She headed toward her station, and I opened the box. I’d had a massive breakfast, but the moment the scent of fried dough hit my nostrils, my stomach rumbled.
“You’re gonna share, right?” Clint asked. “It would be cruel not to when I can smell them from here.”
I sent him a pointed look. “One. That’s it.”
He beamed. “Got any chocolate sprinkles?”
I plucked one from the box and handed it to him. Turning back to the contents, I studied my options. What you ate as your first donut of the day was an important decision.
“Nash…”
Clint’s voice had me looking up, but my gaze didn’t make it to him. Instead, it caught on the figure weaving through desks in the station. Maddie was even paler than normal. And I could see from here that she was trembling.
I was on my feet in a flash, moving toward her. My good arm went around her on instinct, pulling her in. “What happened?”
“A-Adam. He’s here.”
My blood went cold. The fucker had the nerve to show up in Cedar Ridge? To scare Maddie out of her mind?
Maddie’s body shook harder against mine as the words slipped free. I guided her toward Lawson’s office, casting a look in Clint’s direction. “Get me Law.”
Clint was already on his feet, heading for Interview One.
I felt gazes on us as we moved through the bullpen. I hated it. Loathed that they were staring at Maddie and asking a million different questions in their heads.
The moment we were inside my brother’s office, I shut the door and then maneuvered Maddie to the couch and eased her onto it. She moved like a robot, as if she were in no way aware of what was happening around her.
That numbness grated. It was wrong in every way. This wasn’t Maddie. She was full of life and sass. Always giving me a hard time.
I brushed the hair out of her eyes, cupping her cheek with my hand. “Talk to me. Tell me what happened.”
She looked at me, but it was as if she didn’t truly see me. “I got out of my car. I was laughing to myself.”
“Laughing?”
Her mouth curved the barest amount. “I was thinking about the time you got chicken pox and tried to walk to my house.”
I wanted to laugh but couldn’t get my throat to complete the action. “Mom put that bell on my door.”
“I was thinking about that as I walked up to The Brew. There were lots of people around. We’re getting into the tourist season.”
And The Brew was a popular spot for visitors.
“I didn’t even see him until he was right in front of me.”
I had to fight to keep my hold on Maddie loose. “Did he touch you?”
The words were barely restrained, rage pumping through me.
Maddie shook her head. “No. He just—he acted like everything was normal. He said, ‘Hey, babe. I missed you.’” Her voice broke on the last sentence. “He makes me feel crazy. Like none of the things I remember are true.”
I pressed my forehead against hers. “You’re not crazy. He’s just a damn good manipulator.” I wanted to gut him for everything he’d put Maddie through.
“What if my mind’s playing tricks on me? What if—?”
I slid my hand under her hair and squeezed her neck. “It’s not. Doc took X-rays. You still have bruises all over your side.”
Maddie looked down at herself as if trying to see the marred skin through her shirt. “I know the truth.”
