Chapter 17 #4
“Hey, did I say something to upset you?” he asked. “I didn’t mean that in a negative way. The three of you are obviously really close. The fact that you and Dotty came with Monroe in search of her husband is proof of that.”
Had Monroe’s husband really broken into their hotel room? And why? It didn’t make much sense.
All he had to do was meet with her for thirty seconds and sign the divorce papers. Instead, he trashed their hotel room after getting someone to steal her purse, and then he wrote that message on their mirror?
This could have all been over so quickly. Why would he be so upset at Monroe for trying to find him?
Addie shook her head and put the sandwich down. Then she stood. This time he didn’t try to stop her, which was an improvement.
Or, at least, she told herself it was.
“Do you want to go and have a nap on the staff room couch again?”
She shook her head. Her head was throbbing, and she could use some painkillers. Addie got the feeling her period was coming. She had that heavy feeling in the bottom of her stomach, and she felt a little ill.
“I need to go out,” she said, searching in her bag and not finding the stronger painkillers that she used for this time of the month.
She also didn’t have any sanitary products with her, which was just perfect. She could ask her sisters or Sable for some, but she really preferred using period panties.
“Not happening, sorry,” he said. “It’s safer for you to stay in here.”
Frustration filled her. But was he right? Was it too dangerous? What if someone tried to attack her? What if whoever wrote that message was watching and waiting?
No. No, that was her mother’s paranoia speaking. No one was watching her. That was ridiculous.
“No one is interested in me.”
“You don’t know that,” Cash told her.
“My head hurts.”
Addie found some chewable painkillers and popped them into her mouth. They’d do for a while, but they weren’t going to manage her pain forever. She always got a bad headache right before her period.
“Your head hurts? Were those painkillers?” he asked.
She nodded, wincing.
“Do you need anything else for your headache?”
Not for her head, no. And she couldn’t tell him what she really needed, could she?
Getting out her phone, she sent a quick message to Dotty.
“Who are you messaging?” Cash asked.
Jeez, he was nosy.
“Dotty.”
“Why?”
She had no privacy around here.
“I need some things.”
Cash crossed his arms over his wide chest. “You can tell me what you need. I’ll get them for you.”
She rubbed her head. Should she just tell him? It would serve him right for being so pushy.
The door to the room opened, and Ralen stepped inside, looking frustrated. “I just got a message from Ink. He said that Addie needs to go out for a bit and get some supplies, and that we should take her.”
Cash shook his head. “I’m not comfortable with that.”
“With taking her out?” Ralen asked. “Well, I guess I could ask someone else to come with us. Not Butch, though. I’m not going anywhere with him.
He’s an asshole. Plus, he drives like a grandpa and his truck is just too neat and tidy.
It’s weird. Like, throw a wrapper on the floor or get some crumbs on a seat, or something. It’s unnatural.”
“You left half a sandwich in Crystal for three weeks,” Cash told him. “It was starting to spawn its own babies.”
“It was fine,” Ralen protested. “There was nothing wrong with it.
“And I told you to make sure he drove like a grandpa, remember? Precious cargo.”
Huh? What were they talking about? What was the precious cargo that Butch was driving around? She was really confused, but decided the conversation didn’t actually have anything to do with her.
Couldn’t they argue somewhere else?
“And it’s not that I don’t want to take her out, it’s that I don’t want to take her out.”
Ralen rubbed his head. “Bro, I’ve known you for how many years? Way too many, and that made no sense. You said the same thing twice.”
“I mean that I don’t mind taking her out, but I don’t think Addie should be walking around the streets. It’s not safe.”
Addie shook her head and gave Ralen a desperate look.
“Ink seems to think it’ll be all right, as long as the two of us go with her.
We can drive. If anyone’s in danger, my guess it would be Monroe.
Perhaps Dotty. They were the two asking questions about Monroe’s dickhead husband.
And she’s likely to be the target. Probably no one even noticed Addie there. ”
Sure. No one ever did.
He didn’t say that to hurt you. You’ve mastered being invisible, remember?
She didn’t know why, but it was kind of depressing to know that she was so invisible that no one would bother to threaten her.
“It still doesn’t mean she’s going to be safe.”
“Bro, she’ll be with us. Of course she’ll be safe.” Ralen winked at Addie. “And we’ll drive straight to wherever she has to go, then straight back.”
Cash turned to her with his hands on his hips. “What is so important that you need to go out and get it right away?”
Great. If he was going to escort her, he needed to know.
“Dotty said it’s period supplies,” Ralen said easily.
“Oh.” Understanding filled Cash’s face. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”
Umm. Well. She hadn’t expected that reaction from him.
“Some girls can be strange about talking about periods,” Ralen said with a shrug. “Don’t know why, just a normal bodily function.”
“More normal than the things your body does,” Cash told him.
“Fucker,” Ralen muttered, turning to walk out.
“Is he all right?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about him.” Cash turned to her. To her shock, he reached up and cupped the side of her face. She froze in shock. What was he doing? Why was he touching her like this? And how could she get him to do it more often?
Chill, Addie. That’s not what you should be thinking.
Yeah, but she just couldn’t help herself, could she?
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. “You can tell me anything. We’re a team, you and I.”
They were?
“Well, at least for as long as you’re here,” he said. “It’s you and me. I’m going to stick to you like glue until I put you on that plane. Although I’d like to make it clear that I think you’d be safer here.”
He did? Why did he think that? Did he really think they’d be in danger if they returned to Las Vegas?
“It’s just a control thing, like I told you. So many aspects of my life are out of my control. But this is something I need to control.”
Did he mean her?
“Not in a jerk way, just in a, ‘keep you safe and happy and protected,’ way. And that sounded really creepy and weird, didn’t it?” He took a step back, and she could feel him pushing her away, not physically, but mentally, emotionally.
And she told herself that it needed to happen because she was leaving tonight, and also because there was nothing that would ever happen between the two of them.
But being on his team, even temporarily, was too much of a drawcard for her, so she found herself nodding. She wanted that.
“A team,” she said.
He nodded back at her. “Team Cash.”
Oh, no, she didn’t think so. “Team Addie.”
“Not happening,” Cash said. “I’m in charge, therefore the name should be after me.”
Addie just snorted. He was so full of it. It was definitely Team Addie.