Page 7

FOUR

AUDREY

“I DON’T THINK I can do this.”

Maybe can’t is technically the wrong word. I don’t want to do this. No single part of me wants to come face-to-face with someone who might be connected to Trevor. Someone who could be on his payroll. Someone he may have sent to spy on me in an attempt to find out what I know.

Because if I come face-to-face with him, there’s a chance he could discover I know everything .

If that happens, I lose the tiny bit of an upper hand I possess. Then there’s nothing stopping him from trying to take me out.

Trying to silence me.

“I’ll be right here the whole time. You aren’t going to be alone for a single second.” Maddox’s gaze is steady on mine. “Intel wouldn’t suggest this if they thought it could get you hurt.”

That seems like a stretch. “They don’t even know me. I don’t think they’re that worried about my well-being.” Sure, they’re being paid to care, but there are limits to what money can buy. Sometimes those limits stretch further than they should, but they still exist.

Maddox frowns at me like I’ve offended him. “People don’t have to know you to want you to be safe, Audrey.”

That hasn’t been my experience at all. “People who do know me don’t want me to be safe, so you’ll have to forgive me for not believing you.”

I’ve been working hard at learning to stand up for myself.

Doing my best to make sure I don’t end up in another bad situation.

Disagreeing with this deadly man—even in such a small way—makes me feel like maybe I’m actually getting somewhere.

No, this isn’t a huge argument, but speaking up about my experiences and countering his claims is something I never would have done before.

But when Maddox’s lips flatten and his nostrils flare, the familiar pang of panic twists my gut. Tells me I’ve said too much and gone too far. Self-preservation has me opening my mouth, ready to backtrack, but a knock on my door stops my words before they can even start.

Maddox and I both turn to the front of my apartment at the same time.

I swallow the saliva collecting in my mouth as my skin goes cold. “I think I might throw up.”

“Just breathe.” Maddox rests his hands on my shoulders, leaning down to align our eyes. “I can answer the door,” he says slowly and calmly, “but then you have to do the recording.”

I immediately bob my head in a nod, because recording sounds so much less scary than trying to interact with whoever’s on my doorstep. “I can record.”

Maddox holds my eyes a second longer before reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

After unlocking it, he opens the camera app and hands it to me.

“I’ll keep his attention on me, but if something goes sideways and things start to seem like they’re headed the wrong direction, go lock yourself in the bedroom, understand? ”

Again, I nod, the movement continuing as Maddox peels away his shirt, revealing the broad expanse of his bare chest.

“What are you doing?” If I sound breathless, it’s probably from panic. Definitely not a reaction to the sight of him naked from the waist up.

“If I answer the door in my gear, there’s the chance he’ll suspect who I am, and I’d like to keep that a secret for as long as we can.

” Maddox’s answer is just above a whisper.

His hands go to the waistband of his tactical pants, long fingers nimbly flipping the button free before dragging down the zipper.

“Unless you’re opposed to someone thinking we’re.

..” His voice trails off instead of finishing the thought.

And I’d really like to hear him finish that thought.

“We’re, what?”

Whoever’s outside knocks again, and Maddox finishes shucking his pants, leaving him standing before me in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs.

I swallow hard again, but this time it’s not from nausea. I knew he was well-built, but what’s in front of me now? This is just ridiculous. Every muscle on his body is developed and toned, bulging with strength and raw power.

“ Audrey .” The way he says my name is sharp. Like maybe he’s said it already and I missed it.

Forcing my eyes to his face, I smile out of reflex. “What?”

“It’s time.” He motions to the phone in my hand. “Be ready.”

“I’m ready.”

I follow him to the door, taking my spot behind it so I stay out of sight as Maddox uses one hand to mess up his hair.

Then he’s unlocking the deadbolt and removing the only barrier between us and whoever is outside.

I can’t see them, but I can still see Maddox, and he gives the other person a sleepy looking grin.

“Sorry. We were still asleep.” He lifts one arm, leaning against the door frame, effectively blocking the opening with his body. “Can I help you?”

“Umm…” The other man sounds surprised. “I might have the wrong address.”

Maddox’s free hand lifts to the edge of the door. It looks like he’s simply hanging on, but his pointer finger aims my way. It’s the signal that my part in this whole plan—formerly his part—is up.

Edging closer to the gap at the hinges, I align the back camera of his phone with the opening, watching the screen until our visitor comes into view.

I can’t get a great look since I’m still standing off to the side, but he doesn’t seem familiar to me.

A lot of people came and went from the house when I was married to Trevor though, so it’s possible I’ve seen him before and just don’t remember.

“Are you looking for someone in particular?” Maddox keeps the guy talking as I continue recording. From what he explained, the more video we have of this guy, the more likely it is he can be identified.

“Tom?” Our visitor practically blurts out the name.

“Are you asking me, or telling me?” There’s an edge to Maddox’s voice I haven’t heard before. It’s sharp and dangerous and a little scary. “Because you should probably know who you’re looking for before you start knocking on strange people’s doors on a Saturday morning.”

I almost gasp. It’s Saturday . I’m supposed to be at work in an hour and I totally freaking forgot.

“I’m sorry I interrupted…”—the guy looks Maddox over—“whatever it is you’ve got going on here.” He starts to step back and I pull my hand away from the gap, tucking the phone close.

I wait for Maddox to close the door, but he continues standing there, tall and imposing, a hard expression on his face. After many long seconds, he finally closes us in. After flipping the deadbolt into place, he turns to me. “Are you okay?”

Not, ‘ Did you get the recording? ’ Not, ‘ I can’t believe you’re too big of a coward to answer the door yourself. ’ Not, ‘ Way to be a pain in the ass and make me do everything .’

It’s weird not having blame piled on my shoulders when I don’t live up to someone’s expectations. Not bad weird. Just weird.

I hold his phone out. “I think I got what you wanted.”

“Great.” Maddox barely glances at his cell as he steps closer, bringing the mostly naked line of his body toward me. “How are you doing?”

I’m really not used to someone showing concern for me in general, which is why I ignored his question in the first place. It makes me want to feel like he cares, and that seems like a bad idea since he’s being paid to be here.

“I’m good.” Shoving the phone at him, I start to back away from all the bare skin and tight underwear trying to steal my eyeballs. “But I should get a shower. I’ve got to be at work soon.”

Maddox’s brows lift. “Work?” His head tilts. “It’s Saturday.”

“I manage a clothing store, so I work almost every weekend.” Even when I worked for myself I went in on Saturdays, so I’m used to the weekend hours. It’s not like I have anything else going on.

Outside of trying to stay alive.

“Okay.” Maddox props both hands on his hips, fingers resting right along the V-shaped groove framing his abs. “Then I guess you get a shower and I’ll finish our breakfast. We can head out whenever you’re ready.”

I force my eyes away from that deeply distracting area of his body. “You’re coming with me?”

Maddox’s lips curl into a hint of a smile and it makes my belly flutter. “I go where you go.”

I mean…technically I’m about to go into the shower…

Clearing my throat, I blink hard a few times. This poor man has been nothing but nice to me. Outside of that little misunderstanding we had, he’s been completely appropriate.

And here I am wondering what he looks like naked and wet.

Spinning away, I go straight for the bathroom. “I’ll hurry so you can jump in after me.”

Rushing through the process, I quickly scrub down and dry off. After rubbing on some lotion, I wrap on my robe and hustle to my bedroom.

One of the perks of the job I have is that, thanks to the employee discount, I’ve been able to build a new wardrobe relatively quickly.

The clothes hanging in my closet are a lot different than the ones I left behind, but they fit the life I live now way better than the designer labels and red-bottomed heels would have.

Picking out my favorite pair of wide-leg jeans and a cropped sweater, I hurry to get dressed.

Once that’s done, I duck into the bathroom to fix my hair and apply a little makeup.

I’m running at hyper speed, but Maddox still finishes making breakfast before I’m done.

When I reach the kitchen, my eggs are plated with a piece of buttered toast and a fresh cup of coffee, and he’s packing a bunch of random stuff into the soft-sided lunch box I use to take leftovers into work.

His eyes lift to mine before dropping back down as he tosses a granola bar in. “I figured you might need some snacks.”

Am I caught in some sort of alternate universe? It sure seems like it, because I’ve never had a man take care of me like this. Not the ones I dated. Not the one I married. And sure as heck not the one who contributed to my DNA.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Once again I’m unsure how to react to his thoughtful gesture. I’ve never been presented with this sort of a scenario before. “But thank you.”