Chapter 15
“How do we know that she’s telling the truth about all this?”
Addie opened her eyes and glanced around, her heart immediately racing.
Where was she? Addie didn’t know this place. How had she fallen asleep here? She rolled to her side and nearly fell off a sofa.
Why was she sleeping on a sofa? That was weird.
Sitting up quickly, she saw that she was alone, but there were voices coming from the other side of the partially opened door.
“What do you mean, telling the truth?” someone asked.
Wait, she knew that voice. That was Cash.
Okay, okay. She knew where she was now. She was at Callahan Security. These people were helping her find her sisters and figure out what happened with the man carrying the body.
“We saw the hotel room and the message,” someone else said.
Ralen.
She knew she probably shouldn’t eavesdrop, but they seemed to be talking about her. They shouldn’t be discussing her behind her back.
“Not that,” Butch said roughly.
“We watched Addie try to contact her sisters. And they were definitely at the bar with her,” Cash added.
“Not that either,” Butch said. “If you’d let me talk.”
“Sorry, we’re just not used to you saying much,” Ralen told him. “To be honest, I didn’t think you communicated except for grunts and glares.”
“Grunts and glares. Old grouch language,” Cash said.
Hmm. She was starting to think that Cash and Ralen didn’t get on with Butch.
Which meant that she didn’t get on with Butch.
Wait. You don’t even know him.
No, but she owed Cash and Ralen so much. And Addie had always been intensely loyal. If she claimed someone, then she stood by them.
Even if they did think she ‘wasn’t quite right.’
She swallowed away the hurt at that memory.
“Old?” Butch snarled. “I’m not that much older than the two of you.”
He wasn’t?
Huh. She guessed he didn’t look much older. But he had an older energy.
Old grouch energy.
“Really? Huh,” Cash said. “I guess frowning really does give you a lot of wrinkles.”
“Asshole,” Butch said. “Was talking about the body.”
Addie tensed. What about the body? Had they discovered what had happened? She glanced around the room. What time was it? How long had she slept?
She was shocked that she’d fallen asleep. She’d thought that there would be no way she could relax in a strange place with everything going on.
It was like Cash had drugged her.
Right. But he was the drug. His touch seemed to calm her. Well, parts of her, anyway.
Other parts of her heated up.
“You think she made up seeing a guy carrying a dead body?” Ralen asked incredulously.
Wait.
Butch was accusing her of lying about that?
“There’s no evidence.”
She grew so still that she was barely breathing. No evidence? What did he mean? Had they been unable to find any camera footage? That didn’t mean that something hadn’t happened, though.
“That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” Cash said.
Warmth filled her as he defended her.
“Why would she have jumped into the pickup if she hadn’t seen something? She was terrified,” Ralen pointed out.
Ralen was defending her too. This was why she was on their side and not Butch’s.
Butch was definitely an old grouch.
“And she didn’t even want to tell us what happened,” Cash added. “We had to coax it out of her.”
“Don’t know why she’d lie. Just saying she could have.”
There was silence. What were they thinking?
She moved up to the door and pushed it open, staring out at the three of them. Ralen looked slightly guilty. Cash seemed concerned as he ran his gaze over her. Meanwhile Butch just crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her.
As though he’d already found her guilty.
“I didn’t lie,” she said.
Butch actually raised his eyebrows. Was he surprised that she’d talked or that she’d overheard them?
“But I don’t c-care if you believe me.” Darn it. This would sound better if her voice was stronger. But nerves and pain meant her voice couldn’t get much louder than a whisper.
“We believe you, Addie,” Cash told her.
“There’s no reason for you to make this up,” Ralen added.
“And you need to apologize to Addie,” Cash said, stepping slightly between them.
As though protecting her from Butch.
Butch didn’t look too concerned. He did have some height and muscle on both Cash and Ralen.
But she’d seen them fight off several men at once. They shouldn’t be easily dismissed.
“Everything about this just seems a bit . . . crazy,” Butch said.
Crazy?
Was he calling her crazy?
“Not saying you’re crazy. The situation is.”
She guessed that he wasn’t wrong. If someone else told her all of this, perhaps she would doubt them.
But it was the truth.
And what right did he have to say that she was lying?
“How are you feeling?” Cash asked, moving in front of her so she couldn’t see Butch or Ralen.
She shrugged. How was she feeling? She really wasn’t sure. Even though she’d slept, she still felt exhausted.
Worried. Stressed.
“Right. Stupid question, huh? Sorry if we woke you.”
“What time is it?” she whispered.
“Eight. You slept for around two and a half hours.”
“I’ve found them!”
Addie jumped, glancing over in surprise as Sable raced toward them. Her top was still inside out and back to front. Had she not looked in the mirror yet?
“You found her sisters?” Cash asked.
“Yep,” Sable said smugly.
“Where are they?” Ralen asked. “Are they safe?”
Sable frowned. “At the moment.”
At the moment? What did that mean?
“Oh, it’s nothing bad. It’s just that your oldest sister is apparently getting on the chief’s last nerve. I’m friends with someone who works there, and he said if we don’t come and get her soon, the chief will probably lock her up and throw away the key.”
Chief?
Did that mean . . .
“They’re at the police station?” Cash asked.
“Yep, so you better get over there quickly.”
“Right, let’s go then,” Cash said, before turning to her. “You want to come too, Addie?”
“She should stay here,” Butch said. “Safer.”
She glared up at the big man. “I’m coming.”
For some reason, it seemed almost easier to talk when she was angry.
“All right, we’ll have to borrow a vehicle to fit everybody in,” Cash said.
“I’ll take my truck,” Butch said before storming off.
“He’s such a laugh,” Ralen muttered. “I have this feeling that the three of us are going to be lifelong friends.”
“Your instincts are usually better than that,” Cash said dryly. “Let’s get our stuff and go.”
Oh! She needed her backpack. Rushing back into the room, she saw Snaggles and snatched him up. Her phone was plugged in next to the sofa and she grabbed that too. After stashing them both in her backpack, she turned to Cash, who took hold of her hand with his.
She was starting to feel a bit gross. She needed to have a shower, maybe change her clothes. Brush her teeth.
Yeah, that was something she’d really appreciate.
“Wait, wait.” Sable rushed after them with a large bag in her hand. “I bought this for you, Addie.”
Addie stared at her in confusion. Then she realized she was being rude and reached out to take the bag. Looking inside, to her shock, she saw a change of clothes, a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste, and a hairbrush.
It wasn’t normal for her, but she threw herself against Sable and hugged her tight.
The other woman just stood there. Oops.
What was she thinking? She might not even like people touching her, and now she had a smelly, dirty woman wrapped all around her like a limpet.
However, when she tried to pull back, Sable put her arms around her and squeezed tight.
“You’re welcome,” Sable whispered in her ear. “Us Littles have to stick together.”
Us Littles? Did she mean that she was a Little?
Addie nodded and stepped back.
“By the way, you really need a shower.”
Oh, awesome. Sable had just said out loud what Addie had been trying to pretend wasn’t the truth, that she stunk.
“Sable,” Cash groaned. “You can’t say that to people.”
“What? She’s my friend now. Don’t friends appreciate honesty? And, by the way, the two of you aren’t smelling that great either.”
“Thanks so much,” Ralen said.
“I’ve gotta go. I’ve misplaced my glasses.” Sable turned and rushed off before Addie could tell her that they were in her hair.
Addie found herself hiding a smile. Somehow, it wasn’t so bad if all three of them were a little bit stinky.
“Come on,” Ralen said. “We’ll all take a shower when we get back.”
We?
“Urgh, just realized how that sounded. Not together, separate. Separate showers,” Ralen said.
She glanced into the bag at the toothbrush and toothpaste, trying to hide her blushing cheeks. She was so desperate to brush her hair and teeth.
“And I’ve got some mints in the truck,” Cash added before raising his arms to give himself a sniff. “Yep, definitely need that shower when we get back.” He winked at her.
She hadn’t noticed that they smelled, and part of her wondered if they were just saying these things to make her feel better.
But it worked.
They headed outside, and she winced as the bright light of the sun hit her eyes. Ow.
Cash wrapped his hand around hers, and Ralen stood close to her other side as they headed toward his pickup. There was a big black truck parked behind them. As they grew closer, she saw that Butch was sitting behind the steering wheel.
That truck suited him.
“That’s exactly the sort of vehicle I thought he’d be driving,” Cash said. “Something large and soulless.”
Ralen snorted.
That was maybe a bit harsh. Then again, Butch had basically accused her of making everything up, maybe it wasn’t so harsh after all.
Ralen opened the passenger door, and she moved closer. She let out a squeal of shock as Cash wrapped his hands around her hips and lifted her into the cab.
She glared over her shoulder at him. Would it hurt him to give her a bit of a heads-up before he did that sort of thing?
He grinned and, to her shock, lightly tapped the tip of her nose. “Be careful. If the wind changes, it will leave your face in that position. You don’t want to be a Frowny Franny all the time, do you?”
“Frowny Fanny?” Ralen asked, “What are you? Ninety-five? No one uses the word ‘fanny’ anymore.”
“Yes, they do.”