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“Tad was at the club tonight.”
“Good.”
“What?”
“You heard me. It’s good he’s getting out there and meeting other people. That means he’s spending less time with Bri and she’s not going to be duped into falling in love with him.”
“No, it’snotgood,” Shane spit out. “One of my guys said they saw him coming down the hallway as if he were leaving my office.”
“So?”
Shane groaned. “You can’t seriously be naive enough to not see what’s going on. He was in my office, Wade.”
Wade’s eyes were still glued to that window on the second story, but Shane’s statement was enough to pull his attention from it completely. “Excuse me?”
“Tad was in my office. Do you have any idea what that could mean?”
“That you need to get new locks for your doors?”
Another groan. “Do I seriously have to spell this out to you? What reason does a stranger from Vegas have for poking around my office?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he was looking for cash.”
“Madeline told him to do it, Wade. I’m one hundred percent sure. I don’t know what she’s planning, but she’s having him go around and do her dirty work.”
Wade rolled his eyes. “Again, I’m sorry, but I don’t see where this is a problem. As long as he’s staying away from Bri—”
“It matters because I’m going to be Brielle’s brother-in-law. And if you care about Bri, you wouldn’t want anything to hurt her or her family.” Shane’s explanation was weak but legitimate. Anything that could ruin the Callahan reputation was a threat to Brielle.
“I’m only going to ask you this once. Is there anything that he could find that would hurt her?”
“What?” Shane was clearly offended. “Of course not!”
Wade huffed. “Then what do you want me to do about it? Madeline isn’t going to find anything wrong. You need to get new locks. And Tad won’t win Brielle over.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. Brielle and I—” Wade cut himself off, clamping his mouth shut. It was none of Shane’s business what he and Brielle were up to.
Shane was quiet for far too long. The silence was deafening. Wade wanted so badly to hang up on the guy, but something stopped him.
“At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be much we can do. Tad is going to keep looking for whatever he can get his hands on in order to help Madeline for whatever reason until his time runs out. I’ll continue keeping tabs on him when he’s around Bri, and you beef up your security.” Wade sat there quietly, expectantly waiting for Shane to make another comment. When he didn’t, Wade heaved a sigh. “I know it’s not what you were—”
“Do you really think you two are going to work out?”
Wade froze. He couldn’t tell if Shane was asking because he wanted Tad gone or if he was dealing with some unrequited nonsense. Perhaps it was a little bit of both.
“It’s not what you think,” Shane muttered. “I’m not in love with her anymore.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Shane said. “I can still care for her, though. And I want her to be happy. If she ends up with this guy and it turns out as ugly as I believe it to be, I won’t forgive myself.”
Wade shook his head with contempt. “You must have a huge hero complex. Brielle is a strong and independent woman. She doesn’t need a man to come to her rescue. She just needs someone to see her for who she truly is.”
Another bout of silence stretched between them. Then finally, Shane spoke. “I think you can be that man, Wade.”
“I hope so.” He jerked his truck into drive and pulled around the driveway until he was headed home. “Do me a favor. The next time you see—or hear—Tad poking around, call the sheriff. He’s their godfather. Anything that’s a threat to you is a threat to Eloise.”
