Page 22 of Burning Truth

Sighing, he leaned back in the chair, then suddenly leaned forward again, like he was in pain.

“Okay, let me see it,” Addie said, pushing up from the chair and moving around behind him. She tugged at the shoulder of his dark gray t-shirt, but he waved her away.

“It’s fine,” he said, voice low. “Leave me alone.”

“Quit being stoic and show me your damn shoulder.”

He didn’t say anything as she lifted the hem of cotton up around his neck. He’d removed the bandage, and the cut up high had scabbed over pretty well.

“It’s fine,” he said again. “It’s just tight, and I pulled on the scab when I sat back.”

“Want me to add more cream?”

“No.”

Addie frowned, knowing that pulling on a healing wound couldn’t be a good thing, but she could see his resolve. “You’re impossible,” she said, shaking her head as she stepped back, deciding not to press. “Just promise me you’ll take it easy today?”

“Sure,” he replied with a hint of a smirk, but the glint in his eyes suggested he had no intention of actually listening.

“No,” he said, returning to their earlier conversation. “I haven’t seen a combination like this before. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen, though.”

She huffed out a breath.

As they finished their coffee, a buzz interrupted the moment. Severn reached for his phone on the table. He glanced at the screen, his brow furrowing slightly as he read the incoming message.

“What’s up?” Addie asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.

“Gabbie found something she’d like to show us,” he replied, his voice steady but laced with urgency. “We need to run over to my office.”

“What did she find?” Addie’s heart raced at the prospect of new information that could lead them closer to uncovering BrickBrak’s identity.

Severn stood, folding his phone away with a tight expression. “She tracked an IP address linked to some unusual activity on your social media. Looks like our friend might be a little closer than we thought.”

A chill rushed through Addie. “Closer how?”

“Let’s not waste time,” he said, already grabbing an overshirt off the chair. He was wearing a gun on his hip again today, and she assumed the shirt was to conceal it. “Go get dressed. I’ll pour your coffee in a to-go cup. She thinks he might be tracking your posts live. We need to figure out how that’s even possible before he makes a move.”

Addie felt the panic rise inside her, but she squashed it down. She couldn’t let fear dictate her actions. “All right, back in a minute,” she said.

Addie raced up the stairs, stripping off her sleep-clothes as she went. She dressed as quickly as she could in casual jean capris, a shirt and tennis shoes. It was mid-summer, and she wasn’t sure how Severn was going to comfortably wear twoshirts. It was too hot for that. Scraping her hair back into a poofy ponytail, she fluffed her bangs, but she wasn’t wild about the look. Some of the makeup was still there from last night, she just cleaned it up a little. She wasn’t runway ready, but she wasn’t a total slob, either.

Jogging down the stairs, she dropped her phone, wallet and chapstick into a black Coach cross-body bag and grabbed a bedazzled ball cap from the rack near the front door. “I’m ready.”

As they hurried out the door, Severn paused for a moment, looking back at her with a fierce intensity. “Addie, I want you to remember something no matter what happens today or however long I’m here—I will protect you. I need you to trust me.”

“Always,” she said with conviction, struck by the sincerity in his eyes. They were more greenish today, and she marveled at the length of his lashes. “Has anyone ever told you what great lashes you have?”

He snorted and held out a hand to her as he shook his head. Was his face a little pink? “Yeah, I’ve heard it before. And no, I don’t use eye makeup.”

Grinning, she keyed in the code on the alarm and locked the door behind them, then let him guide her down the walk. They made their way to his black truck quickly, but as Severn turned the key in the ignition, Addie couldn’t shake the feeling brewing in her gut. “You think he knows we’re onto him?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“Possibly,” he admitted as he backed out of the driveway, keeping an eye on the rearview. “But we need to act like we’re unaware. If we spook him, he might retreat into the shadows, and we’ll never catch him.”

As they sped toward wherever he was taking them, the streets whizzed by, indistinct blurs of color. Severn’s silent intensity was contagious, fueling her resolve while also heightening her anxiety. She flexed her fingers, feeling both the weight of whatlay ahead and the warmth of Severn’s reassuring presence. She was very aware of him, and it was more than a little distracting.

When they pulled up outside a long, low office building just off the interstate, Addie inhaled deeply. “Is this Lost and Found?”

He nodded. “Ready?” he asked, his expression serious.

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