Page 70 of Echoes of You

I nodded. “You know the truth.”

The door swung open, and Maddie jerked as Lawson strode in. The moment he saw her pale skin and wild eyes, he slowed his approach, closing the door softly behind him. “Everyone okay?”

“Adam showed.” My words were even. You’d never be able to tell I wanted to burn the world down.

A muscle below Lawson’s eye fluttered. “Where?”

“Outside The Brew,” I answered.

“Did he approach Maddie?”

I nodded. “Acted like everything was hunky fucking dory.”

Lawson’s jaw worked back and forth as he pulled a chair closer to the couch and sat. “Did he threaten you in any way?”

Maddie swallowed. “No. I bolted the second I saw him.”

“That was smart.” Lawson glanced in my direction. “He could’ve been the one who slashed her tires.”

I nodded. “We need Holt to see if he can find out when Adam arrived.”

Maddie’s trembling intensified. “There was a flower on my car yesterday. The same kind he always got me when he wasapologizing.”

Acid churned in my gut. I knew exactly what that asshole was apologizing for. “Why didn’t you tell me?” My voice was low, words barely audible.

She looked up at me, apology in her eyes. “I was going to tell you, but you came home and were hurt. I just…forgot.”

Because she’d been so consumed with my close call. Guilt dug in its claws. What if Adam hadn’t settled for messing with Maddie? What if he’d hurt her?

“This changes things,” Lawson said, cutting off my swirling thoughts. “Are you ready to report this? File for an order of protection?”

Maddie instantly started shaking her head. “It’ll make things so much worse. You don’t know him. He’ll just see it as a challenge. There has to be another way to get him to leave.”

I bit back the dozen different things I wanted to say and simply kept my arm wrapped around her.

Lawson swallowed and took a moment to choose his words. “I know it’s scary, but a restraining order is one of the tools we have to protect you right now.”

Maddie chewed on the corner of her lip. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course. In the meantime, I want to have a word withAdam. I think it will help if he knows the police in town are paying attention. He’s got enough of a public profile that he may not want the attention.”

“Law,” Maddie began.

I squeezed her shoulder. “Please, Mads. We need to do something. Let us at least try this.”

She looked up into my eyes, searching, so much trust in that gaze. “Okay.”

“Thank you.” I pressed a kiss to her temple as I shared a look with my brother. I knew what we were both thinking.

The fact that Adam had tracked Maddie here, had flown across the country, had left a flower on her damn car, and showed up at her place of work? None of it was good.

23

MADDIE

I keptmy eyes trained on the floor as Nash guided me through the police station toward the front door. I didn’t want to see the curious stares. It would only be so long before they all knew the truth—that I’d let history repeat itself. Only this time, it was so much worse. Because I’d been old enough to leave, and I’d chosen to stay.

Nash opened the front door and held it for me. I scanned the street before stepping out, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of Adam. There wasn’t one.

---