Page 49 of Shallow Remains

Yeah, he’d picked up on that. “Okay, and?” When she didn’t elaborate, his patience slipped. “If there’s something I need to know, tell me.”

She sighed. “I don’t know the full story. Only she and Blaine do. But she’s been through a lot.”

Yeah, her and me both. “A lot as in…”

“An incredibly traumatic situation when they worked together overseas. The kind most people don’t ever get over.”

Jesus. It confirmed his suspicion that someone had hurt her. Badly.

All his protective instincts roared to life. Maddy was sweet and sassy and smart, trying to navigate her way through a world she’d never fit into.

The thought of anyone deliberately hurting her made him want to smash something. Starting with the asshole’s face.

“Okay, that murderous expression is understandable, but unnecessary. The person responsible is already dead.”

He shot her a hard look. Dead? What the hell had happened? “You’re seriously gonna leave me hanging with just that? Why are you being cryptic?”

“You know I’d tell you more if I could, but I don’t know a lot of the details, and it needs to come from her. I just wanted to give you a heads up and warn you to proceed with caution. That’s all. I care about both of you. A lot. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”

He chewed on that while he readied the boat. Grunted a response when Allistair showed up with his usual sunny greeting, lost in his thoughts. Xanthe wouldn’t have said anything unless it was serious.

He’d thought Maddy’s caution with him was mainly due to her being neurodivergent, and a bit because some asshole had broken her trust in the past. Now he knew it went way deeper than that. And that it was a hell of a lot darker than he’d imagined.

Whatever Maddy had been through was way more serious than having her heart broken. Whatever trauma she’d suffered, it had scarred her.

He knew what that was like. How trauma could trap you in a stranglehold until it felt like you couldn’t breathe.

Only Grey knew the truth about him. Only Blaine knew the truth about her.

The urge to protect her burned inside him like an inferno. The need to comfort her pulled every muscle taut.

He had to see her. Hold her. Show her he was here for her.

And it was going to be at least another ten or twelve hours before he would get the chance.

“Okay, and good morning to you too,” Allistair said with an offended frown. “I know you had a rough night last night, but you’re gonna scare away all the orcas with that thundercloud look on your face. What’s up with you? I thought you’d be a walking ray of sunshine now that you’re seeing our girl Maddy.”

“Don’t poke the bear, Al,” Xanthe said from the bow.

Definitely don’t.

Lachlan left them to ready the drone and went into the relative privacy of the pilothouse to text Maddy.

Just heading out with X and Al for a few hours. Should be back by seven or eight. Have dinner with me after?

She responded a few minutes later.

I’m dog sitting at Mae’s tonight and maybe tomorrow too. Need to stick around her place, but we could eat there if you want.

Yeah, he wanted. Wanted her so much it shook him. But he’d settle for dinner to start.

Text me when you get in.

He responded with a thumbs up and fired up the zodiac’s engines, anxious to get this trip over with so he could see Maddy. They both had trauma. Dark secrets they carried every day.

If he wanted to earn her trust and get her to open up, then he needed to lead the way.

TWENTY-FOUR