Chapter 55
When she stepped out of the bedroom the next morning Addie realized that the rooms weren’t soundproof enough.
It was more than obvious that they all knew what had happened. She could feel herself blushing bright red, and she turned around, bumping into Cash, her nose banging into his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. Then he lifted her up into his arms and carried her to the table. Suddenly, everyone started talking again, and she wondered if he’d given them all a warning look.
Maybe she’d just pretend that she didn’t know that they all knew. Yeah, that was probably the best idea.
Cash sat at the table with her on his lap, turning her sideways. Reaching over, he grabbed a croissant and placed it on the plate in front of him, cutting it in half. He then held one half up to her mouth.
Addie shook her head. Her stomach was tied into knots. She didn’t think she could eat anything.
She really wanted some coffee. She pointed to the coffee mug in front of him.
“You can have some coffee once you eat something,” he told her. “You need something in your stomach.”
She rubbed her tummy and stared at him with a frown.
“Your tummy will feel better once it’s got some food in it,” he told her firmly.
Cash didn’t seem at all fazed by the fact that she’d gone nonverbal. Thankfully, neither did anyone else. She took a bite of the croissant, knowing that she wasn’t going to get her own way. And it seemed he was right. Her stomach started to settle after a few bites.
Cash reached for the coffee mug, taking a sip. Rude. She’d wanted some coffee. Addie glanced around. Was there more coffee somewhere?
When she turned back, he held the mug to her lips. “Here you go. It’s a good temperature, not too hot, not too cold. Just how you like it.”
He knew how warm she liked her coffee? Maybe it really didn’t matter that they hadn’t known each other that long. When it was the right person, time didn’t seem to matter.
Just the way they felt about each other and treated each other did.
“So what do we do now?” Dotty asked. “I feel like I don’t know what to do with all of this.”
Addie glanced up at her. She wasn’t sure that she’d ever heard Dotty feel or sound so lost.
Before anyone could answer, there was a knock on the door.
“Did we order any more room service?” Ralen asked as he glanced around the table. The only one not eating was Monroe, but that was no different than any other time.
Everyone shook their heads and Ralen got up, moving to the door and looking through the peephole.
“Fuck, what the hell?” Ralen grumbled as he opened the door. To her surprise, Butch was standing on the other side.
“What are you doing here?” Ralen asked rather rudely.
Butch just glared at him. “Making sure you guys aren’t fucking everything up.”
He stormed into the room. “Shut the door, would you?”
“Sure, I’d love to be your butler,” Ralen said.
“If you were my butler, I would have fired you for being a pain in my ass.”
“Now that’s something I definitely don’t want to be,” Ralen said.
Huh? What was he talking about?
Butch moved his gaze around all of them. Was it her imagination or did his gaze linger on Dotty?
“What’s going on?” Cash asked.
Butch picked up a croissant before sitting down at the table next to Dotty, where Ralen had been seated a moment ago.
“Hey, man, that was my fucking chair,” Ralen said as he moved around to sit next to Monroe.
To Addie’s surprise, Ralen reached over for a croissant and put it on Monroe’s plate. Then he whispered something in her ear.
Monroe shook her head, giving him an irritated look. Ralen just gave her a stern look back.
Huh.
“Are you all okay?” Butch asked.
Again, his gaze seemed to linger a bit longer on Dotty as he said that.
“Aw, I’m so touched that you care,” Ralen said, putting his hand on his chest.
“Yeah, I wasn’t talking about you,” Butch said. “Ink told me that you sent him a recording of what Limpy said. Sounds like there’s a possibility that Monroe is still in danger from these people?”
“Yeah,” Ralen said. “He didn’t know if The Team are still after her, but he seemed to think that she’d be his ticket to getting in with them, and that’s why he came for her.”
“Does that mean we can’t go back to our house?” Monroe asked as she picked at her croissant.
“Yeah, it does,” Cash said. “It’s not safe. For any of you.”
“Are Addie and Dotty in danger?” Monroe asked, looking alarmed.
“There’s no way of knowing,” Ralen told her. “However, it doesn’t mean that you should all go back to that house, or that you should even stay here in Las Vegas.”
“Addie certainly won’t be,” Cash said. “She’s coming home with me.”
Great. Way to just announce it before she had a chance to talk to her sisters. But as she glanced around at them, she noticed they didn’t look surprised. In fact, Monroe had a slight smile on her face.
“I take it that’s what you want too, Addie,” Dotty said to her. “To go home with Cash?”
“I can’t imagine being apart from the two of you,” Addie said. “You’re my family. The only two people who ever cared about me. But I love Cash, and I want to be with him. So, yes.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty about being with him,” Monroe told her. “You’ve got to take happiness where you find it.”
“Monroe is right,” Dotty added. “You deserve this. Although you better take care of her, Cash. I don’t want anything happening to Addie. Nothing like last night better touch her again.”
Oh no. Would Cash take offense to that? The last thing she wanted was for the two of them to be at odds.
“It won’t,” Cash said solemnly. “I promise.”
Addie let out a sigh of relief, and he gently squeezed her thigh as though he knew what she’d been thinking. He probably had.
“All right, Addie is going back home with Cash. Monroe should come back with us too,” Ralen said.
“But isn’t that a bad idea?” Monroe said. “I’d be going back to where Vextar went missing. Shouldn’t I go somewhere else, into hiding or something? How am I going to do that?” Monroe sounded more and more scared. “I don’t want to be by myself. Sorry. I know this is all my fault.”
“This is the fault of that asshole you married,” Ralen told her. “He’s the one that put you in danger.”
“I think you should all come back with us,” Butch said. “We’ll talk to Ink, figure out a plan.”
Dotty shook her head. “I’m in the middle of some tough cases. I can’t just leave. I’ve got to stay here.”
Addie’s stomach tightened into a knot. She didn’t want Dotty to stay here. Wouldn’t she be in danger?
“If I move to a different location, an apartment in a secure building, and I hire someone to drive me back and forth, surely I’ll be safe. I’m always surrounded by other people at work. And I don’t understand why these people would come after me,” Dotty said.
“Unless they want to use you to get to Monroe,” Butch said.
“Right. I hadn’t thought about that,” Dotty said. “I have to stay for at least three months. I’ve got to get through these cases. I’ll hire private security. It will be expensive, but that’s all I can do. And if Monroe wants personal security, I’ll get that for her too.”
“I still think Monroe should come back with us,” Ralen said.
Butch ran his hand over his face. “I’ll talk to Ink, see if I can stay for three months with Dotty.”
They all stared at him in shock. “You’d be willing to move here for at least three months?” Dotty asked.
Butch shrugged. “Part of the job.”
“Guess it’s more exciting than being a bouncer for Reapers, huh?” Ralen asked him.
“That has its excitement too,” he said.
Addie wondered what Reapers was. But she’d have to ask Cash that later. They had more important things to discuss right now.
Like what to do with Monroe.
Before anyone could say anything, Ralen’s phone started to ring. He glanced down at it and swore. “I’ve got to take this.” He disappeared into a bedroom.
Cash frowned after him as Butch drew out his phone. “I’ll call Ink.” Then he disappeared as well, leaving the four of them sitting there.
“I should just leave,” Monroe said. “Then everyone would be safer.”
“Not necessarily,” Dotty said. “You don’t know that. We stick together, remember? If I have to quit my job and move, I’ll move with you.”
“You’re not doing that either. There are people relying on you,” Monroe said.
“None of them are as important as you are.”
“If Butch can stay here with Dotty, then Monroe should come with us. Ralen and I can keep her safe,” Cash stated.
“Really?” Monroe said, staring at Cash.
“Of course. You guys are all my family now that Addie is mine. I’m going to look after the two of you as well.”
Addie smiled at him and he kissed the top of her head just as Ralen stepped back into the living area, looking stressed.
“Pack up. We’ve got to go. We’ve all got to get back to Billings.”
“Why?” Cash asked. “What’s the issue?”
“Dante’s in Billings, and he wants to know where the fuck we are.”