“Nope. Found that a little curious.” Jake left it at that, knowing Danny would talk when he was ready. Their friendship had developed when Danny had come to the station to narc on his employer. Jake’s undercover drug stint was based on information Danny had provided, and after everything went down, it was Jake who’d held Danny together.
“Jace was a part of my past.” Danny gazed at the wall of sketches, but didn’t really see any of them. “I thought,” he paused, exhaling, “....I thought I could put it all behind me.” Jake nodded in understanding as Wade stood silently listening. “Jace never liked me. Go figure.” The shadow of a smirk was his only expression as he continued. “He considered me a threat. A danger. Guess he was right in the end.” Danny shook his head, puzzled. “I knew he didn’t like me, but his reaction last night wasn’t what I expected. Jace is the type to slit your tires or hit you when you’re down. Direct confrontation has never been his style, and last night it was personal.”
“Yeah, I heard him call you a snitch,” Jake mentioned, nodding. “Your testimony put a lot of guys away. Jace wasn’t one of them though.”
“Only because rats are good at finding holes,” Danny grumbled. “And Jace is the biggest rat of them all.”
“For the moment, he’s not an issue, but I’d watch your back.” Jake’s expression was serious as he turned to Danny. “The attack was personal, and not mentioning you were the one fighting him? Makes me think he’s planning to come after you himself.”
“Maybe Addie will shed some light on it,” Wade interjected, propped against one of the desks. He’d been silent as they discussed Jace, but now they were getting back to his main concern. “I’d like to be prepared if, or should I say when, this guy shows up.”
“Man, I’m sorry,” Danny said soberly, knowing Wade had enough shit on his plate without adding this. “If I’d had any idea this would come back on you…” he paused, not really knowing what he would have done differently but still feeling responsible.
Wade shook his head as he said, “All in, brother.”
Danny was taken aback and a glance at Jake revealed a similar expression. Wade ran a hand over his short, dark hair, his normally sarcastic expression nowhere in sight. “I’ll admit when Addie came barging into my life, I wanted to show her the door. Multiple times.” Wade gave them a faint smile as he shrugged apologetically. “She wore me down though. Showed me there were people out there who cared.” He waved his hand around. “Convinced me that a psychic private eye business was a good idea.” Danny snorted as Jake grinned and Wade nodded at them. “She dragged you in to it too. Especially you, Danny. And it’s been….good.” He paused, glancing around at the altered space. They’d divided the room, leaving space for three desks, and creating a separate workout area for Danny. “But I’ll admit…I held back. This whole Scooby gang idea seemed ludicrous to me.”
“Ludicrous…there’s a high dollar word,” Danny joked in an attempt to soften the serious tone.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what it means,” Wade tossed back. “Wanna be thug.”
“Wanna be?”
“Yeah,” Wade said before pausing to look at them, the seriousness back on his face. “I’m in. Fully, completely in. You’ve had my back. Now it’s time I had yours.”
“You were there for Addie,” Jake started, his haunted expression reminding Danny of how he’d felt when Carly was in danger. “If you hadn’t warned me she was in danger…” he trailed off, unable to complete the thought and Danny could understand his fear.
“In all fairness, she’s a little different,” Wade admitted, copping to the connection they shared, one that made Jake uncomfortable though he never mentioned it. “Whatever weirdness there is with Addie, is with Addie. It’s the rest of you I owe.”
“Man,” Danny started and Wade cut him off.
“No, you’ve been here for weeks working on this place without getting paid. You took another job to make money and spent your time off working here. I appreciate that. This place is as much yours as it is mine.” He stopped, fighting to find the right words and Danny let him. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m in. All in. We’re brothers. I’ve got your back.” Wade glanced at Jake who’d spread his arms in a ‘what about me’ stance. “You too.” Wade rolled his eyes. “Hell, even Connor.”
Jake whooped at that and even Danny chuckled. “Can I be there when you tell him that?”
“God, no.”
“On that note, I have a favor to ask,” Jake mentioned, glancing between Wade and Danny. They exchanged puzzled looks but nodded. It was unusual for Jake to ask for anything, at least anything that wasn’t directly tied to Addie. “It’s Addie,” he added and their expressions changed to knowing.
“Of course,” Danny said and Wade lifted his eyebrow, waiting.
“I need your help to pick out an engagement ring for Addie,” Jake stated blandly as he watched for their reactions. Wade slipped off the desk but managed to catch himself as Danny’s eyes widened in shock.
“Does she know?” Wade asked in disbelief and Jake shook his head. “You think she’ll say yes?” His incredulity would have been funny except Danny was nodding like he agreed with the question.
“She already said yes,” Jake answered impatiently and their mouths dropped open. “But you can’t tell anyone she said yes,” he added hastily, glancing over his shoulder like she’d pop up any second. “She’d kill me.”
“But you want us to help you pick out an engagement ring?” Wade scratched his head as Danny crossed his arms over his chest, both enjoying the sight of an uncomfortable Jake. “You don’t think she might get a little suspicious?”
“I don’t exactly have a lot of options,” Jake grumbled as he propped his arms on the back of the chair. “It’s not like I can ask her, and she’s pretty much promised to castrate me if I let it slip to Jules or Carly.”
“Yeah, alright. What’s your plan?” Danny asked, mystified.
“Well,” Jake was interrupted as a loud clang indicated someone had just slammed the front door open. Danny stood up as Wade straightened, wondering who had just showed up. Addie came through the door, her eyes locking onto Danny as she stormed up to him, completely bypassing her fiancé.
“What the hell?” She demanded, poking her finger in his chest. He glanced down at the finger trying to bore a hole in him and then at Jake. Jake just shrugged, completely clueless, and a glance at Wade only revealed an amused expression on his face as he watched silently.
“What?” Danny finally replied at a loss.
“Don’t you what me. You know what,” Addie responded hotly. “Carly may have sidetracked me this morning with that question, but that doesn’t answer why she was with you all night.”
Jake’s eyebrows lifted at this revelation and Wade straight up laughed. Danny took Addie by the shoulders and shifted her back until her finger dropped from his chest.
“I wasn’t in any condition to drive her home. She decided to stay. Completely consensual. Not that I need to explain myself to you,” Danny reminded her forcefully.
“She’s my best friend!”
“I thought that was Connor?”
“My best girlfriend! Don’t change the subject.”
“You encouraged the relationship! What did you think would happen?” Danny asked exasperated.
“It’s too soon!”
“Too soon for what?” Danny pushed, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
“For that,” Addie waved her hand, a blush crawling up her face.
“For that? What’s that? Can’t say it?” Danny mocked as Addie’s cheeks reached fire engine red.
“Alright,” Jake attempted to intercede, but they didn’t break their stare down to look at him.
“Sex! Okay. Are you happy?” Addie burst out to Danny’s amusement. “I think it’s too soon for you two to be having sex. You just started dating and Carly is fragile.”
“Carly is not fragile,” Danny retorted as he lifted one finger and
then raised a second one, “And you don’t get any say in when we have sex.”
“I’m not telling you,” she fumed and he gave her a look. “Okay, so maybe I’m offering my opinion. Which you should listen to!”
“Why?”
“Because I know Carly!”
“And you don’t think I do?”
“I know you do,” she admitted, some of her earlier anger dissipating. “But it’s different. I’ve known her longer than you and we talk about things.”
“Things?”
“You know what things. Don’t make me keep saying it,” Addie growled and Danny raised his hands.
“I’m just saying, if you can’t say it maybe you shouldn’t be doing it.”
“I’ve also been in a relationship longer than you,” Addie added, daring him to refute that.
“Yes, so you have. You’ve been with Jake long enough now we don’t have to worry about statutory rape charges,” Danny retorted and Wade choked.
“Ugh! I know what she wants for her first time, and damn it, I’m not going to let you mess that up!” She shouted before clapping her hand over her mouth. Danny reared back at Addie’s unintentional revelation. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it did. Wade shifted and turned away like he hadn’t heard. Jake’s head thunked against the chair as Addie and Danny stared at one another.
“You didn’t hear me say that,” Addie whispered, horrified.
“Yeah, I can’t unhear that,” Danny told her, easing back till he bumped into the edge of the desk.
“You can try?” Addie asked hopefully and he gave her a deadly look. “She would be so mad if she knew I let that slip.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you came in here raging at me because you thought I popped her cherry without your permission,” Danny retorted bitterly.
Addie’s face was a mixture of hurt and anger at his accusation, but pissed won out.
“You don’t have to be crude,” she countered, glaring at him and he opened his mouth to respond.
“Addie, Danny, stop.” It was Wade who spoke and that alone made them hesitate. “You’re both saying things you don’t mean,” he lifted a hand as they opened their mouths to protest, “Don’t even argue. I can see your emotions.” He walked toward them, playing referee as Jake watched ringside. “Now, I’m not going to out either of you emotionally, but both of you are hurting.” Danny and Addie glanced at each other in surprise, but some of the tension between them eased. “Figure out why and deal with it,” he advised, his eyes flickering between them. “Jake and I are going for a walk. We’re going to pretend like we didn’t see you this morning, Addie. This conversation never happened.”
She nodded reluctantly, her expression sheepish as she glanced at Jake and then Wade. Danny relaxed slightly even as Jake shot him a warning glare, and he loosened his clenched fists.
“We’ll be back in half an hour. Danny, don’t pop anymore of those stitches,” Wade warned him as he tugged a reluctant Jake out the building.
“Why are you hurt?” Addie asked pointblank to Danny’s consternation. He glanced around and moved toward the other room where the punching bag was kept. Addie followed, her curiosity peaked. “What stitches?” Danny didn’t answer, the rage from Addie’s accusations still tugging at him as he went for the punching bag. “Danny, talk to me.”
“Why? You didn’t talk to me,” he roared, turning on her so fast she flinched. He waved his hand at the door. “You came in with accusations. I thought we were friends. I thought you were okay with me dating Carly. But I see the truth now. I’m not good enough.”
He spun back around his fist slamming into the punching bag with enough force to send it swinging wildly. Addie stepped around him and in front of the bag, forcing him to pull back his next swing at the last second.
“Are you trying to get killed?” he asked in disbelief as she stood there. “Or you trying to get Jake to kill me for punching his girl?” He accused, his heart racing at the near miss. “Again,” he added with disgust, recalling the first time he’d hit her.
“I’m sorry,” Addie answered and Danny stood there stunned. “I hurt your feelings and accused you of things you didn’t do and wouldn’t do. It wasn’t fair.” She glanced up through shrouded eyes. “I don’t know everything and I didn’t give you enough credit.” She waved her hand around the room. “I think you’re perfect for Carly and it was my own stupid fear that had me saying that stuff.”
“Why are you scared?”
“Because I know how much Carly loves you and I know you would have already been together if it hadn’t been for the incident,” she replied, her use of the word ‘incident’ causing Danny to snort. They all liked to gloss over the fact that he’d punched Addie in the face and sent her into a coma for three days, and that he’d punched Carly hard enough to knock her out. It might have been for the greater good, since he’d been trying to save them from some really bad guys, but it didn’t excuse it in his mind. He was violent and dangerous - two facts they all ignored as they tried to convince themselves he was a nice guy.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re scared.”
“I’m scared,” she hesitated and he prepared himself to hear her say she was scared he would strike out at Carly like he’d just done to Addie. “I’m scared because I’m afraid I’ll say something that will ruin it again.”
The words were so unexpected Danny stepped back, collapsing into the nearest chair as a rush of air escaped him. He shook his head and then said, “You what?”
“It’s my fault what happened with Carly,” she rushed to say and he shook his head vehemently.
“No, Addie, stop right there. You are in no way responsible for what happened. I punched both of you. Me. Best intentions aside, it was still me. You had nothing to do with that.”
“I was the reason she got kidnapped in the first place,” Addie answered and for the first time Danny could see the guilt she felt over that fact.
“We’re a pair,” he finally sighed, feeling the pull of the stitches as he flexed his arms. “You feel guilty about getting her kidnapped and I can’t let it go because I punched her. Hell, I almost punched you just now.”
Self-loathing laced his voice and Addie reached over to touch the bandage on his arm, the one slowly turning red again.
“You know why I stepped in front of you?”
“Because you have no concept of danger?”
“Because I knew you would pull back,” she corrected, rolling her eyes at his insult. “You might be a tough guy to the rest of the world but I know better. You’re a marshmallow.”
“A marshmallow,” he repeated doubtfully.
“Yep,” she nodded confidently. “Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t want to cross you, but I don’t fear you. You’re not going to hurt me just because you can.”
“You don’t know that,” Danny replied, an ache in his voice as thought of all the people he’d hurt. Addie squatted down next to him, a smile on her face as she looked up at him.
“Actually, I do,” she answered, tapping her temple. “Psychic, remember?”
Danny’s lips parted, but he didn’t have a good argument for her. Addie knew so much more than answers to questions. She could see the emotions and connections, hear the unspoken questions, and pull all of it together. It was because of her that he’d reconnected with his parents, and been able to live with the guilt he still felt over Samuel.
“I’m not the only one,” she continued. “Wade sees it too. You can’t hid crazy from Wade. And you live with him. You think he’d have left if he thought you’d hurt me?” She raised her eyebrows as he opened his mouth. “Do you think Jake would have walked out that door if there was any chance of you even breathing on me wrong?”
A tiny smile tipped the corner of Danny’s mouth at that and she pounced on it.
“You know I’m right,” she crowed, pointing at him. “And not only that, Jake trusts you. He has from the very beginning, Danny.”
“He has,” Danny admitted, knowing Jake had taken a huge chance on him. He narrowed his eyes at Addie, Wade’s words hadn’t escaped him. “Why were you hurt?”
Addie glanced down at his question, not answering.
“Tit for tat, Addie.”
She gave a huff, her expression mutinous as she muttered, “Damn Wade and his stupid aura reading.”
“I’m waiting.”
“Fine, I was hurt because I thought Carly had sex with you and didn’t tell me.” The words came out so fast they were practically one word, but Danny understood it. Addie looked embarrassed as Danny’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “We used to share everything, but it’s different now. I have Jake and Connor, plus Wade,” Addie rattled them off as Danny fought a smile. “I know Carly feels left out, but this is huge. And she has you, which I love,” she paused and forced Danny to meet her eyes. “Really, I love that she has you because I can’t think of anyone better for her.”
“No one?”
“Not even Wade,” she replied, seeing what he hadn’t asked. “But back to me and my stupid hurt feelings, I didn’t want to be left out.” She glanced down at her hands and finished in a rush, “It sucks being left out.”
“This is Carly,” Danny drawled. “She’ll give you the second by second playback.” He smiled as Addie’s mouth fell open. “You know I’m right, so don’t get mad. But if you’re going to find out anyway, then maybe I should know what you know so it’ll be special. First time and all.”
Addie sat down on her butt and Danny leaned forward to grab her, but she waved his hand away. “I’m processing,” she muttered and he leaned back to wait. “I’m not going to tell you,” she finally said abruptly.
Danny’s face twisted in confusion as he opened his mouth and she stopped him again.
“I know. I said I would. I made a big thing about it being perfect.” Danny nodded silently and Addie took a breath. “Perfect is between the two of you, when you decide, and how you decide. And if Carly wants to tell me she will, but I don’t need to tell you how to love her. You do that just fine on your own.”
Hidden Betrayals (The Hidden Series Book 4) Page 5
