“Have you met the renters?” Paul points at the house to our right.
“Yeah. That one is a big family having a reunion vacation. And that one”—she switches to the house on the left—“is a bunch of college kids. They were funny when they realized the other house next to theirs is filled with hockey players.”
My suspicion is that whoever the stalker is broke into the house on the right for his surveillance. What worries me most, though, is that I doubt last night was the first time he’s done it.
Chapter Forty
“Oh best friend of mine, where you at?” Sammy’s voice shouts from below us.
There’s so much that needs to be done if we’re going to catch the stalker, but I refuse to allow the asshole to intrude on Maddey’s life more than he already has. He does not get to take her joy, and spending the day with her friends is one of the things that brings her the most of it.
Knowing my girl the way I do—and knowing her previous track record—I opted to lay my plan out for her, tacking on the request for her to let me carry it out without her.
Hence the call to Sammy.
I’m hoping her oldest and dearest friend will be able to convince her she needs the break from her fucked-up reality.
“Sammy?” Maddey leans over the railing to peer down at the men making their way up the stairs to join us on the top deck.
“Hey, babe.” Sammy pulls her in for a bear hug, closing his eyes as he squeezes her extra tight. I didn’t give him all the details of what went down when I called him, but he knows enough that he’s taking a moment to reassure himself she really is okay.
“Dollface!” Lyle cries, placing a smacking kiss on her cheek. The first true smile crosses Maddey’s face at her friend’s gregarious greeting.
The more subdued Jamie and Kyle hang back while Lyle spouts off a rant about all the half-naked men they will get to ogle today. I’d be worried if he weren’t such a happily married man. Instead I know it’s all in the name of “research” for Maddey’s books. I’ve borne witness to so many novel-related conversations this week that if the Navy considered knowing all the things that make a perfect book boyfriend a usable skill, I’d be able to add it to my qualifications.
Sammy shoots me a How is she really? look over the top of Maddey’s head, and I give him an Our girl is stronger than she looks one right back. His sudden bark of laughter tells me how true that is.
“Why are you guys here?” Maddey asks, bouncing her gaze around the group.
“Weren’t you listening?” Lyle clutches his hands over his heart. “You wound me, doll. Jet-skiing!” He singsongs the last word.
“I can’t anymore.” Maddey shakes her head.
“Well I’m not taking no for an answer.” Lyle takes one of her hands, and she sends me a pleading look over her shoulder.
“Tink.” I close the distance between us and rest a hand on the small of her back. “I promise I will tell you everything we discuss and plan today.” I spin her around so we’re face to face, letting her see both my sincerity and my vulnerability. “You deserve to have some fun after everything we discovered this morning.”
“What about you?” Those baby blues blink up at me.
I bring a hand up, acting like I’m brushing a strand of hair out of her face for an excuse to cup her cheek. “That’s not what I’m here for.”
And it would do you good to remember that, my conscience scolds.
“Hook—”
“Go.” I shake my head. “Have fun and decompress.” I bend so my mouth is at her ear and only she can hear my next words. “Just make sure I’m the one giving you inspiration for when you’re writing dirty.” I hold back my pleased smirk at her quick intake of breath.
Sammy’s doing his best impression of the cat that ate the canary while Justin watches me quizzically. Ignoring them both, I tell Maddey I’ll swing by for her later. Thankfully, she heads out with her friends, leaving me behind to take care of business.
I wait for the sound of footsteps to fully fade before rejoining Justin and Paul at the railing facing the rental to the right.
“There were more, right?” Paul asks after a beat of silence. Damn him for being such a good cop.
The uncertainty of how Justin will react to finding out about me sleeping with his sister has my gut churning like rough seas, but I’m hopeful once he hears the extent of my feelings he won’t kick my ass too bad. At least I only have one of the McClain brothers to contend with. Those odds are a little more in my favor.
Elbows on the railing, hands clasped in front of me, eyes staring at the ocean, I say, “It was only pictures that he left…”
“But…” Justin prods.
“But he also got about a dozen shots of Maddey and me together.” I finally turn my head to meet Justin’s eyes.
“Together?”
“Yup.”
“You mean…”
Deep breath in.
Swallow the lump in my throat.
Time to rip off the Band-Aid.
“Maddey and I slept together.”
“Doesn’t sound like you did much sleeping,” Paul says under his breath, and I shoot him a Be cool, bro plea over my shoulder. Justin hasn’t said anything, but there’s no reason to poke the bear—or in this case, the ex-frogman.
I wait, heart in my throat, blood roaring in my ears, feet braced for the punch I expect is coming my way.
“Just?” I question, not quite sure how to react to him suddenly laughing and shaking his head.
“Con is going to be pissed,” he gets out between his chuckles.
Only Connor?
“Thank you.” He claps me on the shoulder.
“You’re thanking me?” Okay, Maddey’s crazy has officially rubbed off on me and I’m hearing the voices that are in her head. That’s the only explanation I can come up with.
“For sleeping with your sister?” Paul asks. At least I can take comfort in the fact that I’m not going crazy because he clearly heard the same thing I did.
“No.” Justin waves his hands back and forth. “We’re just going to pretend you two are like a Leave it to Beaver-era type couple who sleep in separate beds because you don’t have sex. I’m thanking you for giving me the opportunity to tell Con he owes Ty a hundred bucks.”
This can’t be his only reaction. For eight years I’ve battled my attraction, worried about what it could cost me if I gave in. I know it was a comment from him that gave me enough confidence to take a chance, but…this? That’s it?
“You’re not pissed?” I need to clarify while bracing for the other shoe to drop—or be shoved up my ass.
“Are you only sleeping with her to get your rocks off while you’re here?”
“No.” The answer is automatic. “I love her.”
He shrugs. “Then we’re cool.”
That was a whole lot easier than I thought it would be.
“Okay.” I clap my hands together. “Let’s catch us a stalker.”
Chapter Forty-One