“Don’t be stupid like me. Don’t put Mom and Dad through that again. Let Trey keep you safe, even if you think it’s not necessary. Let him do what he feels he has to do. How long can it take for them to track down Jake? A week, tops. Isn’t that a small price to pay to give everyone around you, including me, peace of mind?”
I was wrong. That was the kill shot. Emotional manipulation—sister style.
Addy’s gaze came back to me, assessing, evaluating; in other words—not happy.
“Want to stay here,” she started then stopped. Her lips twisted as she weighed her next words. “But it freaks me out he knows where I live. I didn’t tell him, so either he looked it up somehow, or he followed me. Neither of those is good.”
I nodded but wisely kept quiet.
“I don’t want to give him more,” Addy grumbled.
“What was that?”
“I don’t want to give him more,” she repeated louder. “I’ve given him all that I want to give him. I wasted a lot of time after he broke up with me licking my wounds, blaming myself, wondering what I did to make him leave me. It ticks me off thinking about giving him more. Uprooting my life, using Triple Canopy resources, taking up valuable—”
“Adalynn, there is nothing more valuable than you,” I broke in.
I watched as Addy’s shoulders stiffened, her head tilted to the side, her eyes widened and this time she studied me far more thoroughly. And I let her. Didn’t move a single muscle, didn’t mask my sincerity, nor did I close down. I needed her to know I was serious. I wasn’t blowing sunshine trying to get her to do what I wanted.
“Straight up, Addy, you’re more important than resources and manpower. Me looking after you isn’t a waste, it would be an honor. I get you wanna stay here, and we will if that’s what you want. But you’re right, he knows where you live and that’s creepy as fuck. Beyond that, it’s stalking. You didn’t give him your address. You didn’t invite further communication. So I’d feel better staying at my place, but the choice is yours.”
“Your place.”
Thank fuck.
“But you have to promise me something?”
Anything. “What’s that?”
“You won’t tell my dad.”
Except that.
“Not gonna play that game, Addy. Either you tell him what went down or I do.” Addy started to protest but I kept talking right on over her. No fucking way was I hiding this shit from her family. “I think you feel me when I tell you, I get you’re a grown woman. I also get you’re independent. But this has nothing to do with that and everything to do with playing it smart. The more people who understand what’s going on, the safer you are, and the faster this shit gets sorted. And that’s what you want, right? To get this shit done, so Jake doesn’t take up more of your time, and you can get back to livin’?”
Addy’s face turned a bright shade of red. This time it wasn’t sexy. But it sure as fuck was cute.
It also meant I’d won this round.
So I’d take it.
But later, I’d turn her pretty cheeks pink in a better way.
11
I didn’t know what I’d expected. Truthfully, I hadn’t really thought about where Trey lived. Well, I had wondered in a none-of-my-business-but-I-wanted-to-know-everything-about-the-man sort of way. But like all things having to do with him, I’d shoved it to the back of my mind.
However, someone could’ve given me a list of ten properties and I wouldn’t have picked this one as the house Trey lived in.
This being a brick home in a gated community.
Gated community.
A five-bedroom, five-bath home with a covered front porch. A covered porch with two rocking chairs.
Rocking. Chairs.
Trey had a McMansion with rocking chairs.
I was so stunned I didn’t know what to say. I mean, what was there to say? A former Navy SEAL, current commando-slash-PI, lived in a family-style home, albeit a huge family home, with rocking chairs.
How in the heck was this even possible?
“Addy, you okay?” Trey inquired.
My gaze skidded from the fabulous archways, to the pillars, to the gourmet kitchen I could see through the open dining room, to Trey. He looked perfectly comfortable in the vast space. Right at home in the monstrous living room. My eyes left Trey and traveled up the stonework that surrounded the fireplace, going up, and up, and up, reaching the cathedral ceiling.