The next morning, he heard back from his contact. The salesmen were run-of-the mill petty criminals. Both had spent time in prison. Theft, home break-ins. Check fraud. Witness intimidation. Real stand-up guys.
He called IronClad Elite and told them about the situation and the increased threat to Addy. There was no one higher up to talk to, just someone taking messages, so he said he’d like to discuss more resources for Addy’s case.
All there was left to do was sit and wait. They were going to slip up. They would make a mistake and Rick would be there to catch it.
He might not be able to get Marilyn’s money back, but he would make them pay. They would go back to prison for what they’d done to Addy.
Maybe then he’d be able to sleep again.
Twenty
Within a week of the brake cutting incident, calm returned to the island. Sheila was suspicious of it. How could people who were willing to do something likethat to Addy just…disappear?
Sheila wasn’t going to let it go. She kept talking about it, but Addy kept refusing to engage. She brushed off Sheila’s concerns, saying that it might have been a tit-for-tat on their part. She had threatened them, they had threatened her. It was over.
Addy had always been optimistic, overly willing to look to the future. It drove Sheila mad sometimes, and it had only worsened with Rick emboldening that little sister of hers.
He installed cameras, motion detectors, and alarms. He hounded the company he worked for and alerted Chief Hank and every officer on the islands. Posters with the guys’ faces were up in the grocery stores, at the ferry landing, at the farmer’s market. Online, he’d made several threads about the guys and the community was all over them, bubbling with excitement over the drama.
Sheila was grateful for Rick. His stare could be unnerving, and sometimes when she spoke to him he didn’t hear her at all,
but he took the job of protecting Addy seriously. That was what mattered.
Addy still wanted to do her work at the tea shop, but Rick had put his foot down. It was too risky, and Sheila agreed.
Instead, he set up a table for her on Russell’s back deck. It overlooked the water and was more comfortable for working than the lounge chairs.
Sheila did her work there, too. They were only days away from transporting Lottie out to the sea pen, and it was all hands on deck. Mackenzie was working tirelessly from the mainland, making sure everything was moving smoothly and they wouldn’t have any surprises. Sheila had gotten pulled into planning some of the welcome festivities.
Working like this was fun, though. It was nice to have time alone with Addy. They hadn’t spent this much time together since they were kids.
That’s what they were doing, working and enjoying morning coffee, when their mother showed up unannounced.
“I can’t believe you wouldn’t let me stay here,” she said with a sigh. “It’s stunning.”
“Mom!” Addy stood and gave her a hug. “How did you end up on this side of the island?”
“Lawrence gave me a ride,” she said, waving a hand.
“I didn’t even hear you sneak up.” Sheila set her coffee mug down.
“Don’t worry.” Rick stepped out from behind her. “I spotted her immediately.”
“And you didn’t warn us?” Sheila murmured.
He smiled but said nothing.
“How’s Lawrence?” Addy asked. “What’s he doing on the island?”
“He’s helping me move back,” Marilyn said simply.
Sheila bit her lip. Could it be true? Was their mother going to leave them alone? “Moving back where?”
“Back to the house,” she said with an impatient sigh. “Apparently the whole thing was a misunderstanding, and now we can move back.”
“What?” Addy tilted her head. “Who said you could move back?”
“Flex Knock! They called and told me there was a mistake in accounting. They apologized and said we could come back to the house.”
