by Cameron Dane
This was the first time Wyn had mentioned the night that had changed everything for them, even indirectly, and Maddie’s heart dropped into her stomach. She hated that her skin burned all over too.
“I’m not in danger,” she insisted.
His mouth twisting, Wyn raised his brows. “You just have a ghost.”
“Yes.”
“Then prove it.” They reached the house, and Wyn stopped at the bottom of the steps, his laser focus aimed squarely on Maddie. “Show me I’m wrong. Let me walk through the house, take in its details, and when I don’t find anything, you are then welcome to get right up in my face and tell me ‘I told you so’.”
Maddie paused, and Wyn added, “That’s hard to resist, isn’t it?” He quirked his brow again. “You really like the idea of telling me off.”
Hackles rising, Maddie shot back, “These days, I don’t care enough to actively like or dislike anything having to do with you.”
Wyn flinched, and shame pooled in Maddie’s belly.
Visibly shaking off Maddie’s barb, Wyn took the steps two at a time, calling back, “Well, how about this then? When I don’t find anything, I’ll feel like a jackass and an idiot, and you’ll at least get some satisfaction in that.”
“Wait!” Maddie chased him up the stairs. “I didn’t say yes.”
“I noticed at no point have you yet explicitly said no to me, either.” Standing at the door, Wyn looked down and studied Maddie for an uncomfortably long heartbeat. His voice dropped to a murmur. “I think deep down you want someone else’s opinion. Particularly if it ultimately backs up your theory.” Then he brightened back up in a blink and laughed. “Imagine that; if I, so confident about what I believe I’m going to find in this house, didn’t find anything, and had to confirm to your face that you might be right about having a ghost.”
Maddie muttered, “You really know how to tempt a girl.”
Wyn’s smile got even bigger, and a glint brought out shades of caramel in his brown eyes. “You said it. Not me.”
Damn it. Maddie would have made a face at him, but the truth was she’d walked right into that one. I forgot how flirty he can naturally be.
Nope. Maddie stopped herself short. No way. Before she let the first butterfly take flight in her belly, she pulled her house key from around her neck and jammed it in the lock. “Fine. Satisfy your curiosity. Look wherever you want.” After swinging open the door she swept her arm wide. “Garrick did the same thing a few weeks ago, and he didn’t find anything.”
His jaw tight again, Wyn replied, “Garrick’s not a cop,” and walked into the house.
She stayed right on his hind end. “But he isn’t blind. And neither am I.”
Wyn didn’t respond. He’d already moved into a small front sitting room featuring dark woods and formal furniture and wallpaper—one of the many spaces Maddie didn’t use. When Mr. Corsini had offered to sell her the home, he’d intended to have an estate company come pick up the furniture for a nominal fee. But Maddie didn’t have nearly the furniture or the finances to fill this house herself, so Mr. Corsini had left the home almost completely full, assuring her that soon his son would return to town and decide what he wanted to keep, sell, or donate. The busy man, Nico, had yet to schedule a visit. So while the spindle-legged, velvet-upholstered chairs and coffee table in this room might not be her style, they filled the space, and Maddie was happy to take care of it all until the Corsinis got together and decided what to do with them.
After searching every corner of the room, under cushions, in drawers, under furniture, Wyn, in silence, moved on to the next room, the larger living room Maddie did use to watch TV—this one decorated with her own furniture. Much like the first room, Wyn searched this area square foot by square foot, even though she informed him that she used this space all the time and would have noticed if something was out of place. Room after room after room Wyn moved, meticulously checking every nook and cranny, working quietly, not turning up anything.
Once he finished in the big cream-colored kitchen—the only room she’d completely renovated in the whole house—Wyn took the stairs two at a time, a man on a mission. Maddie followed, interested in spite of herself. Not about expecting him to find anything—she knew he wouldn’t—but because she couldn’t look away from the masterful way Wyn worked. She didn’t want to think so, but one thought kept awakening inside her with every room he neatly dismantled and put back together: he’s so sexy.
Damn it. No.
Wyn moved to enter the room to the left of the landing, and Maddie blurted, “No, you’re not going in there.” He swung and aimed a pointed look in her direction, but she held her ground. “That one is mine. No one other than me ever goes in there, I can assure you of that.”
Wyn turned away quickly, but he curled his lips in over his teeth, stifling some kind of smirk or laugh. Maddie saw him, and too late she realized she’d given away that she didn’t have a man intimately in her life right now. And she’d said it so definitively she might as well have proclaimed at the top of her lungs that nobody had ever shared it at all.
Mortified, Maddie turned away, silently berating her runaway mouth. But instead of poking her with a little jab, as Wyn might have done as little as a year ago, he murmured, “Fair enough,” and walked to the next room.
Once again, Wyn picked up his search of the home, and once again Maddie followed him, watching every move he made, all the while silently telling herself to walk away and ignore him. His very presence lured her to him, though, something unspoken, almost primal. She stayed close, battling a bone-deep need to connect with him, along with an equally soul-crushing pain in her chest that four years had yet to abate.
Suddenly, from where he’d wedged himself partway under the bed in one of the guest rooms, Wyn said, “Found it!” and stuck his arm out from under the frame. Something crumpled was in his gloved hand. With surprising speed and agility he squirmed free, pushed to his feet, and held up two red, yellow, and white colored plastic wrappers. “Someone has eaten in here.”
The candy wrappers were familiar, and Maddie smirked. “Yeah, nice try.” She reached out to snatch them away, but he sidestepped and held them above his head. “Those are mine.” Irritation welled, and she jabbed him in the arm that kept the wrappers out of reach. “I have a whole bag of those candies in fun size in my kitchen.”
Not a crack of humor on his face, Wyn laid a pinpoint stare on her. “You randomly eat candy bars in your guest bedroom and then leave the wrappers there?”
“No, but, but…” His intensity making the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, Maddie reached for suitable answers. “I could have left them somewhere else and somehow they ended up in there. Oz comes when Aidan and Ethan visit me,” she mentioned the couple’s dog, “and it’s entirely possible he found them somewhere and hid them in here to play with later. Animals do that all the time.”
His gaze suddenly flashing black fire, Wyn clenched his jaw so hard it looked like he might crack through the bone. “You’re not taking this seriously, when this isn’t even kind of a joke anymore.” He thrust his evidence in front of her face. “The chocolate hasn’t even hardened on the wrapper. Very recently you’ve had someone in this house, either while you were here, or while you were out. Excuse me.” He pushed past her and started for the stairs. “I need to get a bag to preserve this.”
His seriousness spurring hers, Maddie chased Wyn down the stairs. “You’re reaching, Lieutenant. I would have felt it if someone else was in this house with me.”
Without looking back, Wyn barked a dark laugh. “Apparently you wouldn’t.” He veered into the kitchen without pause. “So I’m moving in with you.” Just as fast, he started opening cabinets and asked, “Where are your sandwich bags?”
“Bottom shelf in the pantry next to the back door,” she replied automatically, and then drew up straight, like an animal on full alert. “And not on your life.” Her throat went so tight with panic she almost couldn’t sp
eak. “You are not moving in with me.”
After placing the candy wrappers in a baggie and sealing it, Wyn peeled off his protective gloves, tossed them in the trash, and locked in on Maddie. “I’m not leaving until I catch the guy.”
Going hot and cold all over at the same time, Maddie backed up, bumping into the counter, and shook her head. “Zero chance that is happening.” She reached back and gripped the edge of granite, holding on so hard the stone dug into her fingers, yet she could not let go. “Not on your life or mine,” she repeated. If this man wiggled his way into her home, he would find a way to once again consume her heart. She couldn’t let that happen. If he crushed her soul again, she would never recover.
*
Fear consumed every plane of Maddie’s lovely face. The sight tore into Wyn’s gut, but he could not back down from this plan. He would not risk her life.
Wyn parted his lips to explain himself a second time, but before he got a word out, Devlin filled the entry to the kitchen. With a quick glance to Maddie and then Wyn, he asked, “Did you find anything?”
One look at Devlin, and Wyn flashed back four years, stepping back into a conversation he’d once had with this man. The memory made Wyn’s gut clench, and his stomach surged as if he might throw up, but he gestured to Devlin anyway. “I need a word with you. In private.” He undid the lock and swung open the door to the back porch. “Right now.”
Wyn loped down the steps and paced across the expanse of backyard, pausing at the back end of an enclosed, overgrown garden, and reminded himself to search the gated area after talking to Devlin.
A bad taste filled Wyn’s mouth, and he knew why, but he swung to face Devlin anyway. “I’m ready to collect that favor.”
The color bled out of Devlin’s face. The man knew exactly what Wyn was talking about and that he wouldn’t be able to refuse.
Four years ago Garrick had been in a potentially dangerous situation and Devlin had called Wyn to help. Without any details—Devlin had not been able to give Wyn any without putting Garrick into a bad spot—Wyn had ignored police protocol and had put his career in jeopardy to help a friend and keep the crisis on the down low. Wyn had done it because he trusted Devlin and had acted on pure faith that his friend was telling him the truth. Everything had worked out in the end, and in gratitude Devlin had told Wyn “I owe you one. Let me know when you want to cash it in, and I’m there, whatever you ask.”
In front of Wyn now, Devlin looked like death warmed over, but Wyn steeled himself and didn’t crack his unwavering stare. “I know I’m calling in a hard marker here, and you can damn me to hell if you want, but I’ve found what I believe to be evidence that someone has been in Maddie’s home. I need you to convince her to let me move in so I can figure out what’s going on.”
Devlin stumbled to the gate surrounding the garden, using the bars to hold himself up. “Someone has really been here?” He looked over his shoulder at the home, new shadows in his eyes.
“I believe so.” Wyn held up the bag with the candy wrappers in it. “Recently.”
Devlin slumped even more deeply into the fence. “Shit. Aidan’s gonna flip out.” Hands in his hair, he pulled the dark locks into disarray. “Shit. I’m fucking freaking out.”
“I believe I can fix this, but only if I’m here.”
“And Maddie refused you.”
“Of course.”
Still pale, Devlin shoved his hand right back into his hair. “Shit.”
Wyn’s gut still churned in a bad, bad way, but he held his ground. “It’s a lot to ask, but I’m asking you to do it anyway. Convince Maddie to let me move in.”
For an endless stretch of seconds Devlin dug his fingers into the furrows on his forehead, but then looked up and blurted, “I don’t like this. Doing this makes me feel as if I’m going over Maddie’s head, like she’s a child or something. You’re asking me to make a decision for her.”
Frowning, parts of his head silently screaming that what he was doing was wrong, Wyn admitted, “It’s ugly, I know.” The dominant warrior in him added, “But you’re gonna do it. I’m asking you to.”
“No, you’re telling me to,” Devlin countered, rancor slipping into his tone. “You’re essentially blackmailing me with threats of exposing Garrick if I don’t.”
“Hey,” Wyn snapped, suddenly not the slightest bit conflicted anymore. “I’m calling in a favor. One you issued freely. I did not demand anything for my help, you gave it.”
“I know.” Streaks of lightning flashed in the storm of Devlin’s gaze, the color and temperament so closely matched to Maddie’s only moments ago. “But I also added the stipulation that only as long as it wasn’t physically or emotionally damaging to the person, would I help.”
Like a poked bear, Wyn went up high and wide on his hind legs. “You think I want to damage Maddie somehow?” He closed in on Devlin, going chest-to-chest with the man. “Think long and hard about the next words that are gonna come out of your mouth, or else I can’t promise we’ll still be friends.”
His finger right up in Wyn’s face, Devlin bumped back just as hard. “I know something went down between you two. I don’t know what, but I know it was something. Maddie has never said. Not even hinted. But I have eyes. I know you became friends, and then suddenly you weren’t. And I know when your friendship ended you looked hunted and haunted, and Maddie looked like she was just a pile of broken glass and defiant teary eyes.” Devlin wavered and his voice cracked. “I can’t be responsible for putting new pain in my sister’s eyes.”
“Would you rather live with looking at her grave through your own teary eyes?” His chest tightening with just the possibility of those words becoming reality, Wyn moved in for the kill, his need to protect greater than his ability to sweet talk or finesse. “Because what happens if Maddie surprises this person one day or night, whoever it is? What if this person, not even intending to, freaks out and attacks Maddie in order to get away? What then? Are you still gonna feel good about not helping me right now?”
Visibly shaken, Devlin said, “I could move in with her. Garrick and I could. Aidan and Ethan could as well. We could trade off.”
A jagged chuckle came out of Wyn. “You really think Maddie’s gonna respond any better to that than to me?”
With a sheepish shrug, Devlin laughed softly too. “Not even a little bit.”
“Agreed. So we’re back to square one.” The magnitude of the situation slammed into Wyn all at once. Maddie’s safety was on the line, and his tone went raspy. “Me.”
“Look me in the eyes.” Once again, Devlin moved in and assessed Wyn with a scrutinizing proximity. “Tell me you are doing this because you are legitimately concerned something is going on in this house, and that you are not using this as an opportunity to invade Maddie’s life for selfish reasons and rehash whatever happened between you four years ago.”
A growl rolled all the way through Wyn. He grabbed a fistful of Devlin’s T-shirt and hauled him up on his toes. “Ask me that again,” he uttered in a lethal tone. “I dare you.”
Without flinching, Devlin pried Wyn’s fingers off his shirt. “Okay. Back off. Your motives are pure. I believe you.” He patted down the crinkles in his clothing. “Now let me go talk to her, and I’ll get back to you.”
Devlin was already walking away, so Wyn addressed his back. “I’m coming back with a packed bag tonight, no matter what.”
Devlin raised his middle finger, but responded, “And by the end of my conversation with her it will be a decision she comes to on her own.”
Once alone, Wyn slumped against the porch siding and dragged his hands down his face. Fuck. I’m in.
Now Wyn had to figure out how to set a trap to catch a home invader—Maddie would never go for cameras in her house twenty-four-seven, he already knew it—and get a defensive, guarded, pissed-off woman to forgive him not only for forcing his way into her house but also for so callously bruising her tender heart so many years ago.
Should be a
piece of cake. Wyn’s laugh turned into a groan.
I’m screwed.
*
The second Devlin walked in through the kitchen door, Maddie launched out of her seat at the table and rushed her brother. “I’m not doing it,” she told him. “I’m not letting him move in with me.” At this point, she couldn’t even believe she’d let Wyn take Devlin outside and have a conversation, about her, without her.
Devlin took Maddie’s hand, guided her to the table, and took a seat across from her. “It’s him,” he began, his demeanor more sober than a nun saying her morning prayers, “or it’s me and Aidan trading off until we get this figured out. Because if you think I’m going to keep this from our brother, and if you think he won’t go even more commando-protector-big-brother on you than Wyn has in his cop mode, you are wrong.”
Tight lines of cold raced through Maddie’s system, creating havoc. “I’ll get a security system. I’ll get the top one on the market, and I’ll make sure it’s set up to run night and day.”
Devlin replied, “That’s a nice start, and feel free to do it if you can afford it, but you know that won’t appease Aidan. He already didn’t like the thought of you living out here all alone, no neighbors, so isolated from town—”
Maddie kicked back in her chair and snorted. “Oh that’s rich, coming from a guy who lives in a cabin in the woods, all open with a wall of windows on one side.”
His features finally twisting, Devlin threw back in his seat too. “That’s not the same, Maddie, and you know it. He’s there with Ethan, and they’re both big, adult men. You and I can both think it sucks that the world as a whole believes that situation makes them safer from harm than it does you by yourself, but it doesn’t change the perception that women are more vulnerable. Anyone looking for a crime of opportunity or to do someone wrong will choose you to attack over two men in the same situation every day of the week. That’s just life, and until the world changes, we have to deal with what is, not what we want things to be.”
