Page 21 of Stolen Goods
Why do you always have to be such a combative biotch?!Addy wanted to scream, but she kept herself in check…barely. “Now isnotthe time. Please—”
“Oh, Mom just got home from the supermarket. Let me go get her since you clearly don’t seem interested in having a conversation of any value with me.”
“Oh my God!” Addy broke. She couldn’t help it. The words spewed out like the contents of a backed-up septic tank, throwing shit in every direction, hoping something stuck. Sisters could have that effect on one another. “Grace! Lee! Whoever you are! I’ve been kidnapped. Taken hostage by Thaddeus Ryder. Men tried to kill me last night. I don’t know where I am, but if you don’t help me right now you might never see me again! Okay? Does this conversation have enough value now?”
The line went dead.
“Hello?” Addy asked. “Hello?”
Nothing.
That little twerp!Addy pulled the phone away and stared at it in pure shock.I hope you’re happy when the police call and tell you I’m missing. I hope you’re really proud of ignoring my plea for help.
The sound of slow clapping put a stop to the rant going on inside her head.
Addy’s heart dropped.
Why, oh why, didn’t I start by calling the police?
911. Easy. Simple.
She’d blown her only chance.
“That was a little dramatic, don’t you think?” a deep voice called from the other side of the door. With a sigh, Addy stood and twisted the knob, pushing the wood so it slowly swung open. Thad stood with his arms crossed and his brows high. The other end of the phone cable dangled from his fingers. “I told you, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m trying to protect you.”
“I’d believe that a little more if you hadn’tdrugged me last night!” Her voice rose a solid octave by the end of that sentence. Had he drugged her? All she could remember was the world going black, but it seemed like a safe bet.
He scoffed and his jaw dropped. “I did not.”
“Oh.”Great comeback, Addy.Her entire body deflated.
“You fainted,” he clarified, then muttered, “and thank God for that.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he countered, not apologetic in the least. Addy opened her mouth to retort. Nothing but air came out. He shrugged. “The silence was welcome. I needed to focus. I needed to get us out of there. And I couldn’t do it when you were screaming.”
“I wasn’t screaming anymore,” Addy argued, just to be stubborn. “I was crying.”
His head fell forward pointedly as his entire body slouched in an exaggerated sigh, sending a wave of rich brown locks over his forehead, shading his eyes. “Exactly.”
“Well— Well—” Addy gripped her skirt with her hands, balling her fingers into fists. A light sparked to life in his eyes as the left corner of his lips rose.He’s enjoying this. He’s actually enjoying this.She finally found her words. “I wouldn’t have been screaming or crying—I wouldn’t have been in danger at all if not for you!”
He scrunched his face. “Technically, that’s not entirely true.”
“Huh?” All the fight whizzed out of her. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t think I’m the best person to explain it to you.” He lifted his hands, holding her cell phone out like a peace offering. “We have a friend in common—someone you trust. And I think she should explain it to you.”
Addy shook her head, taken aback. “No we don’t.”
“We do.” He nodded confidently.
“I think I would know if I had mutual friends with a criminal.”
He stared her up and down, brows arching dubiously. “Would you, though?”
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” Addy crossed her arms.
