Page 56 of The Right Woman

“Okay, I’ll do it. Good luck.”

“Love you, bro. Thanks.”

“Love you, too, Adon!”

He drives off while I head back inside. Seeing Piper at home re-heating food in the oven makes me smile. She seems so relaxed here, even after tonight’s events, that it makes me feel that things arealmostright in the world.

Except someone is coming after her…and I think I know who it is.

When I slip an arm around her waist, she jumps, but then quickly settles against me. “Oh, hey. Pizza’s ready. Stand back.”

She pulls it out of the oven and slides a few slices on a plate for us.

“Thanks. Want some wine?” I ask.

“No, I’ll just have some water,” she says, and I pause. I wonder if it’s something new she’s trying, and I keep quiet about it, grabbing her a glass of filtered water.

“How does it feel to be here?” I ask as we munch on our dinner.

“I think I’ll enjoy it. You have a better oven than mine, that’s for sure. But I need to pay you some rent. How will we handle that?”

“We’ll figure that out. Maybe tomorrow. Oh, speaking of this week, Rhodes and I are going to a Nighthawks hockey game on Thursday night. It’s the finals.”

“I didn’t know you liked hockey.”

“He wanted to go, so I said I’d go with him. I’ll see if I can cut out early to come back to you, though. I’ll have the kids stay at Em’s so you can have the house to yourself.”

She chews a bite. “That’s not necessary. They can stay with me.”

“Only if youwantthat. Otherwise, they can go to Em’s.”

The corners of her mouth tip up in a smile as she swallows. “We can play Monopoly.”

I chuckle. “Anything but that.”

After an evening routine where we both brush our teeth, eyeing each other in the mirror over the main bathroom sink, it feels so nice to have her resting on my chest as she falls asleep inourbed. But I’m wide awake.

Waiting until her breathing is fully evened out, I slip downstairs to my study. Maeve’s social media isn’t hard to find. In fact, she has multiple accounts on several platforms, and all are quite professional looking. Fake. Overly flashy. And pink.

When I finally get all the way back to her high school days, it’s not a surprise to me that she still has a picture ofhim. Her high school “sweetheart,” as she called him.

Noah Bradley.

The guy is obviously a fucking asshole. His face just screams it. Thinks he’s much more good looking than he actually is. Just the fact that he’s able to walk around makes acid pour into my belly.

His profiles are also as I had expected. He lives two hours away, attending medical school at a moderate-sized university, paid for by his wealthy physician parents. Hopes to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. That’s useful to know.

By three in the morning, I’ve done as much recon as I can do and formulated my plan. Sneaking back into bed, I slide my arms underneath my woman and fall into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Two nights later, I kiss Piper goodbye and jump in my truck, going to the “hockey game.” Am I sorry for lying to her? A little, but not for protecting her. She doesn’t need to know about this.

In two hours, I land in the parking lot I previously scoped out and wait with a hot coffee in hand behind the wheel of a deserted car from the shop, not my own.

That’s when I see him.

The little twerp waves goodbye to some other students as they exit the library, then heads down a dark side path on campus. One where the lights are low and the bushes are thick. That’s when I make my move.

I pull down my mask and jump out of the car, strolling straight for him. He doesn’t even notice my approach, his earbuds firmly inserted in his head. Music is so loud even I can hear it as I grasp his backpack, then thrust my gun into his side. He freezes, then pops one of the little white buds from his ear.

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