Chapter Thirty-One
Rowan
The next few days are like living a life I could only dream of. Addison is a natural at learning the ropes of the compound, and her hard work shines in every way. Our days are full of radiant smiles, and a dream tucked away as life continues around us.
I’ve never neglected so much work in my whole thirty years of existence.
Granted, Addison is slowly learning the books while we’re stuck in our own little world, but I can’t seem to stop watching her.
As my tasks pile up, I let them so we can have this moment of discovery between us.
The work will always be there, but getting to know Addison is something of a priceless treasure—a thing I still can’t grasp. She’s here. With me.
“Are you just going to keep staring at me?” She chuckles as she types away on my desktop. Her stickers are still covering the computer—a mark of her presence in my home.
Our home.
She’s left her light everywhere she touches, and I can’t get enough.
The dark cloud that once shrouded this space, bearing the weight of our childhood, is now covered in her soft touch.
It’s on the crowded sink in my bathroom, where her straightener and beauty products rest messily; it’s in the pairs of tangled clothes we leave behind when falling into bed at night; and it’s in her presence and the way she lights up any room she’s in.
“I’m admiring my girl,” I say softly as I place my hands on the desk across from her. I brush her hair away from her face before tucking a shimmering strand behind her ear. “You’ve been hard at work all day. Why don’t you take a break before we go to Dale’s?”
She gives me a coy smile before pushing the keyboard away. “Okay, you twisted my arm, Assassin Man.”
I lean across the mahogany and plant a small kiss on her lips. “The others will be expecting us soon.”
She hums against my lips. “Oh, I need to get that file ready for Alana. I promised I would give her access to the algorithm I’m using.”
I smile, shaking my head in faux disappointment. “Always working.”
“Hey,” she smirks. “It’s your fault for showing me this. I’m in too deep now.”
And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Addison has been crunching numbers all morning. It’s obvious she enjoys this.
I’m glad one of us does, and seeing her do something she loves has satisfaction uncurling in me. All these years, and I never imagined sharing the work with someone. Hopefully, it’s enough to make her stay with me.
I’ve already started arranging her things around the house as if she blends in perfectly with my life. She watched me arrange some of her framed photos on the fireplace’s mantle yesterday. When I presented it to her, she smiled brightly, her hands on her hips with silent acceptance.
“Are you ready to go?” I muse.
Her nose scrunches as she riffles through a few folders. “Not quite. Let me find the logs I’ve been keeping track of, and I’ll join you.”
I lift a brow. “Do you know how to find Dale’s?”
She gives me a smirk as sarcasm falls from her plush lips. “Yes, I know where to find the bar, Row Row. I’ll be right behind you.”
I purse my lips, not liking the idea of leaving her behind, but knowing that she won’t let this rest until she has what she needs. “Alright, Sunshine. Call me if you have any trouble.”
She waves me off before grabbing the collar of my shirt. “Oh, wait! Kiss.”
I chuckle before stealing her breath in a slow, heated peck. When we pull away, she looks dazed and fucking edible. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and if I don’t tear my gaze away from her, I’ll stay behind.
“Ten minutes before I come searching for you,” I warn her as I head for the door.
“Okay!” She calls.
My spirits are high as I walk across the compound. Dale’s is only a few acres away, but I hold my shoulders high as I trudge across a couple of backyards to get there.
Mrs. Jade, Dominic’s grandmother, is outside on her back patio, sweeping away the stray leaves that have accumulated with the changing season. Her white and gray hair is pulled up into a tight bun, and she gives me a small wave before going back to her yard work.
I’ve never felt so…lighthearted.
I greet anyone lingering around the compound and get a few double-takes as I near the bar. I’m sure it’s unusual to see me with a smile, but I can’t help it. Addison brings out a side of me that isn’t weighed down by expectations. I feel like I’m on top of the fucking world.
“Are you smiling?” Noah asks as he cocks a smirk at me. He’s standing on Dale’s porch, smoking a cigarette.
“Don’t get used to it,” I pat his shoulder before pushing past him.
The bar is jumping with its usual crowd. People are scattered around the room, taking up the tall tables that make up the dining area. Above the long bar, the kill catalog switches through names of hits and whoever is currently working them.
I spot my family seated to the far right, and Connor waves me over. “There you are. Where’s Addie?”
I take the seat beside my brother and his wife, smiling as I settle. “She’s getting the logs for Alana. She’ll be here soon.”
The intel expert vibrates with excitement in her seat. “I’ve been thinking about this all morning! I can't wait to see the system she set up.”
Blair, Loxley’s employee-turned-hacker, is seated beside her mentor, a laptop propped on her knees as she frowns at the screen. “I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I hope it’s better than the mess Row Row turns in.”
I scowl at her. “My logs aren't that bad.”
The trainee gives me a scathing look. “I beg to fucking differ.”
Alana eyes her mentee pointedly. “Are you focusing on the homework I gave you?”
Blair sighs, ashamedly getting back to her work. “Yes, Professor.”
Connor snorts at the nickname he gave his fiancée years ago.
Alana turns her nose up at them. “I can't help my curiosity. Row Row has been raving about our newest addition. It’s nice to have another great mind join the syndicate.”
Atlas rubs a hand across his wife’s shoulders, staring at her with so much conviction and lust that we all feel like we’re imposing on something.
“Addie is a wonder with numbers,” Loxley praises her friend, preening as she ignores my brother’s heated eyes on her. “Do you think she’ll stay here?”
She isn't going anywhere else.
I've already implemented part of my plan to keep her here. I haven't asked her to formally move in yet, but I was hoping to suggest it tonight.
“Fingers crossed,” I grin.
Thalia joins us from the bar, her arms loaded down with beers. “My basement is still up for grabs if she doesn't want to stay in Rowan’s bed.”
I give my sister a blasting look. “Stop offering my girlfriend your basement, Thalia.”
She sets the drinks down before plopping beside me. “One day she’ll say yes.”
Dominic is next to join our steadily growing crowd. He pulls a chair from a nearby table and situates himself beside Blair. He stays quiet as he sips his neat whisky.
“Any word from Theo?” My sister asks him with a smirk and a nudge of her elbow.
He takes a slow sip of his drink. “No.”
“A man of many words,” Thalia laughs.
I check my phone, frowning when I notice the ten minutes have passed and there’s no word from Addison.
“She’s coming,” my sister rolls her eyes, but her breeziness does nothing to quiet the dread mounting in me, a sick pressure churning in my gut.
There’s a loud buzzing from the kill catalog that causes the whole bar to go quiet. The sound sets off a domino effect. Patrons set their drinks aside as all eyes stray to the blinking screen. Even Dale pauses in the madness, his hands stalling as he cleans a glass.
“Holy shit,” Thalia mumbles. “Someone collected a live target. I didn't even know there was one up for grabs.”
Live targets are rare.
They’re usually placed by people who want to kill the target themselves, but don't know where to find them.
Or by people looking for someone.
As the picture of familiar dark hair and pouty lips fills the screen, my whole world slams to a halt. The picture is dated, but Addison’s smiling face is unmistakable. It’s the image that plays on repeat in my dreams.
I slowly rise from my chair, the image of my girl burning into my retinas as the word ‘collected’ blinks in deep red across the bottom of the screen.
“Addison?” Loxley asks in shock, but her voice is a distant hum to me.
My heart slams so slowly that I hear it in my ears with every thud. It takes all of two seconds before my boots are stomping across the bar. I head for the exit, urgency screaming through my fucking veins as I throw the doors open and take off in a sprint across the compound.
Behind me, I can hear the yelling of my family to slow down, but I can't. All I can think of is Addison.
My whole being shouts with confusion and desperation, pushing me to blindly step over the threshold of my home. I throw the front door open, immediately jolted by the lack of warmth and light. It’s like the space is dead—no signs of life whatsoever.
“No, no, no,” I chant, my whole chest feeling like it’s caving in as I take the staircase. “Sunshine! Addison!” I shout, my voice echoing through the halls that remain still and silent.
This can't be happening.
Not happening.
I tear through the rooms, my breath becoming more labored and ragged with every empty chamber. I only stop my rampage when I near the office and see the signs of a struggle.
I hesitate in the doorway, my knees almost giving out at the mess cluttering the floor. The office chair is tipped over, and everything that once made up our shared desk is strewn in a cluster of chaos.
Someone took her.
The room tilts, and I slap my hands to my temples. I have to breathe. I have to think.
I hear footsteps downstairs before ripping out of the room with a torrent of emotions I can't begin to place. I haven't felt agony like this since my own father left me for dead.
Someone took her from me.
“Rowan,” Alana calls softly as I join them in the living room. She’s holding her phone out to me, the screen illuminated with Addison’s ransom. “Does the name Hughes ring a bell to you?”
Atlas’s head whips up as he lingers near the front door next to a shaken Loxley. “Hughes? Is that who placed the hit?”
My blood runs cold as I grab Alana’s phone. I skim the information displayed, and disbelief punches through me.
How could I have not seen this before?
It all makes so much sense.
The reason I felt like I knew Addison’s uncle…
“Rowan?” Alana’s voice is gentle as she glances at Connor with concern.
“I know who took her,” I rub a hand across my mouth, mentally berating myself for being too wrapped up to notice the signs. “Ford Hughes is the leader of the Northwestern syndicate and Addison’s uncle.”