“Sounds good.” He’d never not been there when she opened the door. She would know something was up. He had to act fast.
Think, think.
If IronClad Elite wasn’t going to stand behind him, he had to find someone who would. Who would have the power and influence to do anything? Unless…
He searched for Addy’s husband online. Judge Shane Ashbourne. He was easy to find, a picture of his unnaturally dark hair and stern gaze front and center. The phone number for his office was right there.
It was the fastest he was going to be able to talk to someone about this. Rick dialed.
“Judge Ashbourne’s office, how can I direct your call?”
“Hi, this is Rick Hayle. I’m providing personal security for Judge Ashbourne’s ex-wife Adelaide Ashbourne. I have urgent security concerns I need to discuss with him. “
“He’s in a meeting right now, but I’ll take down your information and get it to him right away.”
The muscles in his chest eased. He let out a breath. “Thank you.”
He explained IronClad Elite wanted to sever his contract, but he had concerns, especially with a recent attack on Addy’s safety.
After hanging up, he took a few deep breaths. The judge would call him back. They would sort this out. It would be okay.
The smell of toasting bread drifted into his room. He opened the door and walked down the stairs, counting as he went, grounding himself.
“Good morning,” Addy said.
“Good morning,” he said back, his voice controlled.
Coffee. That would steady his hands. They were shaking a little. Addy couldn’t see that. A pot was already brewing. He grabbed a mug.
“Did you have sweet dreams of glowing water?”
He jumped a little. She was talking to him. “Ha, yeah. Did you?”
“No, in my dreams I was having lunch at an Italian café. It was sunny, and I had a cappuccino and a pastry.” She paused. “Pretty boring, but maybe it was a dream of heaven.”
He smiled. “Maybe.”
Her phone rang and she grabbed it from the counter. “Hello?” Her brow furrowed. “What? I didn’t hear anything about this.”
Rick stared at her, his arm frozen, holding his mug, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
“Hang on, that doesn’t make any sense.” Addy turned to him. “Rick, my ex-husband is saying he got a call from someone concerned about my safety?”
Rick cleared his throat. “I called him, yes. IronClad Elite severed my contract today and I needed to fix it.”
She held up a finger, indicating for him to wait. He clenched his teeth, focusing on his breaths. One in, one out. Two in, two out.
Addy listened, biting her lip. “Okay, well, like I said, I didn’t know about it but –” She sighed. “All right, it’s not my fault that –”
She stopped again. The guy wouldn’t let her get a word in.
“Let her talk!” Rick bellowed.
She set the phone onto the kitchen counter. “He had to go.”
“He was supposed to call me back. I need to talk to him. This is unacceptable.”
“What’s unacceptable is that you didn’t talk to me first. I didn’t know you’d set me up for an angry phone call from my ex-husband about how I need to be more responsible.”
