Page 8 of Exposed

“You done avoiding my calls?” Ethan barked.

Annoyance rippled through him. If Ethan only knew that he was dealing with Maddie, he’d understand.

“I’m not avoiding you, dude, I’m working. What’s wrong?”

Ethan breathed into the phone. “Sorry, just a little stressed. I didn’t want to bother Cal with this. Lucy has a cold, and he and Lana haven’t slept in a week.”

Nate groaned. He’d be damned if he ever had kids. “That fucking sucks. What’s up?”

“It’s Maddie.”

Nate closed his eyes and swallowed. He stepped onto the smooth concrete parking lot and fished his keys out of his pocket. The sun glared into his pupils, blinding him even through his sunglasses.

He had to be careful. Ethan was as observant as a hawk when it came to his sisters. “What’d she do now?” He kept his tone even, though his throat swelled with the effort it took.

“Dana called me. Maddie has been avoiding her for weeks. Dana finally got a hold of her today and learned she’s working on a case, but Maddie wouldn’t say what it’s about.”

“You know she can’t divulge information like that.”

Ethan grunted. “Yeah, but is that a reason to ignore your family for weeks? She’s up to something. I swear to fucking god, if I find out she’s doing something dangerous, I’m going to haul her ass out of there.”

Nate opened the door to his truck, started the ignition, and let the air conditioning run while he leaned against the open door. Sweat collected at his brow and he wiped it away. With the pressure of Ethan, he’d combust if he got inside the sweltering vehicle.

“Maddie’s impulsive,” he breathed. It wasn’t a lie. “Have you called her?” It was a stupid question, but he needed to figure out what the hell to say.

“Yup. She hasn’t returned my calls.”

Nate closed his eyes and ran his knuckles over his jaw. “What’s your gut telling you?”

“I don’t need to listen to my gut, the facts are there. She’s lying and hiding and the only explanation for that is that she’s involved in something she shouldn’t be.”

The roar of a speedboat split the air, rattling the ground beneath his feet. “Is that a boat?”

Nate’s pulse slowed.

“Where the hell are there lakes in Phoenix?”

Nate’s breath came out in shallow puffs. If Ethan suspected he was with Maddie, he’d tear him to shreds. Whether he was banging her or not, covering up Maddie’s lies were just as bad.

“A boat? Nah, man. That was a motorcycle. If you want my advice, back off a bit. You’re smothering her to death. And the more you hound her, the more she’s going to avoid you. Give her some space and let her come to you. If she doesn’t get back to you in a week, then go ape shit.”

Ethan groaned. “Yeah, you’re right. She makes me so fucking crazy sometimes. She doesn’t think, you know?”

“I know, believe me,” he ground out. “But, it’s her life and she’s the one who has to suffer the consequences. I know this is probably hard to hear, but you need to let her make mistakes. People need to screw up in order to learn.”

“Are you saying I’m enabling her?” Ethan’s tone was terse.

“Fucking right I am.”

He snorted. “You don’t have any siblings, so you wouldn’t know.”

Nate lifted a shoulder. “You’re right, I don’t. But what you’re doing isn’t helping. I think we can both agree on that.”

A beat passed. “You know, this wasn’t the response I expected from you.”

A vice tightened around Nate’s stomach. He was treading in dangerous waters. “Sorry, man. I’m really stressed out with this case I’m working on. Let me know how it goes with Maddie and if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Actually, there is.” Hesitation crept into Ethan’s voice. “Could you call her? Maybe tell her I’m worried about her? She might not ignore you.”

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