Roan held up a rope. “Take a look.”
Holt’s gaze swept over it. “Looks normal.”
Roan nodded. “And if you were doing a quick once-over, it would feel that way, too.” He ran his fingers over a spot in the rope over and over. “But if you go really slow, you can feel a depression in the center.”
He pulled out his pocketknife and nicked the outer layer of rope, exposing the inside. Filaments were snapped in half beyond what Roan had cut. A muscle in his jaw flexed. “At least three of these ropes have been tampered with.”
21
MADDIE
My slippers scuffedagainst the worn wooden floor in a rhythmic motion as I paced back and forth. I’d checked and rechecked the locks on the windows, as well as the front and back doors. My stomach had tied itself into a million different knots—those elaborate sailor kinds.
I pulled out my phone and opened Adam’s favorite social media app. His photos were always accompanied by captions that would’ve been beautiful if they were authentic in the slightest way. But they never were.
This time, I wasn’t trying to find any glimmers of truth in his posts. I was looking for clues as to where he might be. I scanned the new updates. A quote from someone his charity had helped. A photo from a site as they worked. Another snapshot of him and me.
It was another old one. The time he’d surprised me with a trip to a drive-in movie because I’d always wanted to go. My smile was wide, eyes bright as I held a massive bucket of popcorn. I looked…happy. And I had been. Sometimes, it made me feel crazy, wondering how the tables had turned. Somehow, it had happened both slowly and in a blink of an eye.
I scrolled down to a more recent photo of the two of us. There was no life in my eyes in this picture. They appeared dull, and not even the best makeup could have hidden the dark circles underneath. The juxtaposition made my heart squeeze.
The sound of tires on gravel had my head snapping up. I hurried over to the window, peeking around the curtain. The pressure on my chest eased a fraction when I saw the police emblem on the side of Nash’s SUV. But it didn’t abate altogether. Because I knew I had to tell Nash what had been waiting on my car.
My stomach formed one of those intricate knots yet again, a million thoughts and worries running through my head. Would Nash lose it? Or worse, would he think I was crazy? It was a flower, not a death threat. For all I knew, it was just someone pulling a random act of kindness and leaving blooms on people’s cars.
But my gut called me a liar.
The key I’d made Nash slid into the lock, and the doorknob turned. I sucked in a breath, bracing for the conversation to come. Then, my jaw dropped.
Nash stood there, his arm in a sling, a scowl on his lips and blond hair in haphazard disarray.
“What happened?” I asked, hurrying over to him.
He grunted but didn’t say a word.
I arched a brow. “Are you turning into Roan now?”
There was no chuckle or even a lip twitch in response.
“You’re starting to freak me out. Are you okay?”
Nash sighed. “I’m fine. Just pissed. Dislocated my shoulder.”
My gaze roamed over him, checking for any evidence that he wasn’t telling me the whole truth. “How’d you hurt your shoulder?”
The scowl was back. “My rope snapped while I was climbing. I had to catch the rock in freefall.”
Everything in me locked tight. I tried to breathe, but my lungs wouldn’t obey my brain’s command. “That doesn’t happen.”
It was the only thing I could think of to say. Before I’d moved to Atlanta, I’d helped on countless SAR rescue operations and hundreds more training sessions. I’d volunteered on the K9 unit, assisted at mission headquarters, and helped run countless drills. The SAR team was careful. Equipment was checked and rechecked.
Nash crossed to the picnic table and sat, kicking off his shoes. “It sure as hell shouldn’t, that’s for sure.”
I moved to him, lowering myself to the bench and waiting for him to explain. My breaths still weren’t coming as they should. Each inhale hurt with the force it required. I didn’t want to imagine a world without Nash in it. The idea was too much to bear.
“Someone tampered with some of our gear.”
I gaped at him. “Tampered with?” I sounded like a parrot, but it was all I could manage to get out.
