Chapter 31 #3
I ignore him and keep going. “It’s not that we don’t want to tell her. But once Maddie tells Mase, I’ve got Dad, Seb, and Harrison. There are so many people weighing in. Too many opinions. Too many questions.”
“I get it…”
“And if it doesn’t work out,” I add quietly, “that’s a lot of disappointment landing on Maddie at once. She doesn’t need that on top of a rejection.”
“Nate.” Leo’s tone softens, stopping my spiral. “You’re going to get approved. And you don’t have to defend this. Everyone who matters will understand.”
I nod once, but the tension doesn’t fully leave my shoulders.
“Keep an eye on Maddie this week,” I say.
“She’ll be fine by tomorrow. I’ll crash in the guest room when you leave.”
“I’m not talking about the stomach bug.” I glance at him. “She’s going to bury herself in work so she doesn’t obsess over the application. I don’t want her burning out.”
“Let’s be fucking serious for a minute. That girl lives and breathes work. There’s no burnout in sight.”
“Gentlemen,” Owen announces, walking over to shake our hands, then wipes the back of his nose. “Sorry, I’ve been MIA.”
MIA, or snorting coke in the back room for the last thirty minutes.
It’s honestly a miracle the neighbors don’t complain about his parties. We’re far enough away not to hear it, but the poor bastard sharing his floor has to be losing his mind.
“No worries,” Leo says smoothly when I stay quiet, his tone shifting. “But you’re going to need to tighten the ship soon. It was one thing when it was just us. Now Nate’s girl lives there too, and we can’t have that shit happening.”
Owen grimaces. “Look, man, I don’t even know the guy. Someone else invited him. I’ve been putting up signs with my apartment number ever since a couple of girls wandered into Mrs. Hankle’s place on Sunday morning while she was heading to church. Co-op board was not thrilled.”
I go still. “What do you mean you don’t know the guy? The one who came to my apartment?”
He takes a slow pull of his beer. “Yeah. Guest of a guest.”
I scan the room; I don’t spot the guy anywhere.
He was here when we arrived, but when I lost track of him, Leo said he was probably embarrassed and bounced, but I still get a bad feeling.
My phone dings with a security notification, so I open it immediately and see it’s from the office.
“What the fuck is Linc doing at M-Squared at ten at night on a Friday?”
Leo leans over, squinting. “Probably catching up on work.”
“Doubtful,” I mumble.
“Stop stressing, he’s a weird guy. Get over it.”
“Hi, Leo.” We look up to see two gorgeous women standing before us.
It takes everything in me not to laugh at how they’re both leaning into him with their tits practically hanging out of their dresses.
“And that’s my sign to go.”
“I should head out too,” Leo says, rising with me. “See you around, ladies.”
They pout in perfect unison with their overly filled lips, and Leo pays them no attention.
For all his vanity, fakeness has never been his thing.
We wave goodbye to Owen, then head to the elevators. “I thought you had a date?”
“Define date?”
“Fuck off. It’s ten, you have a booty call?”
He smirks. “That sounds more like it.”
“You’d better be here in the morning,” I warn.
“I’ll be there first thing. Your precious goddess will have the best nurse in the world.”
“You’re a dickhead.”
He salutes me and gets in the down elevator. “Safe flight. Let me know when you land in London.”
When I step in my elevator, I go over my checklist and make sure I’m prepared for my early morning wakeup call.
I know Maddie said not to wake her, but there’s no way I’m not checking on her before I go to sleep.
Quietly, I slip into our room to find she’s out cold, thank God. Skye is curled back-to-back with her, like she knows she needs the extra comfort.
“Skye,” I whisper.
Her head pops up instantly. I motion toward the door. “C’mon. Let’s go pee.”
In record time I get her outside and back, rewarding her with a treat before she bolts straight to Maddie’s side.
Tiptoeing, I check the bucket. It’s empty, but when I go into the bathroom, I can tell she’s been sick since I went downstairs.
I clean that up, get her fresh water, turn off the TV, and stand there a second longer than necessary…just watching her breathe before reluctantly going into the guest room.
It’s been years without Maddie, but now that she’s back, sleeping without her sounds like the worst kind of torture.
“You’re still here?” I ask Benny as I drag my suitcase through the lobby just after five in the morning.
He huffs, irritated. “Yeah. Working a double.”
I pull out my wallet and slap a thousand bucks into his hand. “Help Leo with walking Skye if you can this week. Maddie’s sick and is swamped with work.”
His brows shoot up. “I want to say this is too much…but you, Mr. Money Bags, can afford it.” He punches my arm lightly as I pass. “Here, sir, let me get the door for you.”
“Oh fuck off, stop pretending you’re good at your job.”
He lets out a belly laugh. “Just trying to work for my money.”
We step outside, and the moment we do, I freeze.
Every muscle in my body locks.
What the actual fuck?
“What’s wrong?” Benny asks.
“Shh. Hold my bag.”
I drop the handle without looking back and raise my phone, already snapping photos of the man across the street lingering near the coffee cart as it opens for the morning.
His head is on a swivel. I can tell he’s on high alert.
My pulse spikes as I walk closer, switching to video to record. A sick feeling rumbles in my stomach as I inch closer.
I fucking knew it.
The coffee vendor hands him a cup just as a horn blares down the block, causing the guy to look up and lock eyes with me. He freezes, but for only a split second, before the cup hits the pavement and he bolts.
“Motherfucker.”
I take off after him, ignoring Benny shouting behind me. The coffee guy is yelling about the mess, but I don’t slow down.
I pump my arms hard, cursing the brand-new Ferragamo loafers that were definitely not designed for sprinting through Manhattan at dawn.
There’s no ducking and weaving; the streets are near empty on this Sunday morning, but still, he had a head start, and he’s fast as hell.
Shit.
I push harder, and my lungs are burning as I blow through a red light, nearly eating pavement on a section of sidewalk the city still hasn’t fixed. Then I see him cut across Houston just as the light turns.
My stomach drops.
I know I’m fucked, there is no way I’m going to make it.
Cars are already driving through the intersection with no clear way across, not without getting taken out by a speeding car.
I lose sight of him as he disappears behind a building.
“Fuck!”
With a shaky hand, I pull out my phone, go through my contacts, and press send.
“Ethan Scott.”
“Ethan, I need you to pull some of Juliette’s security detail until you can send people over to New York.” I pant. “Immediately.”
“Whoa, slow down, Davenport,” Ethan says sharply. “What’s going on? Lincoln giving you problems again?”
“No. Well, he could be involved. I wouldn’t put it past him.” I force my breathing under control. “Remember the guy who knocked on my door the other day? He was back last night.”
“Fuck.”
“It gets worse.” My jaw tightens. “I was heading out to the airport and spotted him across the street not ten minutes ago. He was casing the building.”
“I’m on it.”
Nausea rolls through me. What if I didn’t see him?
“Something’s off. I don’t know what he wants, but this isn’t a coincidence anymore.”
“I’ve already sent a message to the guys. You’ll have one stationed outside the building, one in front of your door, and Leo’s until I can send a full crew later today.”
“Thanks.”
“If you leave, you don’t leave without at least one of my men. Understood?”
“Understood.” A beat passes. “I’m going to call Matteo and get him involved.”
Ethan exhales sharply. “I don’t want to know any more, Davenport.”
He doesn’t want to be incriminated is what he means.
“I figured. But you should know I’ll be working with him and his brothers, too.” I spot a cab approaching and lift my hand. I’m too worked up to walk home. “I have to get home to Madeline. I’ll call you later.”
“Stay safe.” The line goes dead.
Immediately, I’m dialing my good friend, Matteo.
“Buongiorno, cocksucker.”
“Matteo…I need your family’s help.”