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“Is it true?” Maddox asked as he stepped back, giving me a little breathing room.
“Is what true?”
“Did I make you cry… again?”
“No,” I scoffed, even as I got all hot inside. “What you saw at the motel—”
“Was it me you were talking about in your dream last night? Was it me you wanted to stay away from you?”
What?
“Or is Newt mixing me up with someone else?”
How the hell had we gotten on this topic?
“Look, I—”
“And if it was me, was it because I scared you? Because I don’t want you to be scared of me, Isaac.”
Jesus. What the hell was happening?
“I especially don’t want to be the reason your brother is scared.” I felt my stomach knot at that because it was the way he’d made the comment that had me on edge. He confirmed my thinking a second later when he stepped closer to me and whispered, “Are you both scared of me?”
I froze when his finger came up to trail my cheek gently. “Tell me who he is, Isaac, and I swear, he’ll never touch you or your brother again.”
Chapter Nine
Maddox
It lasted about three seconds.
That moment where I could see him desperate to answer me truthfully, to ask for help, to accept it, to trust in it.
But his eyes shuttered just as quickly, and his lips drew into a tight frown. “Don’t use my brother to try and make up for the shit you did to yours,” he said quietly, deliberately. As much as I would have liked to deny it, the barb hit its mark and I found myself stepping back. He took my parka off and tossed it on the table. His eyes were brittle as he said, “Stay away from Newt.”
With that, he turned on his heel and left the building.
I took a few minutes to sip at the coffee he’d brought me, then closed the Thermos and tucked the remaining sandwich into my pocket. I got my parka back on and went to the office to leave the Thermos there, since I wasn’t sure I’d be welcomed into the house. I went about the rest of my tasks on my list of things to do. Dallas found me just as darkness was starting to fall. I was in the process of cleaning up my tools and putting them back in the small cabinet in the building that was attached to Gentry’s enclosure. I could hear music coming from outside. It was obviously Nolan playing, but I wondered if Newt would be up next, and would Isaac be watching again like he had been this morning?
God, I really was obsessed.
I shouldn’t have promised Newt anything. Even if Isaac were willing to put any kind of trust in me, I didn’t deserve it and I couldn’t necessarily keep them safe from whatever they were running from. For all I knew, Isaac had done something wrong. Hell, he’d stolen that violin, so it stood to reason he could have stolen something else from someone. Or it could just be a vindictive ex. Maybe I could check out this Trey guy who’d tricked Isaac into taking that fancy violin…
What the hell?
Since when had I decided Isaac’s version of events when it came to the Stradivarius were true?
I was so lost in thought that it wasn’t until the inside lights were turned off and back on that I realized Dallas was trying to get my attention. How had I not even heard the door opening?
“Hey,” I said.
He held up his hand in a simple wave, then approached me. He typed something out on his phone.
Didn’t knock… didn’t want to startle you.
I glanced at the door and understood what he was telling me. He’d used the lights to get my attention so he wouldn’t inadvertently trigger an episode.
“Thanks. It usually takes several rhythmic bangs and they have to be pretty loud,” I said. “But lights and any other kind of sound are probably a better way to go.”
He nodded.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
Good.
I tilted my head at him knowingly.
Tired, he admitted with a slight smile. Nolan’s mad at me.
“He should be,” I said. “You just had major surgery, Dallas. It’s okay to take it easy and let others shoulder the burden.”
Another nod. Sawyer called. He finished up with his consultation and will be back tomorrow. He’s agreed to work here until he gets his veterinary practice opened up in a few months or next summer. His only responsibility is on-call stuff.
“That’s good,” I said. “He’s a good guy.”
What’s going on with you and Isaac?
If that wasn’t the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, I didn’t know what was.
I closed the toolbox and collected my gloves. “Have a good night, Dallas. Do yourself and your man a favor and sleep in tomorrow. Sawyer and I can handle things.”
I reached out to touch his arm, then remembered I wasn’t allowed to do that anymore. I had my back turned when I heard Dallas snap his fingers a few times. I turned and waited for him to hand me his phone.
