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Chapter Eighteen

Quinn

Ihad become paranoid.

Very paranoid.

But I had a good reason. That note wasn't a gesture of good faith, or placed on the wrong door.

It was meant for me.

I had spent the last week walking Cadence anywhere and everywhere she needed to go. It didn't matter what she was doing, but I wasn't letting her out of my sight.

The Macro was still confined behind bars, I had her double check. So the only logical explanation I could come up with was he had hired someone on the outside to do his dirty work until he had the chance himself.

I knew everything was too good to be true. How could I have been so stupid to think he wouldn't try something from in there?

It was a false sense of security I had mindlessly let infiltrate my brain. Of course he was going to try and wield his control, that's who he was.

And I had let that piece get lost, forgotten, erased from the front of my thoughts.

We should just move, change our names and rid ourselves of this life completely.

But I couldn't walk away from the center, I couldn't just pretend to be someone I'm not. And it wasn't fair to even consider that as an option.

I just wanted to make sure Cadence would always be safe, that our child would always be safe, that we could move on.

Even if the bad guys couldn't.

Watching Cadence drop the electric bill into the mailbox, she turned and smiled. “So, how much longer are you going to be babysitting me?”

“Babysitting?” Walking my fingers around her hips, I tugged her body against mine. “I don't know if you noticed, but you're about ready to pop. What if you go into labor and I'm not around?”

“Quinn, I'm not going to drop the baby on the sidewalk, it does take time you know.” Swirling a finger across my chest, she looked up at me with those big blue eyes. “Are you sure that's it?”

God those eyes, every time she looked at me that way, I could feel myself getting lost, coming undone.

And I loved every second of it. I could stare into her eyes forever, and that's exactly what I planned on doing.

“Of course, I just want to make sure I'm here for you.”

I didn't want to let her know how worried I really was about that note. She didn't need that kind of stress, not right now.

Squinting her lids, I felt like she was peering into my head, watching and reading my thoughts. I wasn't good at lying, and I was even worse at lying to her.

“I don't believe you. Is this still about that letter?” Her chin shifted higher, face turning rigid.

“Cadence, I—”

Holding up her hand, she touched my chest. “I know that letter has screwed with your head, Quinn. And while I'm not saying it didn't scare me a little, nothing has come of it either. There have been no other notes, no packages or weird computerized, stalker phone calls. Maybe it was from my dad, I don't know. But he can't touch us, not anymore. So unless you're going to just come right out and tell me why it fucked with you so much, then I think you should try and let it go.”

“Let it go? How the hell can I let it go?” Squeezing my jaw between two fingers, I scratched the hollow of my throat. “Those words you read, those were the words—” Waving my hand in the air, I looked up at the sky. “You know what, never mind. I just think we need to be careful, that's all.”

“You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know, but right now we need to focus on other things.” Pressing my hands around her stomach, I rubbed her belly. “More important things.”

“Alright, I get it.” The sound of her voice was flat, letting the conversation go. “Are you ready? We don't want to be late.”