Chapter 27
Max didn’t remember the last few turns.
Didn’t remember pulling up to the street in front of the vet clinic.
All he knew was he had to get to Hadley.
Blue and red lights cut through the darkness outside her building. His heart still pounded from the drive as he threw his truck into Park and shoved the door open.
He didn’t wait for permission as he darted toward the building.
He didn’t slow when a deputy called after him.
He took the steps two at a time, his mind locked on one thing: Hadley.
His boots pounded against the floor as he reached her door and darted inside.
Hadley stood in the living room. Sheriff Sutherland, as well two paramedics, stood nearby, but Max barely registered them.
All he saw was Hadley.
The bruise on her cheek.
The blood on her arm.
Something inside him snapped tight.
“Hadley.”
She looked up at him and relief flooded her features. “Max!”
He crossed the room in seconds and pulled her into a careful hold, his arms going around her without pressing too hard. He stayed mindful of her injury but close enough to reassure himself she was there.
That she was alive.
He’d feared that might not be the case.
She leaned into him, trembling beneath him. “Thanks for coming.”
“I should have been here earlier.”
“You had no way of knowing this would happen.”
“That doesn’t matter.” His jaw twitched at the words.
Her gaze held his a second longer before she said, “It was Kenny.”
Max blinked, the words not landing at first. “Kenny? Why would Kenny come after you?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never even talked to the man before. I didn’t know he even knew who I was.”
Why would Kenny leave Lyndee and risk being caught by coming here? It didn’t make sense. It didn’t match the narrative Max had formed in his head.
Footsteps approached him from behind.
Sheriff Sutherland stepped closer, his expression grim. “He didn’t just come after her. From what Hadley described, he intended to kill her. And he made it clear he’s not giving up.”
Max curled his hands into fists. This was even more reason to despise the man.
Sheriff Sutherland glanced between Max and Hadley before continuing, his tone shifting. “We need to get her to the hospital. That cut’s going to need stitches, and I want her checked out properly.”
Hadley started to protest, but Max didn’t give her the chance. “I’m going with her.”
Sheriff Sutherland nodded once. “Of course.”
Max’s gaze returned to Hadley, taking in the bruise, the way she held the bandage against her arm, the lingering fear she hadn’t shaken.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
Hadley leaned her head back against the seat as Max drove her away from the hospital.
The visit had been a blur of bright lights and questions. It had taken six stitches to close the cut on her arm. The doctor had prescribed pain medication and given her instructions she only half remembered.
Her mind was still stuck somewhere between the moment her bedroom door opened, and the second Kenny ran.
Max hadn’t said much since they left, but he’d stayed close the entire three hours she’d been at the hospital.
Hadley turned her head and studied him. His hands were tight on the steering wheel, his jaw set, and his gaze fixed on the road ahead. He’d been worried about her, she realized. He was still worried about her.
Even though their relationship was new, he truly cared about her. The thought brought her a strange measure of comfort. She’d felt alone for so long. She hadn’t realized how much she missed having someone to watch her back.
“You’re thinking pretty hard over there,” she murmured.
Max exhaled, the sound controlled but heavy. “Something about this doesn’t add up.”
“You mean Kenny?”
He rubbed his jaw and shook his head. “It just doesn’t make sense that he’d come after you.”
Hadley glanced at her hands before lifting her gaze again. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“He’s got to know the police are looking for him. Coming out from the woods was a huge risk. And you’re not part of this. You’ve got nothing to do with whatever he’s trying to accomplish.”
“I don’t know.” She’d thought about that also, but she didn’t have any answers. “Maybe he’s been behind everything. The break-in. The canceled appointments. The investigation into my license.”
“Your license?” He cast her a confused look.
She shook her head as she realized she hadn’t talked to him about that yet. “That’s right. I was going to tell you earlier but didn’t have the chance. Everything has been a blur.”
She explained the phone call from Ethan, leaving out any details about her prior relationship to Ethan. They didn’t seem important right now.
Max’s grip on the steering wheel seemed to tighten even more.
“Someone wants to destroy you, Hadley,” he finally murmured.
“I know. I just don’t know why.”
The road curved as they neared Refuge Cove, the familiar stretch of trees closing in around them. The gate came into view ahead, the property beyond it quiet and dark.
Max had suggested Hadley stay here tonight, and she’d readily agreed. There was no way she wanted to go back to her apartment. She couldn’t face the blood on her carpet and bedspread. The memories. The fear.
She could borrow anything she needed from Naomi—at least for one night.
Max slowed the truck and keyed in the code.
Hadley looked at the house as they pulled through, relief and unease settling side by side in her chest.