Page 151 of No Headlines Please

"You said one reason you didn't say anything was because it sounded crazy. So what's the other reason?"

"Isn't it obvious? I didn't want anyone getting hurt."

"Hurt how?"

"I don't know. But the guy told me that if I confided in anyone, they'd be in trouble, too."

His eyebrows furrowed, but he said nothing.

Quickly, I added, "But that was a long time ago, so I probably don't need to worry."

And yet, way too often, I still did. Maybe that was part of the reason I still hadn't bolted for Mackinac Island – well, aside from the fact that I hadn't been invited.

Maddox moved a fraction closer. "How long ago?"

"You mean how long since I was threatened? By now, I guess it's been over a year."

"You guess?" he repeated like he knew I was full of it.

I released a long, unsteady breath. "Okay, it's been a year and a half – not that I'm counting."

"Wanna know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you've been counting every day."

I mumbled, "Well…not every day."

"Fine. Every other day." He flicked his head toward the seating area. "Now come on. Let's have a seat."

"But…why?"

"So you can tell me everything."

I swallowed. "Everything?"

"Yes. Every detail, starting from the beginning."

"Oh, come on. You don't want to hear this."

"The hell I don't."

I wanted to believe him, but I simply had to ask, "But why would you?"

He looked at me like the answer should've been obvious. "So we can fix it."

I wasn't completely sure there was anything to fix. Whatever court case the guy had meant, it was almost surely resolved by now. And yet, the thought of putting this behind me for good was impossible to resist.

So I did what Maddox asked.

I told him absolutely everything – about the guy showing up on my doorstep in West Haven, about him telling me to keep quiet about the case, about him mentioning my friends on Mackinac Island, about Lenny's shady clientele, and even about how I'd spotted the same guy several times afterward.

After all this time, it felt shockingly good to confide in someone, especially someone like Maddox, who listened with a quiet intensity that made me feel safer than I had in forever.

He never acted like I was crazy. He simply listened, calm and composed, while the occasional flicker of concern told me he was believing every word.

When I finished, he was quiet for several beats before asking, "The guy who threatened you – if you saw him again, would you recognize him?"