Page 64 of Maddox

“I don’t hate where I live. I love the area. There’s green as far as the eye can see, blue sky and you can see the stars almost every night. Mountains. Lakes. Rivers.”

“You just don’t like the people.”

“Nah, they’re cool. They just tend to get into your business. They wave at everyone even if they don’t know who you are. They bring you casseroles when you move in. Why do people do that?”

“Maybe to be nice, Mr. Guarded.”

“I have reasons to be guarded. And I think they just want a chance to see what you’re made of.”

This time, she covered her mouth when she laughed. Her hand was still in mine and I had to admit, it felt damn good. “You’re incorrigible. Maybe you’re right. You reminded me I need to call my parents.”

“As soon as this shit is over, you can use my phone. I’m sure they’re worried about you.”

“What about your family? Won’t they be worried about you?”

A slight snort left my lips. “You don’t know my dad. He’d tell me all the things he would have done differently. I’m alone and that’s fine with me.”

“That’s very sad, Maddox. Everyone deserves a family. For holidays and nights in front of the television cozying up watching a movie. Dinners out even if it’s at a pizza joint. What about attending baseball games? Much better with family. I’m lucky I have one.”

From the lilt in her voice to the sparkle in her eyes as she talked about her family, I could envision her with several kids, maybe a dog or two.

That just wasn’t for me.

“I do just fine,” I told her.

“So hardheaded.”

I glanced out the window, noticing a turn had been made onto New York Avenue. The area was full of high-profile attorneys sitting in their all-glass office buildings. The tightness in my chest continued.

“Where are we going?” I leaned forward and asked the two stoic men sitting up front. They’d immediately rubbed me the wrong way.

The man in the passenger seat glanced at the driver before twisting his head so he could almost look me in the eye. Funny how not one of the SEALs had been able to.

There was a lot about how the extraction had been handled I didn’t like or appreciate, including the fact they’d taken our bags, tossing them in another vehicle. I had my weapon and had thought ahead to slide a second magazine of ammunition into my pants, but that didn’t mean I’d be able to keep it.

No. I was beginning to get a very uneasy feeling.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes, sir. Just take it easy.”

“That’s not what I asked.” When the driver pulled to a light, I thought about what I was doing and tugged on her hand as I opened the door with the other. “Then we’re leaving.”

“Sir. You can’t do that!” the man barked.

At least she trusted me, allowing me to drag her from the vehicle. I didn’t look back, taking long strides toward the sidewalk.

“What is going on?” she hissed.

“I don’t like this. It feels like a setup.” As soon as we were on the sidewalk, the suits from every other vehicle suddenly surrounded us.

While not one of them had pulled out a weapon, their jackets were unbuttoned and I was able to see shadows of their holsters.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to do that, sir.”

The passenger in our vehicle was taking the lead. We were already drawing attention, the early afternoon crowd on a beautiful day taking note.

“That’s Lieutenant Grant,” I retorted. “And we’re not going anywhere until you tell us why we’re being detained.”

“You’re not being detained, Lieutenant,” he countered. “We were told to escort you to the Federal offices.”

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