So Much for Toledo
Delaney
He was still holding my hand, except now it felt oddly rigid, like he'd forgotten he was doing it.
His question – if I could even call it that – hung awkwardly between us. But the truth was, there was no other guy, at least not in the way he seemed to think.
Gently, I slipped my hand from his. "I don't mean a boyfriend or anything."
"That's not what I meant. But who are we talking about?" His gaze darkened. "Someone threatened you?"
I tried to laugh. "I never said that."
His eyes held no trace of humor. "But you're not denying it."
He was right. And there was a reason I wasn't denying it. I didn't want to lie. Reluctantly, I confessed, "Okay, he might've threatened me a little."
"A little." His jaw clenched. "He either threatened you or he didn't."
"Well, it's not like he did anything." I spread my arms. "Look, I'm perfectly fine."
He studied my face. "Is that why you were hiding?"
The word caught me off guard. "Hiding?"
"Laying low, staying off the grid, avoiding your family." And then, he said it again, harder this time. "Hiding."
"Well, I couldn't have been hiding too good." I gave him a wry smile. "You found me in just a day."
He didn't smile back. "It's no joke."
"I never said it was."
"So, who is this guy?"
"See…that's the thing." I winced. "Actually, I have no idea."
"Okaaaay." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Why'd he threaten you?"
I shook my head. "I don't know that either."
He stared at me for several long moments. "Now you are joking."
"I wish." I let out a sigh. "Look, I know how crazy it sounds, which is half the reason I haven't told anyone – well, other than Lenny."
"The lawyer."
I blinked. "Wait…how do you know?"
"Because my people were looking for you, remember? Naturally we'd start with the obvious stuff…where you'd lived, where you'd worked." Suddenly, he was all business. "But we're getting off track. What's the other half?"
I was still stuck on the fact that Maddox had recalled the lawyer's name just like that. "The other half of what?"
"You said one reason you didn't say anything was because it sounded crazy. So what's the other reason?"
"Isn't it obvious? I didn't want anyone getting hurt."
"Hurt how?"
"I don't know. But the guy told me that if I confided in anyone, they'd be in trouble, too."
His eyebrows furrowed, but he said nothing.
Quickly, I added, "But that was a long time ago, so I probably don't need to worry."
And yet, way too often, I still did. Maybe that was part of the reason I still hadn't bolted for Mackinac Island – well, aside from the fact that I hadn't been invited.
Maddox moved a fraction closer. "How long ago?"
"You mean how long since I was threatened? By now, I guess it's been over a year."
"You guess?" he repeated like he knew I was full of it.
I released a long, unsteady breath. "Okay, it's been a year and a half – not that I'm counting."
"Wanna know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think you've been counting every day."
I mumbled, "Well…not every day."
"Fine. Every other day." He flicked his head toward the seating area. "Now come on. Let's have a seat."
"But…why?"
"So you can tell me everything."
I swallowed. "Everything?"
"Yes. Every detail, starting from the beginning."
"Oh, come on. You don't want to hear this."
"The hell I don't."
I wanted to believe him, but I simply had to ask, "But why would you?"
He looked at me like the answer should've been obvious. "So we can fix it."
I wasn't completely sure there was anything to fix. Whatever court case the guy had meant, it was almost surely resolved by now. And yet, the thought of putting this behind me for good was impossible to resist.
So I did what Maddox asked.
I told him absolutely everything – about the guy showing up on my doorstep in West Haven, about him telling me to keep quiet about the case, about him mentioning my friends on Mackinac Island, about Lenny's shady clientele, and even about how I'd spotted the same guy several times afterward.
After all this time, it felt shockingly good to confide in someone, especially someone like Maddox, who listened with a quiet intensity that made me feel safer than I had in forever.
He never acted like I was crazy. He simply listened, calm and composed, while the occasional flicker of concern told me he was believing every word.
When I finished, he was quiet for several beats before asking, "The guy who threatened you – if you saw him again, would you recognize him?"
"Definitely." I forced a laugh. "It's not the kind of thing you forget."
He leaned toward me in his chair. "Alright. Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna get to the bottom of it."
"But how?" I asked. "We've got literally nothing to start with."
He shook his head. "There's always something. We'll fix it."
Relief flooded through me, followed quickly by a twinge of guilt. "But what if I've gotten you in trouble by telling you?"
"Me?" He grinned. "The way I hear it, I am trouble."
At his grin, I felt lighter than I had in ages. Still, I couldn't help asking, "Are you sure you want to bother with this? I mean, I know you've got a ton on your plate already."
"Forget that," he said. "You mentioned you were staying in a cabin?"
"Yeah, but we had to check out. They were closing for the season."
"We?"
"Yeah, me and Walt."
Maddox gave me a perplexed look. "The building manager?"
"Yeah, but now he's a friend." With a sheepish smile, I confessed, "I think he wants me to marry his grandson."
Maddox frowned. "So you've met the guy?"
"The grandson? No. I haven't even talked to him. But Walt's heading to Toledo next…you know, for a visit. He wants me to come along and meet him."
From the look on Maddox's face, he wasn't exactly loving the idea. "Is that your plan?"
"Actually, I'm not quite sure." And now I felt almost embarrassed. "He seems like a terrific guy, but I guess...things still feel a little unresolved with someone else."
Maddox watched me for another long moment. "You realize what I want to ask, don't you?"
"What?"
"This someone else – is he in this room?"
I felt a slow blush creep up my cheeks. "Maybe."
Maddox grinned. "Fuck Toledo."
I let out a startled laugh. "What?"
"You're going where I'm going."
I couldn't help but grin back. "I am?"
"Yup."
"And where's that?"
"Mackinac Island."
My breath caught. "Seriously? But why are you going?"
"Agree to come, and I'll tell you on the plane."
Whenever I imagined going back, I envisioned a long drive, followed by that familiar ferry ride. I cocked my head. "The plane?"
"Well, we're not gonna swim there."
"But I don't have a plane ticket."
"Good. Because you don't need one. We're taking my jet."
Wow. "You have a jet?"
With a mock frown, he asked, "What, you don't?"
I snickered. "Oh, shut up."
His gaze softened. "So, are you gonna come?"
Desperately, I wanted to – and not only to be with Maddox. Maisie was almost certainly still living on the island. It was her home, after all. And then, there was Tessa. Was she still on the island, too?
By now, the tourist season was pretty much over. Soon, the hotels would be closing along with most of the restaurants and shops. Eventually, even the ferries would stop running once the waterways froze and there were hardly any tourists left to ride them.
As for Tessa, for all I knew, she was already back in Chicago. I still couldn't decide if I was ready to see her, assuming, of course, that she had any interest in seeing me.
I'd debated stopping by her apartment while I was in town, but I'd postponed the decision by coming to see Maddox first.
I bit my lip. If I hopped on that plane of his, seeing Tessa would almost certainly be off the table.
I was still sorting it out when Maddox asked, "Should I start negotiating?"
"For what?"
"You look undecided."
"Sorry." I smiled. "I'm just trying to figure things out."
His eyebrows lifted. "Don't tell me you're actually considering Toledo?"
"Oh, stop it," I said with a little laugh. "But you're being awful mysterious. Is it a big secret or something?"
He smiled. "Not a secret, but a surprise."
A surprise?
For who, exactly?
I searched his face for clues. "Okay…now you're making me nervous. So, where are you staying?"
He leaned back in his seat. "With friends – or rather one friend and his fiancée."
"Oh." Yeah, that would be a surprise, mostly for them. I could just imagine their faces as Maddox walked in with a total stranger who was uninvited. "Are you sure they'd want another guest? Especially with no notice?"
"Trust me. They'll be thrilled."
"But how can you be sure?"
He didn't answer right away. And when he did, something in his tone shifted. "Because the friend is Ryder Vaughn." He paused. "And the fiancée – well, that's your sister."