Not going to happen.
Still, she had another, more immediate problem. Brody had left, yes, but she hadn’t been born yesterday, and neither had he, damn him. And suddenly, she knew. She left the bedroom at a run, skidding to a stop at the top of the stairs, craning her neck to peek out the high, rounded beveled glass window that allowed extra light to beam down the steps and into the living room.
Yes, there. The glint of something not natural parked in the woods.
A Camaro.
Driven by an avenging angel in tough guy clothes with tousled hair and a badass attitude.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she got goose bumps. He was coming for her.
Damn it. Damn him.
She went running down the hardwood stairs, racing through the living room to the sliding glass door she’d kept locked since she’d gotten here, the door she’d been double-checking ever since the moment her sister appeared out of the blue after several years of no contact. Locked, but the shades hadn’t been pulled. She needed to get to them before-
Too late.
Breathless, she gripped the shades as if they were a lifeline, staring at Brody standing on the other side of the glass.
He slowly arched a daring brow at her. Really? his expression and stance said. You really think a locked door can keep me out if I want in?
“I’ll call the police,” she said through the glass.
He let out a half smile and shook his head. She wouldn’t. She knew it, and so did he. And as he stepped closer to the glass, there was a deceptive and unnerving quietness to his movements, to the way he looked at her, which told her that she wasn’t getting out of talking to him until he’d gotten whatever answers he sought.
Damn it! She should have just dealt with him, answered the front door herself and taken her paychecks, told him whatever he needed to hear, and he’d have been long gone by now.
Instead, he was on to her-not knowing exactly what he was on to, but on to her nevertheless. His smile might be laid-back and easygoing, but his body shimmered with tension, and also a strength and a solidity she knew she could count on.
He eyed the locked door, then lifted his head so that their gazes met. “Let me in.”
Oh, God. A part of her wanted to. Wanted to more than anything. But she shook her head.
“Then tell me what’s wrong.”
She found her voice, even managed to inject a tone of irritation in it. Not too difficult when she was irritated, not to mention frustrated, exhausted, and the doozy…terrified. Hell of a combination. “Nothing’s wrong, except you’re bugging the hell out of me.”
His eyes narrowed as they took her in from head to toe, which once upon a time, would have positively stolen her breath because he had a way of looking at her, really looking. She actually did experience some of that usual breathlessness, but it was because she realized she’d really screwed up. She and Leena weren’t wearing the same thing.
Appearances were important to her. Very important. Her life could be in the toilet along with her self-esteem, but with the right makeup, the right clothes, and the right expression, no one would know it.
She’d spent the past year wearing such façades at Sky High Air, looking completely on top of her world, when in reality, it could all crumble at a moment’s notice.
As it had with Leena’s appearance.
She should have known. Karma was a bitch, and inescapable. Especially since unlike Leena, she wore only a pair of loose sweats low on her hips and a sports bra, and nothing else. No makeup, no armor of any kind.
Brody eyed her limbs, specifically her left shoulder, which had three scars-one a six inch surgery incision, a second where they’d slid in a camera probe, and a third where the bullet had gone in and shattered her collarbone.
At the sight, Brody’s jaw tightened visibly, and his mouth went grim.
She already knew he blamed himself, which was ridiculous, and she fought the urge to run for cover.
“You changed quickly,” he said through the glass.
She lifted her good shoulder.
“And your hair…”
Shit. “I was wearing a wig before.” Or Leena was. She’d had fun going through Maddie’s wigs. As for herself, she was her own natural auburn for a change.
He nodded, though she couldn’t tell if he bought the lie or not. Couldn’t tell a damn thing behind those mirrored sunglasses. Then he slid his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’d really like to talk to you.”
Yes, but she didn’t want to talk to him. Not now, not until she solved all her other problems, the biggest one being her identical twin in the other room. “How did you find me?”
“It wasn’t easy. You ever hear of returning a phone call?”
“How, Brody?”
He sighed. “You called Sky High from the landline once.”
“Two days ago, when my cell phone battery had died.”
“Yeah. We got Shayne’s brother to track you.”
“Wow.” She shook her head. “What an unbelievable invasion of privacy.”
“I’d say sorry-”
“But you’re not.” It was all over his face how not sorry he was. “Look, Brody, now’s not good, okay? Maybe another time…”
Like, unfortunately, never.
He shoved his sunglasses to the top of his head, and his steely gaze narrowed in on her, full of frustration and heat.
She didn’t know what to make of the heat, other than the answering flicker of flame that occurred in all her good parts. The hell of it was even though she’d been fantasizing about him for way too long, she actually didn’t have time to go with that right now.
What with The Plan and all.
“You were afraid before,” he said, revealing a new emotion from him, a deep concern, which did something funny to a spot low in her belly.
“No,” she denied. “Not afraid.” Look at that, another lie. Man, she was getting good.
“Yes, you were at the front door. You were terrified. And now…” Cocking his head, he looked her over slowly, so damn slowly she felt those helpless reactions begin again at the base of her spine, working outward.
“It’s not just the clothes,” he said, frowning. “You look different.”
Okay, he was way too close to the truth, and with a sound of distress she told herself he couldn’t hear, she began to pull the shades shut, blocking him out.
“Maddie, goddamnit.” He put his hand on the glass. “Don’t.”
“Sorry.”
And she actually was sorry. So damned sorry that she felt her throat tighten and her eyes burn. And actually, if she wasn’t careful, she was going to lose it right here, just completely lose it in a way she hadn’t in years. Because she didn’t want to go. Didn’t want to never see him again…
“Maddie.”
She closed her eyes, needing that little shield, no matter how telling.
“Hey, how about this,” he said. “I’ll give you a raise if you let me in. A big, fat, pretty raise. Come on, you know how you want one.”
Oh, God. He already overpaid her, but that was only because Shayne and Noah made him. If he had his way, they’d all be working for free, squirreling away every penny for a rainy day.
It wasn’t because he was cheap.
Okay, it was because he was cheap. He was so cheap he squeaked when he walked, but he’d grown up poor, had had to literally beg, borrow, and steal his way through childhood. Now, for the first time in his entire life, he had money, thanks to his own hard work and brains, and she knew he wasn’t quite used to it yet. “You said the word raise without getting hives,” she murmured, telling herself it shouldn’t be endearing because he was trying to manipulate her.
“Let me in, and I’ll say it again.”
She meant something to him. She meant a lot. Even more shocking, he meant something to her, too. He meant so damn much it hurt to look at him. At the knowledge, she swallowed hard. Not going to cry…
“Maddie.” He touched the glass as if he wanted, needed, to touch her. “Don’t do this.”