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I hate Daniel even more in this moment.
It took me years to get to where I was days ago. And with one look, I’ve gone back to being the girl I was trying to leave behind.
CHAPTER6
Daniel
“It’s been long enough, hasn’t it?” my brother’s voice asks on the other end of the phone.
My eyes close as I try to push down the irritation. Madison Street is busy today in the quiet town. Cars pass and I can hear the hums and rumbles with the windows opened in the diner as I lean back in the booth. The vinyl coverings protest as I lean forward and wave the waitress away before she can offer me another cup of coffee.
“We go through this every few months, Carter.” I close my eyes again as I continue, “Do you really want to have the same conversation again?”
Across the street is a coffee shop. And inside it, Addison. She’s hunched over in the corner with her laptop on a small circular table as she sits cross-legged in a chair. Some things never change.
I watch her from a distance in the safety of the diner. I’m within view; she could see me if she wanted to. But that’s the thing about Addison. She never wanted to see me.
“How long are you going to keep this up?” Carter asks me. He’s older than me by a year, almost on the dot. Irish twins, so to speak. I don’t bother answering him and instead I remember the details of her address that Marcus gave me.
Funny how he can’t show up to deliver the package from the Romanos. But one encrypted message from me to him with Addison’s license plate number sparks enough interest for him to respond.
I suppose he hasn’t forgotten. Marcus has a good memory.
“Whatever, I just need the package.” Carter sighs on the other end of the phone. “I need to know what we’re getting into before we decide…”
He doesn’t continue, but I know what he’s getting at. It’s best not to speak those things where others can hear.
“He’ll show. You know how he is.”
“He’s a pain in my ass.”
The corner of my lip kicks up at his comment. “So many things are a pain in your ass, Carter. It’s hard to believe you can sit down without wincing,” I joke as I watch Addison take a large drink from her coffee cup. It’s the tallest size the shop has and it looks like she’s almost done.
“You’re fucking hilarious, you know that?” I laugh at Carter’s comment even though he says it with disdain. He runs the family business now. What started as a way for my father to make extra cash became an empire formed from ruthless and cutthroat tactics. Carter’s the head, but I do his bidding more from a vague obligation that we’re blood than anything else.
“Are you coming home after this? As soon as this package arrives? There’s no reason for you to stay away and we need you here.”
Her name is on the tip of my tongue.Addison. I may deal in addiction, but she’s the only addiction I’ve ever had and the only one I desire.
“Well?” he presses.
“I’m curious about something,” I answer my brother.
“What’s that?”
“Something of personal interest,” I mutter and the words come out lower than I intend them to. He’s quiet for a long moment. And my focus is momentarily distracted. A man in a thin leather jacket walks past the coffee shop slowly, but his gaze is on Addison.
My eyes narrow as he stops in his tracks and glances inside the place. I shake off the possessive feelings. I’m only projecting.
Carter’s voice brings my attention back to him. “With that shit your friend Dean pulled, there’s too much heat around you.” He ignores my earlier comment and I decide it’s for the best. There’s no need for anyone to know what I’m doing.
I’m quick to answer him. “Which is exactly why I need to stay. Leaving would raise suspicion.”
A line of cars pass on the street in front of me, temporarily blocking Addison from my view. At their movement, she peeks up through the large glass windows of the shop.
Her hair brushes her shoulder and falls down her back as she takes a break to look out onto the street. Her pouty lips are turned down. They always are. There’s a sadness that’s always followed Addison. It’s only a matter of whether or not she’s trying to hide it, but it’s always there.
Her green eyes are deep and even from this distance they seem to darken. Her hand moves to the back of her neck, massaging away a dull ache from sitting there for hours now. With each breath, her chest rises and falls and I’m mesmerized by her. By all of her.
