Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Blaine’s gaze shot to Lachlan in surprise. Then back to her. “You sure, Mads?”
Maddy resisted the urge to fidget under the weight of that stare. She’d been spooked before calling Lachlan, but that mission patch terrified her and changed everything. “Yes.”
Blaine’s place had better security than Lachlan’s. But he’d gone above and beyond for her already, and for a long time.
She didn’t want to keep relying on him the way she had. If she went with him now, it would be way too easy to slide back into old habits she was fighting so hard to break. He was starting a new life with Xanthe. She needed to let them have that time and space together.
She looked up at Lachlan, aware that she was asking a lot of him. The patch meant whoever had done this was deliberately targeting her for some reason, and that could mean anyone close to her was at risk too. “If that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.”
Blaine gave him another hard look, and oh boy, the warning on his face was clear. Like a big brother threatening bodily harm if anything happened to her under Lachlan’s watch. “You got her?”
“Yeah.” Lachlan settled a hand on her waist under her jacket. The warmth of his touch through her thin sweater spread across her skin. Anchoring her in a way she needed.
Blaine’s gaze shifted to her one last time. His jaw bunched. Then he nodded. “All right. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Sure.” She exhaled when he opened his car door and slid in.
Lachlan urged her forward, his hand solid on her waist. She carried the dogs to his truck and he helped her into the passenger seat with them. “Are we going to your place?”
“Unless there’s somewhere else you’d rather go. I don’t think many hotels around here will allow dogs, and we won’t be able to get a rental this late.”
“No, your place is fine. I just don’t want to be a bother.” Or possibly bring danger to his doorstep.
“You’re not a bother. Someone’s messing with you, and you’re scared. I want to make sure you’re safe until we figure out what’s going on, and no one’s gonna be looking for you at my place.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me for that.” He turned onto the main road, keeping careful watch in his mirrors.
She was on heightened alert too, paying extra attention to their surroundings, on the lookout for anyone or anything that seemed out of place. Thankfully, she didn’t see anything to cause alarm.
She was too caught up in her head to make conversation as he drove through the misty rain, but noticed he took an indirect route down to the float home moorage where he lived on the northwest edge of town.
It was two stories tall, the wooden siding painted a classic grey-blue.
The lower level had a wraparound deck bordered by glass panel railing.
Lachlan parked around the side of the houseboat and escorted her inside. The modern space was finished in warm wood, tidy, and smelled faintly of laundry detergent.
“I have to take the dogs out,” she said after she fed them and put their beds down by the long, plush couch in the living room. It was dark out, but through the westward-facing windows that overlooked the water, she could see the outline of the hot tub on the back deck.
“I’ll do it. You stay inside and get settled. You can have my room.”
“No, I’ll be fine on the couch.”
“You’re not sleeping on the couch.” There was no give in his voice.
She was tired and stressed and didn’t want to argue about this. But she was absolutely not taking his bed again. He was almost a foot taller than she was. “Do you have a guestroom?”
A faint smile curved his mouth. “Yeah, with a murphy bed. I guess you don’t remember that either.”
“No.” At least she was sober this time. Although at the moment she kinda wished she wasn’t. “But I’ll take it.”
She got the dogs leashed up and stayed in the kitchen while he took them out. A giant hunk of a man walking three tiny Chihuahua crosses in the rain. How was she supposed to keep her heart shut when he did things like that? If she let him in any deeper, he would own part of it.
He came back inside ten minutes later with raindrops glittering on his damp hair and shoulders, the tippy-tap of little paws trailing across the hardwood floor as the dogs followed him.
They looked absolutely traumatized, shivering and soaking wet as they stared up at her with huge, haunted eyes. “They look like drowned rats.”
“Yeah, they’re not fans of getting wet. I had to carry the one with the pink bow—”
“Moe.”
“I put her on a patch of grass, but she just stood there staring at me. Refused to go potty for a solid five minutes.”
“What a diva.” Such little characters. No wonder Mae loved them.
“Here.” Lachlan handed her a towel. She dried them off one at a time, getting a million little licks all over her face and hands in the process until she giggled.
“I like that sound,” Lachlan said. “A lot.”
She did too. Felt like she hadn’t had much to laugh about this past year. “I really appreciate you bringing me here.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
Larry was the last one to get dried off. The moment she set him on the floor, the trio scampered to their beds and started doing wriggle wormies all over the fabric. “Silly, cute little things.”
“You like dogs?”
“I’m more of a cat person. Never had one though, because my mom was allergic.” Or so she said. Maddy was convinced she just hadn’t wanted to bother looking after a pet. “You?”
“Cats and dogs growing up. Some chickens. Speaking of chickens, you hungry?”
Her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t had anything since breakfast. “I could eat.”
“What do you feel like? I’ve got cereal, eggs, or leftover lasagna.”
“What kind of cereal?”
He opened the cupboard above the coffee maker.
She saw the box straight away. “Ooh, Shreddies. Have you got any fruit?”
“Some blueberries, but they’re over a week old.”
“That’s fine. I mean, as long as they’re not moldy.”
He checked them. “No mold, just a little wrinkled in spots. You’re okay with berries and cereal touching?”
Her lips twitched. “Yes. Bananas are okay too, and maybe some mango if I’m feeling wild and crazy.”
“I knew you had a wild side. All right, one bowl of Shreddies, comin’ right up. In fact, make that two. I’m starved.”
Lachlan leaned against the kitchen counter with his bowl, long legs crossed at the ankles while Maddy took the stool facing him across the center island.
They ate together in relative silence while the dogs all huddled in their fluffy beds, watching them in confusion.
Their routine had been completely turned upside down, and they’d been kidnapped to this strange place.
She knew firsthand how terrifying that was.
“I’ll call Mae in the morning and let her know what happened,” she said when Lachlan took her empty bowl and spoon to rinse them in the sink.
“Sure.” He loaded them into the dishwasher. The moment he turned back to face her, she knew he was done tiptoeing around the proverbial elephant in the room. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t feel like talking about it right now.” Or ever, really. “It’s late, and I’m tired.”
He deserved to know, but she kept those memories locked away for a reason and was having a hard enough time keeping the lid closed right now.
She dreaded rehashing everything, revealing how stupid and na?ve she’d been.
She also didn’t want him to see her differently.
Or treat her like she was fragile, likely to shatter at the littlest thing.
She was scared, but not weak. The terrifying experience she’d endured had made her stronger. Maybe she would tell him in the morning, when she was feeling steadier.
He watched her for a long moment. “Sure. You want the dogs in here or with you overnight?”
“With me.” She gathered them up and followed him to the wooden staircase that led up to a short hallway, wrinkling her nose at the wet dog smell wafting toward her.
She liked the layout of the place, the way Lachlan had decorated it. The space felt cozy but not claustrophobic, with a bright, fresh feel throughout. All the windows let in a lot of natural light in the daytime, and the views were spectacular.
“Guestroom’s in here.” He flipped on the light, crossed to the far wall and pulled the Murphy bed down into place. “The sheets are clean.” He pulled open the drawer in the base and took out pillows and a dark blue comforter. “Bathroom’s next door. I’ll get you towels and a toothbrush.”
“Thank you.” She settled the dogs on the bed, pushing away the building anxiety as the reality of her situation closed in.
She wasn’t here for a nice visit. She was here because someone had followed her and sent a threatening message. Someone wanted to mess with her. She wasn’t going to let them take away her independence.
Lachlan appeared in the bedroom doorway a minute later. “Okay, you’re all set. I put a T-shirt on the counter for you in case you want to change into that. No bottoms though. I don’t have anything that’ll fit you.”
“That’s fine. Thanks for thinking of that.” The conversation was painfully polite.
It was driving her nuts. Was it just yesterday that he’d kissed her and turned her inside out? Now they were alone at his place, and she wasn’t sure of their dynamic anymore.
She used the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed her face as the deep rumble of Lachlan’s voice carried through the wall. When she opened the door, three little faces were lined up across the threshold, staring up at her.
To their right, at the end of the hall, Lachlan stood with a shoulder propped against his bedroom doorway, arms folded across his chest. “They’re already attached to you.”
She couldn’t help but smile a little. “They’re wondering what the heck is happening.” She knew Lachlan was wondering the same thing. Still couldn’t summon the guts to tell him though.
“I talked to Grey. He’s gonna take my morning trip for me, so I’ll be home until early afternoon. But if you need anything overnight, I’m right here.”
Was that an invitation? Because the idea of crawling into his bed right now was extremely tempting.
She nodded, not knowing what to say. Afraid she might blurt out something desperate and invite herself into his bed. Her inability to read people better always frustrated her, but especially with him.
“Try to get some sleep.”
He didn’t approach her. Didn’t try to touch her, so she kept her distance too. “I will.”
Not that she had high hopes for it, considering what was going on and that she’d already slept the evening away.
In the guestroom, she changed into Lachlan’s shirt before crawling into the bed. It was more comfortable than she’d expected, the sheets soft and the comforter warm.
The dogs seemed relieved it was finally bedtime. Curly cuddled up between her shins on the comforter. Larry tucked into the side of her waist, and Moe decided to share her pillow, curling into a cute but damp little ball beside her face.
The weight of them, their little snores, and the sound of their breathing was soothing as she lay there staring up at the darkened ceiling.
But there was no way to still her mind or find peace.
She’d gone through every possible scenario she could think of and still couldn’t explain that unit patch. Or why anyone who knew about Syria would want to go to such lengths to scare her like this.
Don’t spiral. Breathe.
Easier said than done. It had been hard enough battling her way through everything to move past her nightmare. She’d never imagined it wasn’t over yet.
She shut her mind down with sheer force of will. Did some visualizations and meditation, the dogs’ presence helping to ground her.
Against all odds, she eventually fell asleep. Only to jerk awake in the darkness with her heart in her throat, Lachlan’s shirt sticking to her sweaty skin, and a familiar male voice from her darkest memories echoing in her head.