Page 85 of Echoes of You

“Since it’s eight-thirty in the morning, I’m guessing this isn’t a brotherly bonding call.”

I heard Wren’s voice in the background, asking if everything was okay.

“I need you to run a couple of unknown numbers for me,” I said.

Holt was quiet for a brief moment. “You’ve got access to a database.”

“I know, but you can sometimes get information I can’t.”

My brother read between the lines. Holt had access to less-than-legal information.

“Text me the numbers, and I’ll get my guys on it. It may take them a bit. This kind of thing requires a light hand,” he said.

“I get it.” It took time to make sure you didn’t leave any trace behind. “Thanks, Holt.”

“Of course. You guys hanging in there?”

I looked at Maddie as she worried the corner of her lip. Even with anxiety radiating through her, she was beautiful. The morning light made her blue eyes almost glow. “We’re hanging in there.”

“Good. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“I will.” I hit end on the call and scrolled through Maddie’s messages, grabbing every unknown number to send to Holt. There were at least four. That was another bad sign. How many phones had Adam bought with the sole purpose of terrorizing his ex-fiancée?

I handed Maddie her phone. “We’ll need to record the texts at the station.”

She nodded. “I told Law he could sign into my cloud account and take whatever he needed.”

I shoved down the flicker of annoyance I felt that Lawson had known what was going on before I did. But Maddie’s and my heads had been somewhere else last night, working out what we desperately needed to.

“Sure.” I moved into her space, wrapping my arms around Maddie and holding her tightly. “You okay?”

“I’m worried about you. That wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. Adam will make trouble for you however he can.”

“He can try,” I grumbled.

“You don’t know how good he is at getting people on his side.”

Maybe not, but I’d seen glimpses of it. The guy was a master manipulator. But he wasn’t a local. I had history and deep relationships on my side. “Don’t let him get in your head. He sent you that text for a reason. Because he knows your heart is as big as they come and the one thing that would get to you would be threatening someone you care about.”

Because Maddie was the kind of selfless that could get a person into trouble.

She let out a sigh. “You’re right. I know you are. But the idea that you could run into issues because I brought this mess back to your doorstep? It kills me.”

I lifted a hand, running it along her jaw so I could tip her face up to meet mine. “We share the burdens. That’s what we’ve always done. We’re here for each other, no matter what. Whatever you’re struggling with is mine, too. Got it?”

Maddie’s eyes glistened. “Got it. But the same goes for you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her fingers kneaded my lower back. “How’s your shoulder feeling?”

It ached a little thanks to last night’s festivities, but not too badly. “Pretty good, all things considered.”

Maddie arched a brow in question.

A grin curved my mouth. “Considering the workout we got last night.”

Maddie’s cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “Oh.”

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