Chapter 60
CHAPTER SIXTY
Logan and Dakota get in the car while I stand there with my mouth open. What in the heck? Thank freak they didn’t see me. Logan will think I’m stalking him. I swear I’m not! He knows everything about me; he could have us by the balls.
Then, there’s movement in the front yard.
Holy creamsicle, I didn’t see Ronan. Ronan, who isn’t getting in the car. Ronan, who sees us. Ronan, who’s walking over.
HE’S WALKING OVER.
“The price is really good,” Maddox says begrudgingly.
Freak, freak, freak. Sound the alarm. Call the president! Call the genie and tell him all three of my wishes are to become invisible right freaking now.
Grabbing Maddox’s arm, I guide him to the car while rushing our goodbyes to Susie. Seeing Ronan might send Maddox right into the memory of the night with Arthur, just when he’s starting to feel better.
“Are you okay?” Maddox asks, his gaze sharp.
I must have pissed off some deity, because I’m not fast enough.
“Hey, fuckers!”
I stiffen. Maddox stiffens too, then looks over his shoulder.
Ronan is striding up with a grin on his face. He wiggles his fingers at Susie and crosses his arms, grinning at us, showing a lot of teeth.
“What you doing here?”
“House tour,” I say quickly. “What about you?” What are they doing here? Burying a body? Killing a live one?
My heart pounds, and suddenly my mouth is dry. I can sense Maddox’s stiffness beside me.
“The place needs a new roof.” Ronan nods at the house.
Susie still hasn’t left yet. She’s waiting by her car.
“I figured,” Maddox says. “And new siding, and the windows seemed drafty.”
I whip my gaze to Maddox. He’s talking to Ronan? As in, the Ronan who was on the phone the night when I called for help…
Oh freak. Maddox might not know Ronan. He’s never met him in person, and he might not even remember that phone call.
“Yeah, the place is old as shit.” Ronan is still smiling, but I watch his gaze evaluate us closely. I get the impression that whatever has brought them here means that this is not the house for us.
I smile, trying to keep my tone light. “Yeah, probably too much work.”
Ronan just smiles.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
His eyes twinkle. “You trying to be our new neighbor?”
I stare at him, my brain moving slowly. New neighbor?
“That’s Logan’s place.” He nods behind him.
Logan’s place? I think I stop breathing.
Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. First of all, stop dropping names Maddox might remember. Second of all, Logan lives here?
“Sorry,” I squeak. “I had no idea. Absolutely not.”
Maddox looks over at me, but I refuse to make eye contact.
I don’t want to send him over the edge. I don’t want all the work we did over the last few weeks to go to shit because a memory was sprung on him when he wasn’t ready.
When he was finally happy. I don’t want him picturing Arthur’s dead body and what we did to him.
I can barely breathe.
“Please don’t tell Logan,” I say. “I had no idea.” I open the car door.
“You gonna get cows?”
The question is so odd that I snap a look over to Ronan. He’s looking over my shoulder in the car.
“Princess isn’t here,” I say, and Ronan’s expression falls.
He huffs. “Get Highland cows.”
“What?”
“I won’t tell Logan if you get Highland cows.” Ronan crosses his arms. “He won’t let me get them, but he can’t argue if you do.”
I blink at him. He’s…okay with this?
Ronan nods like he’s answering his own question. “This would be good. He’s been on his high horse too long.” He throws me a blinding smile. “Get the place. This would work great. And get the tan kind.”
Maddox isn’t moving, and I hope he’s okay. I want him to be okay, desperately. I just need to get rid of Ronan.
“Okay,” I say.
“Fuck yeah.” Ronan turns on his heel. “I’ll keep him off the scent long enough for you to sign.”
Ronan walks off, and we’re left by the car, the sounds of the wind and engine running.
Then, Maddox moves. He goes to get in the car, and I follow around to the other side, stiffly.
After I shut the door, he turns the car on in silence.
I barely breathe. If I don’t move, maybe I won’t trigger anything.
Maybe he can hold onto a tiny grip of the present.
The humming of the AC, the smell of warm leather, the soft radio.
Then, Maddox’s deep voice says, “Wanna fuck?”