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“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t sure,” he responds.
Pulling into the driveway, I put the car in park. I survey the property and then turn to Damon. “You have our blessing.” I squeeze his shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”
Max isn’t going to be, but that’s on him. He needs to move on. I’m glad he hasn’t made it known how he really feels. This would be one awkward situation. Well, more than it already is.
When we leave the house, we’re not sure what to think of the guy’s tip, but we get a good laugh. After we get back to the office, we do our report and head out for the day. As we’re leaving our building, the guy we talked to earlier starts walking toward us. Here we go, this guy is a nut. Damon’s talking and doesn’t notice. I tap his arm once and motion with my head in his direction. We stop walking. I stand with my legs wide apart and my arms tight to my body so I can reach for my gun quickly if I need to.
“Mr. Shoemaker, what can we do for you?” I ask.
He tugs at his earlobe and his eyes bounce from me to Damon. “I feel…I feel you didn’t take my tip seriously earlier…” He stumbles on his words. His pupils dilate and he tugs at his ear again. He wasn’t this nervous at his home.
“I can assure you, Mr. Shoemaker, that we take all tips seriously,” I respond with a calm voice. This guy calls in a tip, saying that he saw the murder happen in his dream. He gave us a very detailed description of the man.
He fidgets again, his eyes scanning the area. My heart thumps quicker. I feel Damon’s body tense next to me. He feels it, too. This guy isn’t right.
“Are you…are you going to look for the man? I can’t sleep at night knowing what he looks like and knowing that he’s still out there.” Every time he jerks his hand to his ear, my finger flinches.
“Mr. Shoemaker, we gave your description to a sketch artist. We’ll call you when he’s finished so you can confirm that the sketch is correct,” Damon says.
Mr. Shoemaker’s posture slumps a little as he blows out a breath. “Okay. Okay…” He nods his head a couple times. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you then.” We both nod as he turns and staggers away. I don’t take my eyes off him until he rounds the building.
“Something is up with that guy,” I say, exhaling loudly. “You’re such a fucking liar.” Damon lets out a quick, loud laugh. There’s no composite sketch being done.
“There’s a reason he’s adamant we focus on this person he dreamed of. I think we need to delve into Mr. Shoemaker’s life.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Sydney’s working late tonight, so I’ll just go back up and start pulling some data.”
“Alright. Let me know if you find anything. I’ll see you in the morning.”
***
I throw my keys on the kitchen counter and scan the apartment. The emptiness of it causes mixed feelings. I hope Addison likes it here. She told me she loves this area, and I couldn’t pass up this deal anymore. The four-bedroom penthouse is the perfect size for us, but will she be pissed I made this huge decision without talking with her? I wanted to surprise her, but now I’m starting to second-guess my decision.
It’s too late, Roberts.
Grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator, I take a long swallow, pushing the thoughts of regret out of my mind, and get to work unpacking. I have five days until our wedding. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to keep this a secret. Hopefully Addison doesn’t decide to just pop over. I’ve told security to call me immediately if she shows up. I’m not sure how I’ll explain the empty apartment.
The movers will be at her apartment right after she leaves for Max’s on Saturday. Sydney knows about this, so she’ll let me know as soon as they leave. I’ve left detailed instructions on where all the furniture should be placed. Cheryl, our receptionist from work, told me she would come and make sure everything was running smoothly before driving out to the wedding. The painters will be here this week to paint Lexi’s room. I hired the same ones who did her original room, and I instructed them it needs to look identical to that one. Lexi loves her room so much, and I want her to feel comfortable here. She’s had so much change this past year, I’m afraid if it’s different, she might not adjust as quickly. I’ll let Addison decide on the rest because I don’t have a clue.
My job is to make this place feel like our home, and I have five days to do it.
Chapter twenty-five
“Look at the directions again. This has to be wrong.” I lean forward against the steering wheel, looking out the windshield. Trees. All I see are freaking trees. I had to have missed a sign somewhere. We haven’t passed a car in miles. We made a wrong turn. I know it. I’m positive we didn’t go this way when Aiden and I come here to skydive. Granted, I didn’t see his house either so who knows where it is on his property.
“Google Maps is telling me we’re going the right way,” Syd says, shoving her phone close to my face. She’s getting annoyed because this isn’t the first time I’ve asked. More like the fifth.
“It’ll be my luck that I’m late to my own wedding.” Aiden gave me his car to drive since I don’t have one, and I’m determined we don’t see each other until I walk down the aisle. I never saw myself as superstitious, but I’m staying as far away as possible from anything that might bring me bad luck. All the guys came out yesterday. Harper and Bryn are driving together. They shouldn’t be too far behind us. Macie is picking up Katie from the airport on her way here. Lexi is with Amy and Ted. They came out last night, as well. They wanted to give me a night to myself to get ready for today. Although I’m glad they did, this is a big day for Lexi, too. I can’t wait until she sees her surprise. I smile to myself, thinking about it. Everything is coming together. Except I can’t find the damn place.
“Relax, Addie. We have plenty of—” she stops midsentence because once we clear the trees, she can tell we’re not going the wrong way. “Holy mother of huge. That’s Max’s house?” she exclaims, pointing to the mansion we’re headed straight for. It’s a colonial-style house that sprawls across an immaculate green lawn. It must have at least one hundred windows just in the front. Painted gray with white trim, it reminds me of Aiden’s beach house—if you add an extra few thousand feet. I can’t even imagine how many bedrooms this place has.
I can’t take my eyes off the house as I take my foot off the gas pedal to slow down. “Um…I think.” I glance over at Syd who has the same amazed look I have and shrug. “I mean, we shouldn’t be surprised. He does own his own plane. Oh! And has a runway and hangar somewhere on this property.”
“What does a single guy do with all this house?” Syd spreads her arms across the car. I push her arm out of my view. I want to know who cleans it, because it sure as hell isn’t Max. As we pull through the black wrought-iron gate and make our way up the long driveway, I notice a building next to the house. It’s a five-car garage with two black SUVs sitting outside of it. They resemble FBI-issued vehicles.
“He owns his own security firm. Maybe this is where he does his business.” I can’t believe I’ve known Max for over a year now; I feel like I should have known all this already. “When Aiden told me we were having the wedding at Max’s house, I was a little concerned, but it’s beautiful out here,” I say, looking around at all the scenery. The front yard has been freshly mowed and is outlined with small bushes and flowers.
