Page 39 of Stolen Goods
Thad pushed that concern aside as he bent down to retrieve the maps that had fallen to the ground and then hastily got out of the way, tossing the man a wave like old friends before returning to his car. Addison was in the midst of a panic attack when he hopped inside.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes!” she squeaked.
He stifled his smile. “You sure?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, lips folded over and pressed together as she stared straight ahead.
“That was good thinking, quick thinking,” he said as he eased back onto the road, following the directions he’d memorized before he’d left the mini-mart. “You saved our asses.”
Silence.
He glanced to the side. Addison sat with one arm hugging her waist and the other bent so she cupped her face with her palm. She was half turned away, hiding behind her fingers now that she didn’t have her long hair to act as a curtain. In the side mirror, he caught a brief glimpse of the panic in her eyes.
It was just a kiss, he wanted to say.No big deal. Don’t worry about it. It meant nothing.The words wouldn’t come. They sat heavy in his gut, a stubborn safe that wouldn’t unlock, an iron weight that had sunk to the bottom of the sea. So instead, like the asshole he was, Thad said, “You need to loosen up.”
“What?” She spun, a little fire in her gaze. But he’d rather she be pissed at him than freaked out with herself. People were angry with him all the time—he was used to it. He preferred it.
“You need to loosen up,” he repeated, the hint of a challenge.
“I’m loose,” she said, sitting up straighter, the opposite of loose.
He arched a brow. “Are you, though?”
“I just kissed you!” she charged.
“And look what happened,” he tossed back. “You’re freaking out.”
“I’m not.”
He didn’t acknowledge that with a response.
“Okay, I was,” Addison admitted softly. “But not about that. Not entirely about that, anyway. I just…”
“What?” he asked, not mocking or teasing or jabbing, honestly curious now that he’d broken through her panic.
She sighed. “The past twenty-four hours have been a lot to process. I know for you, this is normal. But for me, this is…a lot.”
He stared at her, almost able to see the walls closing in. Thad understood. He put on a good front, as any good con man should, but deep down, he was just as torn, just as unsure, just as confused as she was. Maybe that was why he said, “Scream.”
“Huh?”
“Scream.” He found her gaze and held it until she understood he wasn’t joking. “Take everything that’s bundled up inside you, and let it go. Yell it out. You’ll feel better.”
“That’s—” She shook her head. “No, I can’t.”
“Why not?” he challenged. “Who’s going to know? Me? I’m the one who told you to do it.” Addison continued to watch him blankly. He rolled his eyes and flicked on the radio, then turned it up as loud as possible. “Now I won’t hear!”
“What?” she shouted back.
“Just scream!”
“I can’t!”
“You can! I’ll show you!”
He regretted the offer immediately, but she stared at him, expectant, like a bird afraid to fly, hoping he’d help her find her wings.
