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“He’s a private investigator for a company in Chicago. It sounds like your ex-husband called and hired them to follow you, but he started to get a bad feeling about it and decided to warn you.” Maddox smooths a circle over my back. “That’s why he came to the apartment this morning.”
I lean back, my eyes jumping to his. “Trevor must know I took proof of what he’s done.”
“Maybe not.” Maddox moves to the large chair behind my desk and sits, situating me on his lap. “From what the PI said, Trevor claimed you were trying to take advantage of him and nullify the prenup you signed. He wanted them to collect dirt on you that might help him in court.”
I shake my head. “I’ve never contested the prenup. Not once.” I snort, bitterness rising like bile. “I’ve always been willing to walk away with practically nothing. I only asked for one single thing, and he refuses to give it to me.” My throat tightens. I try not to think about this part of what I lost, because it’s too painful. Reminds me how helpless I was and am. It drives home how Trevor has the power to take everything from me.
And that might include my life.
Maddox studies me. “What did you ask for?”
I sniff, overcome by emotion for the second time today. “My dog.”
I lower my head, because I hate letting anyone see me cry. I don’t think Maddox would exploit it, but it’s so hard to be that vulnerable. Not after having it used against me for so long.
“She was all I wanted, but since he’s the one who paid for her, Trevor claimed she belonged to him. Just like my clothes, my car, my cell phone and my business.”
When I lift my eyes, it’s not cute, easy-going Maddox staring back at me.
It’s murder Maddox.
His jaw is tight, nostrils flared, when he asks, “Where is your dog now?”
I wipe at a dry cheek, managing to corral the last of my tears, a little proud I didn’t allow a single one to fall. “I don’t know. Probably at Trevor’s house, locked up in her crate because he doesn’t even like animals.”
That was the hardest part about all of this. If I genuinely believed Coco was being taken care of, I could make peace with it. But I know she’s not. I know she’s being left to waste away in a crate, only being fed or given water when a member of his staff remembers.
Maddox pulls in a deep breath as he rocks his head from side to side, bones cracking with the motion. “I’ll find her. I promise.”
I shake my head, sadness and regret poking at me from all angles. “He’ll hide her from you the same way he hid her from me. That’s why I didn’t take her with me when I left. I think he believed I wouldn’t go without her.” I swallow hard. “But I didn’thave a choice. If I stayed, I knew eventually he would kill me.” I would have simply disappeared and no one would have ever known what happened.
“You did the right thing.” Maddox’s expression softens just a little. “And I’ve had enough dogs to know she would have done anything to protect you, so she might have ended up getting hurt if you’d stayed.”
He’s trying to make me feel better about one of the many impossible choices I’ve had to make, but I can’t feel better about losing Coco. Not ever.
Smoothing down my hair, I carefully stand. “What now?”
Maddox shrugs. “Now we go back to work.”
That’s not what I was expecting him to say. “What? But that guy?—”
“I told him Intel was going to run his information through the system to confirm everything he told me and he didn’t protest, so I think there’s a good chance he’s telling the truth.” Maddox gets up and goes to open the door. “And if he is, we have one more person looking out for you, so I’m gonna take it.”
That sounds a little too good to be true. “And if he’s not?”
Maddox flashes me a smile as we walk through the storage room. “Then I’ll find him and kill him.”
MADDOX TURNS TO me as we come to a stop at a light. His hand is draped leisurely over the steering wheel of my usedcrossover SUV, his expression serious. “You should come work with me. Start killing people for a living.”
“What?” A laugh sneaks out because imagining me as a mercenary or bodyguard or whatever he is, is hilarious. “Why would I come do that?”
He turns back to the road as the light switches to green. “Because it’s a hell of a lot easier than what we just did.”
I laugh some more, because I think he’s kidding, but when he doesn’t shoot me that puppy dog grin he slides into when he’s teasing, my laughter fades. “You’re serious.”
“Yeah, I’m serious.” He frowns. “My feet are killing me. I folded and refolded the same shirt two hundred times today because people are assholes and can’t be fucked to put things back the way they find them.” He continues listing off things I deal with on a regular basis. “Ginny gave me a headache because she never stops fucking complaining through the earpiece, and Dane thinks if he smiles at you and winks enough, you’ll give him a free week of vacation.” Maddox keeps going. “And why the fuck do you have to ask every single goddamn person who checks out if they want to open a credit card?”
Now I’m laughing again, because his assessment of my job is pretty spot on. “If it makes you feel any better, whoever has the most credit card sign-ups gets a bonus.”