Addie satin the corner of the crowded Dusk Valley bar. She’d dressed in an oversized shirt and baggy jeans to conceal her figure, inconspicuous in her all-black outfit, ballcap pulled low to shield her face.
Tonight, she didn’t want anyone to recognize her. She was merely here to observe.
And what a fucking show it was.
As badly as she wanted to get absolutely plastered to obliterate the images from her mind, she had to keep her wits about her. So she remained where she was, sipping her soda water and watching.
The Lawless family was across the room, the whole lot of them surrounding a few tables they’d pushed together. Even though most of the other people gathered were busy doing their own thing, it was obvious—at least to Addie—that they were all attuned to the tall, tattooed men, members of what Addie had come to consider as the First Family of Dusk Valley.
When her eyes landed on Lane andSutton, the surge of jealousy that shot through her was so strong she nearly choked on it. That should beherover there, not that annoying womanwho had no idea what to do with a man like Lane. Addie could give him everything, could whisk him away from this Podunk town and usher him into bigger and better things. Namely, an FBI career at her side. His talents were wasted here, on this small-town sheriff’s department and that horribly broken woman.
Yes, Addie knew all about Sutton’s assault. Addie knew she’d need every bit of ammunition possible to get Sutton out of the picture, which was why, when she’d been informed of Sutton’s rape, she’d started digging.
Imagine her shock when she found the newspaper articles and started putting two and two together.
Addie was aware Lane had loved Sutton. She had difficulty wrapping her mind around the fact that he’d loved her enough tokillfor her, even if all signs pointed to their relationship being over by that point.
I’ll have to ask him about that one day, she thought.
God, being unable to go up to him right now and tear him away from that woman was torture for Addie. She couldn’t wait for the day when all this bullshit was behind them, Lane was completely hers, and they were happy and free of Sutton Rausch.
As the clock ticked toward midnight, couples began gravitating toward each other on the dance floor, locking in their partners for their first kiss of the new year. Addie hoped like hell Lane and Sutton wouldn’t be among them, but naturally, she wound up disappointed. They were completely wrapped up in each other, dancing provocatively, heedless of all the people gathered around them. Addie had never pegged Lane as one for public displays of affection, so it seemed Sutton had him more brainwashed than she thought.
When the final seconds to the new year wound down, Addie watched like a spectator observing a trainwreck, terrified for what was coming but powerless to stop it.
Her heart gave a painful lurch when Sutton wrapped her arms around Lane’s neck and leaned in close, pressing her mouth to his. A few minutes later, they collected their belongings and headed out into the night. Addie followed them out of the bar at a safe distance. For a moment, Lane paused, spinning around and peering into the darkness in search of whatever pricked his senses. She pressed closer to the edge of the building, certain he couldn’t see her, and eventually, he dropped it.
He and Sutton climbed into Lane’s truck, likely heading back to his place, but that was where their paths diverged for the night. Addie wouldn’t get within ten miles of Lane’s house, not when she knew every inch of his home and property was wired with top-of-the-line security equipment, thanks to his brother.
Slipping behind the wheel of her personal SUV—which was as blacked out as her FBI vehicle—she watched them pull out of the lot, keeping her eyes on the truck until the taillights faded into the distance.
Giving into a brief fit of rage, she slammed her palm repeatedly against the steering wheel until the pain centered her.
That should’ve beenher, and she would do everything in her power to ensure that by this time next year, it was.
With the press of a button, her SUV rumbled to life beneath her, and she headed out, navigating onto the road that would take her back to Boise.
Oh, how she couldn’t wait to never have to visit this town again. She and Lane would be so much happier in Boise, where there was more than one bar, plenty of restaurants that didn’t serve greasy and overcooked classic American cuisine, where it didn’t take fifteen minutes to drive from her house to the store.
In a few more months, it would all be over, and Lane would once again be hers.
Forever.
twenty-seven
. . .
LANE
We leftthe bar shortly after the clock struck midnight, barely making it a few minutes past Sutton saying she’d come home with me.
I was giddy, the effervescence bubbling up in my chest not dissimilar to the first time I went to a professional football game as a kid.
After we collected our things, I didn’t even bother to say goodbye to my family before heading outside.
When we reached the parking lot, I pulled up short halfway to the truck, unease prickling the back of my neck. Turning in a slow circle, I probed the darkness beyond the streetlights and neon sign, but I didn’t see anyone or anything out of place.
“Lane?” Sutton asked. “You okay?”
