Cleo straightened as if she was gearing up to say something. But she remained silent.
Addison placed her mug on the end table. “Cleo?”
She shifted in the chair and clasped her hands, squeezing them tightly. What the hell happened? She’d gone from relaxed to seemingly nervous again in ten seconds flat.
“What?”
Cleo licked her lips, staring intently at her. “I had this idea, but now that I’m here, I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask you.”
I’m intrigued.
“Well, you can ask me anything?”
“It might be weird.”
Girl, this is all weird.
“We’re embracing that, remember? The weirder, the better. Ask.”
Cleo slowly stood and walked into the kitchen. Where was she going? From Addison’s view, she couldn’t see Cleo past the wall. She craned her neck to see as Cleo walked back into the room, stopping ten feet away. Addison glanced down at her hand and gasped when she laid eyes on the stethoscope.
“Can I listen to your heart?” Cleo’s voice shook, and her eyes welled immediately.
Notmyheart,Knox’sheart.
Her chest tightened, and a wave of emotion came over her like nothing she’d ever felt before. She looked up at Cleo, who was staring down at the floor. Even without meeting her stare, Addison was struck by the raw pain circling the room. From her letters, she knew how much Cleo loved her brother and missed him. But now she was getting a front row seat to view how deep her grief ran.
It wasn’t weird or inappropriate. It was a beautiful request.
“C-Cleo” —Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat— “Come over here.” Addison scooted over on the couch to make room and patted the cushion beside her.
When Cleo sat, leaving a small gap, Addison closed it, grabbing the stethoscope. Cleo’s hands were shaking, and she hadn’t made eye contact. And she didn’t have to. She put the earpieces on Cleo and unbuttoned her own shirt, pressing the cool pad of the diaphragm over her heart. They sat in silence for a minute before Cleo finally glanced up. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but her smile was unlike anything Addison had ever seen. Pure joy. Addison tried to batten down her own emotion, but it was impossible. She didn’t even make a move to wipe away her own tears.
This wasn’t about Addison. It was all about Cleo. And Knox. She was just grateful to be the vessel connecting the siblings together one more time.
****
Cross had been on edge since the night before.How the fuck is she the same woman from the bar?He’d gone on a long ride to clear his head and hadn’t gotten home until after two. The clubhouse had been quiet when he’d walked in, finding only Oakand Joker having a drink. Cross didn’t stop or even acknowledge them. He walked into his room, locked his door, and laid in bed thinking about Knox. And her.
He’d kept to himself most of the morning and remained quiet during breakfast. When they filed into the room for the meeting, he’d shared a brief look with Wraith. Neither of them said a word, but Cross was sending a message. The club needed to know about Cleo’s visitor.
Ace started off as expected, giving a rundown of how the next two weeks of transports would work. Everyone was assigned their route. There was nothing new to report, so it wrapped up pretty quickly.
Ace settled back in his seat, scanning the brothers. “Anything else?”
Cross glanced over at Wraith, who’d remained silent the whole meeting. Club wise there wasn’t much to offer. However, the arrival of Cleo’sfriendaffected everyone. When he met Wraith’s stare, Cross arched his brow. Either he told them, or Cross would.
Wraith scowled and stepped forward. “Cleo has a visitor.”
The statement got everyone’s attention. Those in chairs swiveled around to face Wraith. Even those standing on the opposite side of the room jerked their heads in unison. The only member seemingly not surprised was Cypher, though he straightened, and his jaw squared. He’d have insider intel from tracking her calls and messages. Cross had no doubt Wraith had shared with him after Cross left last night.
Ace slowly leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands. “A visitor? Who?”
“Addison.”
Ace’s brows spiked. “The girl with Knox’s heart?”
Wraith gave a curt nod.
