the lie.
No sale. Director Casey might’ve pulled him out of Detroit, but the official case had nothing to do with why he’d come out here in the dark. He hadn’t come here for Casey. He’d climbed those steps and disrupted Addison’s night simply to satisfy his curiosity.
Behind him the door opened and he felt her staring at him.
She crossed the room, keeping as much distance as the small space allowed. “This is impossible. You’re real.” She cleared her throat. “Alive, I mean.”
“I am.”
“Part of me expected you to vaporize while I talked with...” She tilted her head back toward the door. “With my son.”
So the boy he’d seen in the park was hers, not Everett’s. He wasn’t sure why that made him feel worse about all this. “Leaving you on our wedding day wasn’t my idea.”
“And still you weren’t there.” She held up her hands as if she could wave away the accusation. “Forget it. We can’t change whatever took you away. I was grateful you left the note.”
He’d broken protocol with that, but he’d had to do something. It was their wedding day, for crying out loud. The note wouldn’t have been nearly enough to earn her understanding, but it had been the only option.
“Come on, Drew. Start explaining.”
Start where? Words failed him. His life had been a thousand times easier staying away from her. Lonely as hell, but easier. She’d moved on, had a kid, and the best way to honor her independence was to move on with his. He focused on his purpose here: to get her into Casey’s protection.
“Speaking of vaporizing,” he began, pointing at her. He realized the error of the phrase when her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Some important people are worried about you and your son.” Casey couldn’t have warned him about that detail? Where was the kid’s father? “They asked me if I could track you down.”
“What kind of important people?”
“People who want to keep you safe.”
She pursed those full, rosy lips, then shook her head. “Congratulations. You of all people should know I came here because I didn’t want to be found. Tell them you were wrong. Tell them you couldn’t find me.”
“Not a chance. I can’t go back empty-handed.”
“Of course you can. You will , since I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Be reasonable, Addison.”
“You first,” she snapped, carefully pitching her voice so she wouldn’t wake her son. “Tell me who sent you.”
“You need help. You’re in over your head.”
“Give me a name, Drew.”
He hesitated. “You’ve got the authorities running in circles looking for you all over the country,” he hedged. Based on her mutinous expression, she wouldn’t budge on this. The only name he could give wouldn’t mean anything to her anyway. He weighed the mission goal with the usual security requirements. “Thomas Casey sent me.”
“Alone?”
Drew nodded, wondering why she was so insistent about this.
“Who is he to you?”
“No one.” He jerked a shoulder. “A man who gets what he wants. He sent an escort to pick me up in Detroit—”
“Detroit, Michigan ?”
Inside his head, Drew swore. Was there anything he could do right here? “Yes.”
“You’ve been living in the States?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not dead. You’re living back in your hometown.”
“Yes,” he whispered, feeling miserable for causing the pain in her soft icy-blue eyes.
“For how long?”
He might as well lay out all the cards. “I’ve been in Detroit almost a year.”
She turned her back on him. “Get out.”
“I can’t do that.” How could he make her understand? Without her trust, he wasn’t sure he could get her to cooperate, and he didn’t want to resort to brute force.
She whirled around, her blue gaze full of fury and fire. “Sure you can. You’ve been in Detroit, letting me believe you were dead. You seem to have mastered staying out of my life. Feel free to continue.”
His temper bubbled up to match
No sale. Director Casey might’ve pulled him out of Detroit, but the official case had nothing to do with why he’d come out here in the dark. He hadn’t come here for Casey. He’d climbed those steps and disrupted Addison’s night simply to satisfy his curiosity.
Behind him the door opened and he felt her staring at him.
She crossed the room, keeping as much distance as the small space allowed. “This is impossible. You’re real.” She cleared her throat. “Alive, I mean.”
“I am.”
“Part of me expected you to vaporize while I talked with...” She tilted her head back toward the door. “With my son.”
So the boy he’d seen in the park was hers, not Everett’s. He wasn’t sure why that made him feel worse about all this. “Leaving you on our wedding day wasn’t my idea.”
“And still you weren’t there.” She held up her hands as if she could wave away the accusation. “Forget it. We can’t change whatever took you away. I was grateful you left the note.”
He’d broken protocol with that, but he’d had to do something. It was their wedding day, for crying out loud. The note wouldn’t have been nearly enough to earn her understanding, but it had been the only option.
“Come on, Drew. Start explaining.”
Start where? Words failed him. His life had been a thousand times easier staying away from her. Lonely as hell, but easier. She’d moved on, had a kid, and the best way to honor her independence was to move on with his. He focused on his purpose here: to get her into Casey’s protection.
“Speaking of vaporizing,” he began, pointing at her. He realized the error of the phrase when her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Some important people are worried about you and your son.” Casey couldn’t have warned him about that detail? Where was the kid’s father? “They asked me if I could track you down.”
“What kind of important people?”
“People who want to keep you safe.”
She pursed those full, rosy lips, then shook her head. “Congratulations. You of all people should know I came here because I didn’t want to be found. Tell them you were wrong. Tell them you couldn’t find me.”
“Not a chance. I can’t go back empty-handed.”
“Of course you can. You will , since I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Be reasonable, Addison.”
“You first,” she snapped, carefully pitching her voice so she wouldn’t wake her son. “Tell me who sent you.”
“You need help. You’re in over your head.”
“Give me a name, Drew.”
He hesitated. “You’ve got the authorities running in circles looking for you all over the country,” he hedged. Based on her mutinous expression, she wouldn’t budge on this. The only name he could give wouldn’t mean anything to her anyway. He weighed the mission goal with the usual security requirements. “Thomas Casey sent me.”
“Alone?”
Drew nodded, wondering why she was so insistent about this.
“Who is he to you?”
“No one.” He jerked a shoulder. “A man who gets what he wants. He sent an escort to pick me up in Detroit—”
“Detroit, Michigan ?”
Inside his head, Drew swore. Was there anything he could do right here? “Yes.”
“You’ve been living in the States?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not dead. You’re living back in your hometown.”
“Yes,” he whispered, feeling miserable for causing the pain in her soft icy-blue eyes.
“For how long?”
He might as well lay out all the cards. “I’ve been in Detroit almost a year.”
She turned her back on him. “Get out.”
“I can’t do that.” How could he make her understand? Without her trust, he wasn’t sure he could get her to cooperate, and he didn’t want to resort to brute force.
She whirled around, her blue gaze full of fury and fire. “Sure you can. You’ve been in Detroit, letting me believe you were dead. You seem to have mastered staying out of my life. Feel free to continue.”
His temper bubbled up to match
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