was his.
He forced it down. Forced himself to close the door with a quiet click and move into the second bathroom. He took a long shower, letting the water get so hot that his skin burned.
He was just climbing out when a text came through from Jesse.
Jesse: Hey. Heard about the second text. Sorry we haven’t made any progress on the case, but know that we’re working on it.
