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Admittedly, I’d held him for a long time after he’d said those words.
And he’d let me.
When I’d finally let him go, we’d sat around and watched Newt rip into his presents. Isaac had opened the ones I’d gotten for him that I’d deemed “family-safe” and he’d loved every single one. He was also driving the SUV I’d bought him, though every time I saw him in it, he assured me he was just borrowing it. He’d started driving me home at night so we could have some alone time but then we usually ended up back at Dallas and Nolan’s house to actually spend the night there. I’d been leaving Snotrod at Dallas and Nolan’s because the kitten had become quite attached to Loki and usually ended up sleeping with the wolf hybrid and Newt every night.
Nolan’s mother had joined us on Christmas Day for the opening of presents followed by a huge breakfast of pancakes, French toast, bacon and eggs, and just about every other breakfast food imaginable. Mrs. Grainger had also cooked a virtual feast for dinner, too.
It’d been a perfect day and I’d been so sure it was the last. But when the next day had come and gone and Isaac hadn’t packed up Newt and left, I’d started to let myself hope a little bit. And that hope grew each day he stayed.
Since making his admission that in the eyes of the law he’d kidnapped his brother, I’d been quietly making calls to a couple of criminal and family lawyers to see what could be done. I was also in the process of hiring a private investigator to find out more about Gary. My hope was that there’d be something in his background to prove he was an abusive prick. Maybe that would help with the charges against Isaac.
At the same time that I was trying to see if I could get Isaac out of the mess he was in, I was also looking into how to get him and Newt out of the country if it came to that. There were quite a few nice places that had no extradition treaties with the US. So as long as Isaac didn’t step foot outside the country, he’d be safe. It was a last resort, but I wanted to cover all my bases. And my plan was still to go with him and Newt if running ended up being the route we needed to go. I hated the thought of leaving Dallas, but I knew my brother would understand. He knew how deep my feelings for Isaac ran.
“Lieutenant,” Ford said as he tried to catch his breath.
“It’s just Maddox,” I responded. The man’s timing was good because I actually wanted to talk to him about a project that would be a surprise for Dallas for his birthday the following month. I ignored the pang in my chest as I realized I might not be around for that. My eyes lingered on the bruises and it took everything in me not to ask the man if his brother had done that to him.
“Maddox,” Ford said with a nod. “I need to tell you something—”
Ford’s voice dropped off the second a police car rolled around the corner. I wasn’t surprised when it pulled over to the curb where we were standing because I could see Alex behind the wheel. I’d considered talking to Alex about Isaac but had decided against it, since doing so would only put Alex in the awkward position of having to choose between his duty as a law enforcement officer and his friendship with me. And the bottom line was that I wasn’t willing to risk Isaac’s safety with anyone except Nolan, Dallas, and Sawyer.
Alex got out and came around the car. “Maddox, hey,” he said as he held out his hand. I didn’t miss how Ford tensed up and took several steps back as the deputy approached us. The passenger door of the police cruiser opened up and an older man got out. He wasn’t overly muscular, but he was tall and fit with hair that was silver mixed with a little bit of black that was just a little bit longer on top than the sides. I guessed him to be around forty years old or so. A slight five-o’clock shadow covered a chiseled jaw as his intense dark brown eyes swept the area before settling on me, then Ford. It looked like the man homed in on Ford’s bruises and the younger man quickly dropped his eyes and shifted back and forth on his feet.
“Maddox, I wanted to introduce you to Camden Wells. He’s the new sheriff.”
“Sheriff Wells,” I said with a nod as I held out my hand. His handshake was strong.
“It’s Cam,” the man responded. “I’m not big on formality,” he said as his eyes shifted again to Ford.
