Enticing: Chapter 25

Life has its ups and downs. Probably the only squats I do.

—Addie’s Secret Thoughts

“How does Izzy like ballet?” Gracie asks me as we sit in the suite at the hockey arena, waiting for the game to start.

“So far she loves it. But it’s only been one class. And your mother won’t even let me pay for it.” Not that I knew where the money was coming from, but I would have found it somewhere.

“Izzy and Lennox are her newest grandbabies, and there’s nothing in the world Mom and Dad love more than their grandbabies. Ask Everly. They don’t see any difference between biological and stepkids. To them, they’re all theirs.”

I look around the suite that’s filled to the brim tonight with Sinclairs, Ryans, and Murphys because apparently, that’s another branch of the family. Everyone is here to see the Revolution play Chicago, since it means all our guys and Hendrix will all be on the same ice.

“Mommy,” Izzy calls out to me, and I turn in time to see her walking Lilah Ryan over our way. “Look, Mommy. Lilah is here to cheer on Leo.” Izzy beams, and Lilah smiles at her adoringly.

“I’m pretty sure she’s cheering on everyone, Izz. Remember what we talked about? Molly’s dad, and his brother, and both of Leo’s brothers are all playing in the game tonight,” I giggle. So does Lilah, but Izzy doesn’t care.

She curls her finger, bringing us both down to her. “So we’re not supposed to tell everyone else that Leo’s the best?”

Lilah bites her lip and tugs on one of Izzy’s curls. “Shh . . . We’ll keep that to ourselves, okay?”

Izzy’s big brown eyes dance excitedly, and I think I fall in love with Lilah. “I knew it. Okay, yeah. We won’t tell anyone because I don’t want to hurt their feelings when they realize my dad is better than theirs.”

I suck in a breath and chance a glance at Lilah, who looks considerably less shocked than I am. She called him her dad, and damn, she’s not wrong. In the few short months Leo has been in her life, he’s been everything a father should be. And so much more of one than Izzy’s ever had. But still . . . we haven’t called him that or even discussed it with her or him.

My heart cracks for my daughter. She hasn’t had it easy, but this man who just stepped into her life like he was always there . . . I’m pretty damn sure he’s never going to let her down. He’s going to be the father I wish I’d had and I prayed my girls would have.

I look through the glass with happy tears in my eyes and watch the team skate on to the ice.

Watch my husband.

Maybe it’s time I give up my pride and my inheritance in return for my freedom.

“Do you need help with Lennox?” Lilah asks as we all pack up after a beautiful Revolution win. I think I forgot how much I actually love this game when I let myself enjoy it.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I want to go down to the locker room area and wait for Leo with Gracie, Everly, and Kenzie.”

“I love the way you smile when you talk about my cousin,” she tells me sweetly and snuggles my happy baby, headphones and all, to her chest. “Honestly, it’s not a big deal. I think Maddox’s closed West End for the night, so we could all go there after without dealing with the public. I can handle them for thirty minutes while we wait.”

“You’re nothing like I would have thought you’d be,” I admit sheepishly. “I’m not sure what I thought, but I guess I assumed you’d be more . . . I don’t know.”

“Bitchy,” she fills in, and I feel awful.

“No. But maybe higher-maintenance.” I take Izzy’s hand in mine, and Lilah laughs as we move to the elevators.

“Well, now you know. Truth be told, I don’t have a ton of friends. I dropped out of school to go on my first tour, and that doesn’t exactly make it easy to make friends. Family is safer for me, and you’re family now, Addie. We should do breakfast one day when Leo’s away.”

“I’d like that a lot,” I agree and wonder when this big, crazy, beautiful family became mine.

Waiting outside the locker room for the players is a right of passage. A lot of the wives and girlfriends do it. But it’s chaos. There are too many people and too much noise. But my feral little girl loves it as she and Molly hold hands and Izzy takes it all in.

Gracie leans into me with a devious little smile that reminds me of her brother’s. “Any chance Izzy would want to spend the night at my house one night? Molly keeps asking, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be comfortable with it. I know they’re young.”

I’d never say yes to anyone else, but this is Leo’s sister. “I think she’d really like that. I’m not sure how she’ll do though. We may have to come get her in the middle of the night. She’s never spent a night away from me.”

“That’s not a big deal. We only live on the other side of the lake.”

I look down to tell Izzy, but she drops my hand and squeals before she runs away from me. “Daddy . . .”

What the—Fuck.

My heart bottoms out of my chest, and I stare, momentarily frozen, as Gavin picks Izzy up.

Gavin.

Oh. My. God.

The paralysis only lasts two heartbeats before I rush through the crowd, petrified to lose him before I can get there. I yank her out of his arms and turn to Lilah, who followed me. “Get her out of here, please.”

“I’ve got her,” Gracie says as she moves next to us.

Lilah reads my thoughts and takes Lennox with them.

My entire body vibrates with fear and anger. “Do not ever touch my daughter again.”

“My daughter,” he growls as he crowds me, moving forward for each step I take away until I’m backed against the wall, and he’s in my space and in my face, and I lock up.

We’re surrounded by people, and yet, not a soul even notices anything out of place as he wraps his hand around my neck.

I’m sure it looks intimate instead of terrifying.

No one here knows this man wants to kill me, and in that moment, I figure it out.

If I’m dead, my girls get my inheritance, and their father would be the executor of their trusts.

His hand tightens around my throat, cutting off my airway as he moves closer, blocking me from view of the throngs of people around us. “I told you I wasn’t done with you, Adelaide.”

“You’re insane,” I hiss. “There are people and cameras everywhere. There are police on the door,” I choke when he grips me tighter. “You’re not going to get away with this.”

“I already have⁠—”

One second, I’m gasping for breath, clawing at his hand, and the next, my head is slamming against the wall behind me as a body flies at Gavin.

Leo . . .

They both fall to the floor with Leo’s first hit, and then a guy I think I recognize as Hendrix is at my side with his hand on the back of my head. “Don’t move, Addie.”

He pulls his hand away from my head and mumbles something about blood.

“Forget me,” I push him away, suddenly dizzy and a little sick to my stomach. “Help Leo. And our girls. Where are our girls?”

There’s too many people for me to see clearly until security starts tossing people out of the way, and I see Leo hitting Gavin over and over and over. Oh my God. “He’s going to kill him! Hendrix—stop him.”

Hendrix stands and looks around quickly. “Nix,” he barks. “Get the kids.” Then he’s at Leo’s back, wrapping his arms around him and attempting to pull him off Gavin, who’s stopped fighting back.

Hendrix holds his brother for about five seconds before Leo breaks free and goes back after Gavin until Cross, Ares, Hendrix, and Nixon all break it up. The security team clears everyone out, and the room starts to darken around the edges of my vision.

“Leo,” I scream as a pair of handcuffs are snapped around one wrist, and he shoves the officer off him and runs to me.

“Addie. Are you okay?” His hands are on my face and my throat, then my head, and I wince. “You’re bleeding.”

“Hands in the air, Sinclair.”

“Fuck off,” Leo tells the security guy. “My wife needs a doctor.”

“Back away, and we’ll get Mrs. Sinclair the help she needs, but you’re coming with us.”

“Back the fuck off,” Leo yells.

“No. He was protecting me,” I sob and jump to my feet as the room tilts on its side. The floor rushing up to my face is the last thing I see before the world goes black.

Leo

“Addie—” I scream as she goes down and shove the rent-a-cop off me in time to catch her. “Help me⁠—”

Hendrix runs over as our team doc moves in next to us.

“What the hell happened?” Doc asks, and I shake my head.

“I don’t know. He had his hands around her throat. This guy tried to kill her years ago and threatened her a few weeks ago,” I tell them as I’m yanked backward.

“Stop fighting me, Sinclair. You’re coming to the station with us,” a uniformed officer tells me as he slaps the other cuff on.

“I’m not leaving her,” I argue, adrenaline spiking in my veins. “I’d like to see you make me.”

“I’ve got you for assault and battery, resisting arrest, and assaulting an officer. Don’t make it worse,” he warns.

“Fuck you.”

“Go, Leo. I’ll stay with Addie,” Hendrix tries to assure me, but all I can focus on is my wife. I don’t give a shit about me. “I’ll call your lawyer. We’ll get you out as soon as we can.”

“Stay with her, Hen. I mean it.” I’m shoved from behind, and time slows. My wife is in a crumpled ball on the floor. The girls . . . I look around, frantic, as the police try to shove me out. “Where are the girls?”

“We’ve got them,” Ares yells back from somewhere. I can’t even see him through the madness surrounding us. “Go. We’ll take care of them.”

“Do not let my kids out of your fucking sight, Wilder.”

Guess that storm I’d been waiting for just blew in.