“Get your filthy hands off of her!” a man growls from the shadows. I know who it is without looking. It’s Addie’s father. The big, inked, mountain man who’s looking toward me with the eyes of a devil has a distinctive voice, especially when he’s growling.
“Daddy?” Addie gasps. “What are you doing here?”
He clears his throat. “I’m here to get you away from this asshole! Do you know what this man did?”
Addie shakes her head. “I know him, Daddy. I know the real him.”
“I love you, Adelaide, but you’re not thinking clearly,” her dad says. “Get in the truck.”
Addie shakes her head. “No, I won’t go. You don’t know Declan! He’s more than the guy you think he is.”
I’m not sure what her dad thinks he knows, but there are some things I’ve been sitting on telling Addie since we met. I tried to tell her in our very first meeting, but the conversation went a different direction, and everything has been a whirlwind since.
Rain continues to pound down over us, the roar of thunder in the air. “Maybe we should all go talk,” I say, gripping Addie’s waist close to me. I don’t want to lose her again.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” her father growls. “Let’s go, Addie!”
I stiffen and turn toward her. I knew things weren’t over with her father, but I didn’t think he’d show up here.
“Addie,” he says, “I was patient with you, but I’m not going to stand by while you start a relationship with a criminal.”
Addie shakes her head. “A criminal? He’s not a criminal, Dad.” She turns toward me, those big blue eyes staring toward me like the sweet princess she is. “Tell him you’re not a criminal, Declan.”
I suck in a deep breath, my smile hidden. I know she can see it coming.
“Your father isn’t wrong,” I say, letting go of the breath that I’ve been holding onto since he showed up. “Iwasa criminal.”
She stands in front of me, her forehead wrinkled, her arms now crossed in the pouring rain. This look on her face is the one I’ve been trying to avoid.
“What do you mean?” She’s nearly breathless as she speaks. “I trusted you! I… I gave you everything. I was going to have sex with you!”
I reach toward her. “I would never hurt you, Addie.”
“You have!” she screams. “You’ve made a complete fool of me. Everyone told me you were bad news, but I believed something different. I thought you were broken. I thought I could fix you. I thought…” She pauses and sucks in a deep breath. “I was wrong,” she whispers. “I’m always wrong.”
Her father reaches out for her, but she pulls away. “I need some space.”
And with that, every bit of happiness I ever had walks away into the night.
Chapter Nine
Addie
When I was young, I dreamed of a man. He was tall, big, and handsome. He was inked with black and gray tattoos, and he had this attitude that made me feel safe. He quieted my mind with his strength and security, and he talked to me in a way that was different from the way he talked to everyone else.
I met that man when I met Declan, but even he was a figment of my imagination.
My phone rings as I stare out into the flooded parking lot. Streetlamps reflect in the puddles and a ripple moves the water as the wind blows.
“Hey, girl.” It’s Violet. She sounds somber like she’s already heard what’s happened. “I just talked to your sister. She said she’s been trying to call you.”
“Consider yourself special,” I say. “I haven’t been answering calls.”
“She told me what happened. I’m so sorry.”
I stare out the window blankly. “I feel so dumb.”
“You’re not dumb. You liked him. I get it. There’s an energy about him. It’s enigmatic.” She pauses. “Plus, he’s hot,” she laughs. “Do you know what he did?”