Page 18 of Safe Haven

I shouldn’t have told him the truth. I should have held back. He’s probably looking at me the same way I look at myself now. Has decided I’m not worth protecting because of how stupid I’ve been.

“That’s not what I meant.” Maddox straightens, his eyes fused to my face. “You aren’t going anywhere near that guy out there, so that means I have to go handle it. But you’re going to stay back here behind a locked door while I do it.” He lays it out slowly. “When I’m done, I’m coming back here to get you, then we’re going to have a long talk.” I think he’s done, but then Maddox adds on, “And you’re probably going to be taking a leave of absence from your job.”

Relief floods my veins. He’s not leaving me. Not walking away now that he knows how terrible I am at knowing who to trust. “But you’re staying with me?”

I need confirmation. To hear again that he’s not walking away.

“I’m staying with you.” Maddox strokes down my arms with even passes of his hands. It’s been so long since anyone—especially a man—touched me with so much care, and without realizing it, I begin pulling in oxygen again.

“That’s it. Good job.” His eyes continue holding mine. “Five minutes. I just need five minutes to handle this and then I’ll be back, okay?”

I can probably survive without him for five minutes. I managed to make it nine months. But that was before I knew how good it felt having him around. How nice it was to have someone like Maddox in my corner. Protecting me. Reassuring me. Listening without judgment.

Because he’s doing so much for me, and I don’t want to make his job harder than it already is, I nod. “Okay. I’ll be okay.”

Maddox gives me a soft smile. One hand smooths over my hair and I lean into his touch. “I know you will be.” He gives me one last look then goes to the door, unlocking it and stepping out. Turning back, he says, “Lock it and don’t open it for anyone except me.”

I nod again, my head working on autopilot. “Okay.”

He pulls the door shut and I lock it, forcing in a quick breath before turning to the bank of screens displaying the security cameras positioned throughout the store. I watch as Maddox moves through the space, weaving his way around the racks, following an indirect route. It takes me a minute to realize he’s doing it so he can assess the situation, and I feel silly for not figuring it out sooner.

Maddox has a sweet, easy-going side to him, but there’s another, darker part fused in his personality. And it is not one I would ever want to be on the wrong side of.

That's the side of him running the show now. Gone is the man who was holding me close and whispering soothing words as he worked to calm me down. He’s been replaced by a laser-focused and calculating individual on a mission.

I watch, breathless again, as he closes in on the man he’s already faced once today, wondering how in the hell either one of them is going to explain their presence here.

Maddox moves in close, dismissing Dane with a tip of his head. Once my keyholding associate is gone, he faces down the unexpected visitor, looking every bit the predator he is. Even casual jeans and a relaxed shirt can’t hide the way every muscle and ligament is primed and ready to attack. Prepared to hand out a level of violence most people couldn’t imagine, let alone execute.

And he’d be doing it for me.

After a string of men who couldn’t be bothered to buy me flowers, having one ready and willing to kill for me is doing strange things to my insides.

My grip on the desk gets tighter and tighter. Soon, my knuckles start to ache and the muscles in my hands begin to burn. Why is Maddox talking to him for so long? Every second he’s out there is another second he’s in danger. Trevor doesn’t like people who go against him, and by protecting me, Maddox falls strongly in that category.

If Trevor hurts Maddox...

The cool weight of rage settles into my belly. Fury like I’ve never felt before, certainly not for myself, simmers under my skin.

Because if Trevor hurts Maddox, I’ll ruin his life. I’ll spill every secret he has. I’ll make so many copies of that memory stick they won’t be able to count them all. And I’ll send one to every news station in the country. In minutes, everyone will know what Trevor Hawthorne III, the man with hopes to be the next governor of Tennessee, really is.

When Maddox’s eyes finally shift to the camera with the best view of him, I straighten. He discreetly holds up a finger, letting me know he’s almost done, and I breathe a little easier.

But only a little. He nods to the other man once, then turns and walks away, putting his back to the guy who came to my apartment and now my work. The same man who’s been following me for the better part of a week. I keep my eyes on the suited stranger, watching for any hint he might be thinking of taking advantage of the offering Maddox has gifted him.

If he does, he’ll be the second person I ruin. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I’m sure I can figure something out.

I’m watching the other man so intently, I nearly jump out of my skin when Maddox knocks. “Audrey. It’s me.”

Racing to the door, I flip the lock and fling it open, jumping at him. Locking my arms around his big body, I squeeze tight. I’m relieved he’s okay, but also a little mad that he took such a big risk when walking away. “That asshole could have shot you in the back.”

Maddox glances around the storage room, then wraps an arm at my waist and hauls me back into my office, closing the door behind us. “He’s not interested in shooting me.”

My stomach bottoms out. “Because he wants to shoot me.”

It’s a crazy thing to know someone wants you dead. It’s even crazier to know there are people willing to make it happen.

“No. Actually, he doesn’t.” Maddox continues holding me, and I’m not going to complain, because I want to continue holding him too.

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