Page 49 of No Love Lost

Heath wanted to kick himself for not being in her life earlier. Even if these things were accidents or normal wear and tear on appliances and equipment, he wanted to help her. But his gut was screaming they weren’t all accidents. Looked like Marcus and Graham felt the same.

Graham frowned. “Your utility room is on the outside of the house?”

She nodded, but her frown hadn’t disappeared. Heath squeezed her gently. “What else? There’s something you’re thinking about.”

“It seems silly, and it was probably just me.”

Marcus tapped his notebook. “Tell us anyway.”

She sighed. “Okay. Today, when I sat down to work at my desk, my notebook and pen were in the wrong drawer.”

“Do you always put them in the same place?”

She nodded. “Yes. It’s routine.”

“Have you ever found them in the wrong drawer before?”

“No, but I was packing up to go to Boston with Heath, and I wonder if I just wasn’t paying attention.” She sighed. “And the other day, Heath found the cereal box tipped over in the pantry. There was cereal everywhere.”

Marcus frowned. “Could it have been Nina?”

Addy shook her head. “No, she doesn’t eat cereal, and there’s nothing on that shelf that she’d been using. I figured I just didn’t replace it properly.”

Heath shook his head. “I didn’t think of it earlier, but that doesn’t sound like you. And you probably would have noticed it if it tipped over when you put it back.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

Marcus sighed. “Addison, your keys are missing, and things have been tampered with in your house.”

Her face paled. “Do you think someone’s been inside?”

Marcus shrugged. “Maybe. Why don’t we head out to your place and see if we can find any evidence or anything else moved?”

Or hidden cameras. Heath didn’t say that out loud, but he was sure the other two were thinking it as well. If someone was watching his girls with hidden cameras, Heath was going to tear him limb from limb.

Addison was freaking herself out. Or the men were freaking her out. No one would be deliberately doing these things to her. She and Nina didn’t have enemies. That was the realm of her books, not her life.

Heath opened the car door for her and tucked her inside before heading to the driver’s seat. He and the other two men were on hyper-alert. She was very glad Nina was at school for another couple of hours.

Unless someone was following her daughter. “I think I should call the school.”

Heath’s knuckles whitened where he gripped the wheel. “We’re only a couple of minutes away from your house. Do you want to talk to Marcus first?”

Again, she appreciated he didn’t try to overrule her. “I don’t know. I don’t want to scare her if this is nothing.” If someone was tampering with their house and their things, the person wouldn’t know they’d figured it out. Nina would be safe inside the school.

“I can get her from the school. Bring her here.”

She blew out a breath. “I think you’re right. Let’s hear what Marcus thinks first.”

They pulled into her driveway and she had the inane thought she was going to have to widen the space to make room for all the extra vehicles that were showing up these days.

“Do you really think someone is doing things to us?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Heath reached over and squeezed her hands, then waited until she looked at him. “I do, but I could be overreacting. I do know that if there’s any possibility that someone is targeting you, there’s no way you’re staying here alone. Either I’ll stay here, or you two can come back to the farmhouse with me. I don’t want to take any chances with either of you. You’re so damn important to me, and I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

Addy had to blink back the tears, and then she leaned over the console to kiss him. “Thanks.”

She pulled up her scarf and tugged down her hat, then climbed out of the car. Heath immediately moved to her side and took her mittened hand in his.

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