Page 56 of Simply You & Me

Okay, and? What the hell does this have to do with what just fucking happened? I don't really give a shit that this guy is Addie's family friend. I need to be out there hunting Cadell down.

"Johnathan went by the name Johnny in high school. He grew up here and dated Addie. I wasn't aware of what happened to her in high school until we got her statement yesterday. It turns out that the same man who's after you also raped my niece in high school and made her life a living hell."

I'm stunned silent.

Johnathan is the Johnny Addie told us about? That's impossible. How could two horrid pieces of both our pasts be connected? How could they both collide in such a fucked up form of fate?

"That c-can't be right," I mumble, my eyes pleading with them to take it back.

Don leans forward once again with his arms braced along the metal table. "It is. Tell me, how long did you know someone was coming for you?"

I internally cringe, trying to hold my hard exterior in the face of this judgmental, protective fucking prick. "A week and a half."

Don's hand slams into the table, making the young officer jump in surprise. "Get the fuck out."

"But—" I start, only for Don to wave me off.

"We’ll have squads stationed outside of her apartment as well as her friend's house, Mrs. Parker, and yours. We will find this asshole, but until then, I expect complete cooperation from you and the other guys. You find out anything, you tell us. I swear to Christ, if you don't and put my nieces in more danger, I will find a way to end you."

The young cop chokes, startled by the threat Don just threw at me. My stomach pinches with unease and sinks; guilt threatening to bring me to my knees.

How could we have been so wrong? How could I have been so wrong?

Addie went home today. Watching her being wheeled out of the hospital was like a kick to my gut. The way she held her stomach will forever be ingrained in my mind. I hope someday I’ll get to feel and hold our baby like she does.

"What's going on, Zach? I have shit to do." Wyatt's on edge, itching to get back to his laptops and figure out who’s behind all of this.

I swallow and stand from my chair at the kitchen table. I can't sit while I share the news. My blood feels like it's boiling, and I'm trying so hard not to drown under the torment that is my mind and emotions.

Pacing around the island, I can't force away the thickness of my voice. "Johnathan Cadell. He's the one who took Dolly. Him and his fucking team."

"WHAT?!" Wyatt roars, his chair clattering to the ground behind him. "The fuck—how did you—I WOULD HAVE KNOWN!"

He's losing his cool, his own guilt coming to a tipping point as he realizes just how close this was for us. We've been neck and neck with Cadell's team for years, always fighting to be the best. And it fucking stings that they bested us when it mattered most.

"That's not all," I say, clenching my jaw, knowing this is about to get ten times worse than the heaving chests around the table. "When I went to the station for questioning last night, I met Addie's family friend or uncle, I guess. Johnathan grew up here. He used to go by the name of Johnny."

I let that sink in and watch the devastation tear through the hearts of the three men in front of me. The moment in clicks for Julian physically hurts me as his eyes widen and he mouths the word no over and over again. Wyatt's next, his fist immediately clenching and ramming itself into the wall, creating a hole similar to the one my soul aches with without Addie here. Tate jumps at the loud noise and cracking plaster, and I long to go to him. To soothe his anxieties and impending panic attack.

"T," I start, only for him to gasp. When his attention shifts to me, his eyes are pleading with me to tell him it's not true. That the person who’s after us also has a fucked up past with our woman. Giving Johnathan the perfect target to fulfill his twisted desires on.

Shock doesn't quite cover what I feel when I see Tate's eyes cloud over. I'm worried he's shutting down on us, but instead of retreating to his room when he stands, he wraps his arms around Wyatt's waist. Wyatt's shoulders immediately drop, as do a few droplets of blood from his knuckles.

"I'll get the first aid kit," Julian murmurs, rising from his chair too.

When I see him go to the closet, I say, "It's still in the bathroom." It's like a wave of misery settles on each of us as we remember why the first aid kit is still in the bathroom. The realization that I haven't checked on Addie and her self-harm in over a week makes me fucking sick.

I see the same look on the other three as well. We have been horrible. Not at just being boyfriends, but at being human beings. Fuck.

We're so fucking low right now; the only way to go is up. I just hope Adelyn and Rory allow us to try.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Tate

Addie's home now. Has been for a few days. I haven't spoken to her or even seen her since we watched her being wheeled out of the hospital. That's not to say we haven't been near her. There's no fucking way we would leave her unprotected after everything. Even with the constant squad car keeping watch outside of everyone's homes, we still need to keep her safe ourselves.

Wyatt has barely slept since Friday night. Now that Addie's home and tucked away in her apartment on bed rest, he's been watching the cameras in and outside of her apartment building. We aren't taking any chances.

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