Page 78 of Stolen Goods
He didn’t know.
Thad had told her more about himself in the past year than he’d ever told to anyone else—that he still longed to see his art hang in a gallery one day, that his greatest fear was becoming a father, that his greatest wish was the same thing. Addison had shared in kind, writing of her desire to own her own bakery, to have a family, her worry that when she finally returned home it would be all too easy to revert into the girl she’d been before. But she wouldn’t. Thad believed in her, and he told her as much. The only topic they never broached was the future—their future. The what-ifs. He hadn’t told her about his plea deal, didn’t remind her the trials were at an end, and never asked her to come see him. He didn’t want to get in her way. He didn’t want to be the reason she held herself back, especially when he considered her the sole thing moving him forward. Maybe that was the real reason he was too afraid to ask for more than letters, to ask for more of her—what if she said no? At least this way, there was a spark of hope to nurture, a little piece of her he could hold on to and keep close.
Nate parked the car and turned off the engine. Thad followed him into the elevator and watched as he pressed the button for the fifth floor.
“Jo and I are on the eleventh floor, but don’t let that fool you. I have the manager on speed dial, and at the first hint of escape, I can have this whole building on lockdown.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Thad rolled his eyes.Do you really think I’m running now?
“We moved your things from the safe house and stocked the fridge, and I’m sure Jo will get you anything else you want, whether I agree with it or not,” Nate continued, looking up to watch the numbers shift. The elevatordinged and the doors opened. They both stepped out. “You’re going to be living in apartment—”
“Let me guess,” Thad interjected, nudging his chin toward the door at the end of the hall currently wrapped in a banner that readWelcome home!“Apartment 503?”
Nate shook his head and sighed. “I told her not to do this. Most people on house arrest aren’t exactly thrilled to be there. But, well…”
“That’s Jo,” Thad said, feeling his dimples pucker as he grinned. Maybe he wasn’t most people, because the sight of the sign made his chest warm. It had been a very long time since he’d had any place he considered home.
“That’s Jo.” Nate laughed under his breath, a resigned yet loving sound.
“Did she at least make me a cake? Cupcakes? A coopie?” Thad sniffed the air, hunting for a smell. He’d missed her cooking. Jo’s visits to the safe house had always been rushed and quick, long enough for a few hastily spoken words and an illicit exchange of letters before Nate ushered her back out.
“I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility of baked goods.”
“Come on, Parker,” he said, nudging the man in the ribs.
Nate tossed him a sidelong glance, lips twitching. “Chocolate Oreo cake with vanilla cream frosting, and that’s all you’re getting out of me.”
His stomach growled.
Nate reached into his pocket and pulled out a single key on an otherwise bare key ring. But to Thad, it was everything—a fresh start. “Here you go, Ryder. Home, sweet home.”
He took the key, breathed deep, and opened the door.
“Surprise!” Jo yelled, then scrunched her eyebrows. “Or—er. Welcome home! We made cake!”
“We…?” Thad asked, stepping inside. As soon as he pushed the door fully open, he froze. “What— How— Why—”
Words, Thad.
Words would be nice.
Addison pulled her lower lip into her mouth as her cheeks widened, self-consciously hiding the smile threatening to spread. But he didn’t want her to hide it. He’d been imagining that smile for a year, and he was afraid he might break if he had to wait a minute longer to see the real thing. “Jo told me about the plea deal and the trials, and, well, that you were being moved to your new apartment today.”
“Jo…” Thad trailed off. His brain was short-circuiting. How was this happening? Addison’s last letter, the one that had arrived two days prior, said she was hiking to Machu Picchu. She was supposed to be in South America, a million miles away. But she was here, close enough to touch, more real than any dream could ever be.
He turned toward Jo, utterly confused and completely lost for words.
She just shrugged.
“You weren’t the only one Addy was talking to. And you forget, I know you better than you do.” She put her hands to Nate’s shoulders and pushed him out the door, mumbling, “That’s our cue.”
“Hold on,” Nate argued. “I need to turn his monitor on. I need to get it calibrated for the new location. I need to—”
“Later.”
“But—”
Jo gave him a hard shove and closed the door behind them, leaving Thad and Addison alone. His feet were glued to the ground. He didn’t know what to do. Addison was sitting on the floor of what he guessed would be his new living room, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of canvases.
