Playmaker - Jami Davenport Page 0,7

had one secretive person to deal with. I wasn’t going to be baited by another.

“I hired Drew Delacorte’s agency. They’re going to look into her disappearance. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give them much to go on.”

“I hope they find her for you.” Easton’s eyes were full of sympathy, causing a lump to rise in my throat and choke my ability to respond. I merely nodded like the emotional dumb-ass wreck that I was.

Why this woman? What made her so special? I knew zero about her background, her history, her family, her education. Fuck, I didn’t even know what she did for a living. She could be an assassin or a spy or a fugitive from the law. None of that seemed to matter because I knew her. I knew what was inside of her. I’d glimpsed her soul and witnessed her kindness.

So while I didn’t know her, I knew her.

And I had to find her.

Chapter Two

The Less You Know

~~Delaney~~

Coming to Madrona Island had been a stupid but wonderful idea. The islands were healing my soul, even while my heart remained broken.

I’d changed my appearance once again to be safe. I was now a redhead with green contacts. I wore baggy clothes so my figure wasn’t easily discernable. My second day on the island, I found a job as a maid at the Fiddler’s Cove Bed-and-Breakfast. The owners, Amanda and Brody, were incredible to work for. I had my own little studio on the first floor with a tiny kitchen and attached bathroom. My private sanctuary had a single French door that opened onto a small, private patio. While it didn’t have a water view like many rooms in the B and B, it did have an abundance of flowering bushes in bright colors.

The bushes reminded me of the ones outside my bedroom at the stately home I grew up in outside of Washington, DC. An only child, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t spoiled, but I was also not entitled or mean. My parents fought for justice and spoke out for those who were afraid or unable to speak for themselves. I’d been on my way to continuing their legacy when this mess happened. I missed my dad’s wise counsel and my mom’s common-sense kindness. I missed my job, where I’d just settled in and was gaining a reputation as the go-to person who’d always get the job done. All of that seemed like a lifetime ago. My life’s mission to be an advocate for the underserved seemed like another lifetime ago. Now the only mission I had was to stay alive.

Coming to Madrona might’ve been a mistake, but I hadn’t felt this safe in a very long time.

There was one problem. I’d run to the one place Kaden and I had discussed as a great getaway once the season was over. I didn’t know if I’d fled to this place because I wanted him to find me or if I’d done it because sometimes people wouldn’t look in the most obvious of places.

If he was looking.

And that was a big if.

Guys like Kaden could have any woman they wanted, and surely he’d moved on by now. I’d mistaken awesome sex for something deeper, more emotional, because I was emotionally deprived. I was separated from my family and friends, so Kaden had been the only person I had to lean on. He didn’t really know me, and I didn’t know him, though I knew a hell of a lot more about him than he did me.

I knew he had a mom who was a hairstylist, a dad who worked in a factory, a younger brother playing junior hockey in Canada, and a sister who played college hockey. They were a big-time hockey family, while I’d never seen a game in person. Once I met Kaden, I’d watched his games on TV, but that was the extent of my hockey exposure. He loved to cook, and he’d promised to cook for me. I’d made an excuse every time he’d invited me over to his condo. The fewer people who knew about me, the better, not just for my safety but theirs.

This new life sucked. I wanted my old life back—with the addition of Kaden. My rare rebellious side reared up and dared me to expose myself. Stop hiding. Go home. Contact Kaden. Live my life and let fate take a shot at me. How would that life look now? Where would Kaden fit in if I lived on the other