Echoes of You: Chapter 4

Holt took a pull on his beer and then set it down. “Okay, Kim and Chris will round us out to an even dozen of new recruits. Anyone else we should think about adding?”

“Not Dan and Kevin,” Grae grumbled around a bite of pizza.

“That’s for damn sure,” Lawson said.

Roan just grunted in agreement.

Dad sighed as he sat back in his chair. “I have a feeling they’ll moan about not being selected.”

“Better they moan about it than put our team at risk,” Holt said. “They’re both way too reckless.”

He reached for another slice of pizza. We’d made the smart choice of holing up in the back room at Wildfire to discuss the selections for the SAR team.

Grae scowled at her plate. “And they’re sexist buttholes.”

All of my brothers and I stilled. I turned slowly to Grae. “One of those jerk-offs do something today?”

Her scowl only deepened. “Dan tried to grab my ass with the excuse that he was going to help me over a boulder.”

Rumbles of pissed-off opposition rose in the small room.

She held up a hand. “I informed him that I didn’t need his help.”

A grin spread across my face. “What’d you do, G?”

She studied her nails, which were painted a deep burgundy. “I might have gotten him in an armlock and told him that the next time his hand , mine would, too, and he might lose a finger.”

Roan let out a low chuckle and held out a hand for a high-five. For him, that might as well have been an .

Lawson’s brows furrowed. “I’m going to have a word with him and—”

“No.” Grae cut him off. “I handled it. Trust me to fight my own battles.”

“But—”

“No buts,” she argued, pinning our eldest brother with a stare.

“Fine,” he huffed out. “But promise you’ll tell me if he bothers you again.”

“Sure,” she agreed, way too quickly.

The door to the back room opened, and a teenage girl appeared, holding a pizza box. She blushed as she met my gaze. “I’ve got your pie, Nash. All the toppings except for anchovies.”

I shot her a grin as I pushed back from the table. “Thanks, Sheila.”

“Of course.” She ducked her head and dipped out of the room.

Holt chuckled. “Someone’s got a crush.”

I grabbed my phone and keys from the table. “Can you blame her? I’m awesome.”

Grae snorted. “And have no ego at all.”

“I’m so glad you see all my attributes.”

She stuck out her tongue at me.

“I gotta run. You need anything else from me?” I asked Holt.

He shook his head. “I’ll send out the results tonight.”

Dad looked up at me. “You going to see Maddie?”

I nodded. “That cabin she’s staying in is a sty. She’s been cleaning it like crazy, so I figured she’d probably need food.”

Dad frowned. “Jordan shouldn’t have rented it to her if it wasn’t up to snuff.”

“I completely agree.”

Grae sighed. “He was trying to be nice. There were no other places available for long-term rent.”

“He was trying to make a buck,” I argued.

“Whatever.”

I didn’t have time to bicker with my little sister about her boss, not when the pizza was still hot. “I’ll see you guys later.”

I got a series of s and chin lifts as I headed out. Hurrying to my SUV, I got in and drove to Maddie’s cabin. It was still light when I pulled up. Her windows were open, and I heard the telltale sounds of a vacuum coming from inside.

Climbing the front steps, I reached for the doorknob. Locked. Good. Given everything we’d dealt with around here lately, you couldn’t be too careful.

I raised my hand and knocked loudly on the door. A second later, the vacuum cut off.

“Who is it?”

“The big bad wolf. But I come bearing gifts.”

A snort sounded, and the door opened.

Maddie’s beauty was always a sucker punch. It could steal your breath and freeze you to the spot. I’d gotten used to the feeling over the years, but being away from her for so long? I’d lost a little of that immunity and desensitization.

Looking at her now? I felt it all.

Her haunting blue eyes widened as she took in the box in my hands. “Wildfire?”

“All the toppings.”

She shrieked and gave a little jump.

I chuckled. “Does that mean I can come in?”

Maddie stepped back. “Of course. All I have is Coke, water, and milk for drink options, though.”

“I already had a beer while waiting for our pizza. Coke’s good.”

“You can put the box on my super awesome picnic table in the dining room.”

I frowned at the space. “When is the rest of the furniture being delivered?” I’d thought for sure it would come today.

She shrugged. “I really just need a couch. I’ve got a bed.”

“Jordan is a piece of work,” I grumbled.

“He’s really not. He told me this place was rough, but I was desperate.”

“You know you can always come stay in my guest room.”

It was a dangerous proposition, but I’d always played with fire when it came to Maddie. The truth was, I’d never felt more at peace than when my body was wrapped around hers. Never slept better. But those days were long gone. And, damn, I missed them.

Maddie grabbed a couple of plates and two Cokes and met me at the picnic table. “It’s not that bad. And I like the idea of making the place mine. It can be whatever I dream up.”

I frowned at her as I slid onto the bench. “You couldn’t do that with your last place?”

If I’d blinked, I would’ve missed the slight hitch in Maddie’s movement as she lowered herself to the spot next to me.

“Adam and I had different tastes.”

Just his name annoyed me. And as I studied my best friend, I had a feeling this was only the tip of the iceberg. “He didn’t let you do what you wanted to your house?”

Maddie flipped open the lid to the pizza box, the scents of cheese and meat filling the air. “It was our home, so we had to compromise. I won’t have to do that here. It’ll be all mine.”

Why did I have a feeling there was little compromise when it came to the douchebag?

“How was SAR training?” she asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

I didn’t push. I didn’t want to talk about the jerk-off anyway. Grabbing my own slice of pizza, I pulled it to my plate. “Good. We’ve got a solid new crop of recruits. Dan McConnell and Kevin Sellers tried out this year.”

Maddie’s fingers stilled as she moved to pop the top on her soda. “They don’t exactly strike me as team players.”

“Because they’re not. Holt scratched them from the list five minutes in.”

“Probably a good idea. You guys need to work as a unit.”

I nodded, taking a bite of pizza. “Once you’re settled, you should hook up with the K9 handlers. I’m sure they could use your expertise.”

A shadow passed over Maddie’s gaze, and my muscles tensed, bracing. “What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just rusty, is all.”

I stared at the woman I’d known for practically my whole life. She’d always had a way with animals, but dogs in particular. I’d lost track of how many strays had found their way to her door. Whether they were timid or aggressive, she could always find a way to reach them. She’d volunteered at our county’s humane society and learned how to work with the creatures from a trainer there. But it was more than that. It was a gift.

The idea that Maddie hadn’t had an outlet that was so much a piece of her soul grated on me. “Why?”

She toyed with a piece of crust. “Just got busy, I guess.”

Her voice was soft now, as if carrying a coating of shame. Everything in me clenched. “Well, you’ll have time now.”

Maddie’s head lifted, a small smile playing on her lips. “I will.”

Just that tiny curve of her mouth had the tension bleeding out of me. “Damn straight.”

She’d get that spark back, her fire and zest for life. I’d make sure of it.

Maddie bit into her piece of pizza and let out a moan. The sound went straight to my dick. It reacted before I had a chance to will it down. I imagined cold showers. The gross locker room at the police station that always smelled like feet, no matter how many times they cleaned it.

“God,” Maddie mumbled around her food. “I missed this. It’s better than sex.”

I nearly choked on my tongue. The last thing I needed was that word coming out of her mouth. “Really don’t need the details of your sex life, Maddie.” I’d pretended she hadn’t had one for my entire adult life.

“Shut up and let me have my moment of bliss.”

As I took her in, I froze. It was as if she’d just reached Nirvana. Eyes closed. Head tipped back. Sheer ecstasy on her face.

Maddie’s eyes opened, and a blush hit her cheeks. “You’re staring.”

I shoved every seductive image of Maddie from my mind. “I’ve never seen someone go after pizza with quite that gusto.”

She balled her napkin and threw it at me. “You’re the worst.”

I grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward me and reaching around to tickle her side. “What did you say?”

“Nash!” she shrieked, laughter bursting out of her. But as I hit a spot along her ribs, she cried out.

I froze. “Mads?”

She scooted away from me. “Sorry, just a stitch in my side.”

That wasn’t the sound someone made when they had a cramp. That was agony.

I moved on instinct, tugging up the side of her T-shirt. Everything around me stilled. I couldn’t hear anything but the blood roaring in my ears. My vision tunneled on Maddie’s side.

It was a kaleidoscope of colors. Blacks, purples, blues, and greens. And they were all in the shape of a boot print.

My breaths came in ragged pants as rage coursed through me. “Who. Did. This?”