Page 89 of Adoring Delaney

“That’d be appreciated,” Ethan returned.

“I’ll have a preliminary workup sent to the station, E. As a matter of fact, I’ll personally deliver it tomorrow.”

“’Preciate it. See you tomorrow.”

“Anything else I should know?” Nick asked.

“Yeah. About two weeks ago, Delaney’s tires were slashed,” I added.

“Nothing left? No note?”

“No.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

“I’m gonna take this in.” Ethan stopped in front of me on his way to the door. “Watch yourself.”

Delaney whimpered and I wanted to kick my brother.

“Will do.”

“Guys, I’m gonna take Laney to the bedroom, I’ll be right back.”

I stood and Delaney struggled to stand. “I don’t want to go into the bedroom.”

“We’ll all be right here, nothing’s gonna happen.”

“You think I’m weak.”

“No, baby, you’re the strongest woman I know. I think you’ve had a shock and you’ve heard enough. I think you need to take a breather and rest. Once the initial terror of the threat wears off, you’ll remember who I am and what I do for a living and you’ll come to believe me when I tell you, no one is going to kill me. But you need a minute to process. That’s what I’m giving you.”

Delaney didn’t relax in my arms but she was no longer fighting me.

Someone’s head was going to roll for putting fear in Delaney’s eyes.

26

“Do you think this is a good idea?” I asked Carter.

“I think it’s better than good, it’s a great idea.”

We were in his truck on the way to a place called The Hole. The restaurant was so small and hidden between two other stores, if you didn’t know what you were looking for you’d miss it. It also had the best jazz acts in all of Georgia come play. There was always music on the weekends but sometimes they had a performance during the week. It was also always packed. And with their rotation menu, you never knew what your food choices were going to be, just that they’d be delicious.

I loved The Hole. And under normal circumstances I’d be thrilled Carter was taking me on a date. But after the letter, hearing what Nick had said, then lying in bed listening to the muffled conversation between Carter, his dad, mine, Uncle Levi, and Uncle Clark I was in no state to go out.

However, Carter had been right about one thing. When the shock had worn off a tad I did find it hard to believe that someone would be able to get close enough to capture him. Not to mention, strong enough to subdue and move him.

And that’s what the note had said. The person explained in detail how they were going to use a knife and carve him up while I watched. They hadn’t threatened to shoot him, which they could do from a distance.

Carter had insisted on going out. He’d pulled out the emotional big guns and reminded me he’d wasted time and he wasn’t wasting anymore. So there we were driving to a restaurant with the threat of Carter’s demise looming over us.

I heard people talk about how in the aftermath of danger or during an extreme situation it made them appreciate what they had, even made them want to live life to the fullest. You know, make a bucket list and tick off all the things you wanted to do before you died.

That had not been my experience. I’d been in the throes of heartbreak and agony after what happened with Derek. I hadn’t been in any sort of mind to appreciate anything.

Now, I could possibly see how that was true. A little. Someone threatening Carter’s life did make me want to hold on tighter. Part of me wanted to lock him in the house so no one could get to him but a sliver of me wanted to pack everything I could in the shortest amount of time possible.

What the threat had done was made me realize with a hundred percent clarity was, I couldn’t live without Carter. I hadn’t allowed my mind to wander down a dark path picturing his death, but I did think about how I’d pushed him away and how I’d stupidly thought I could replace the irreplaceable.

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