By 10am, Addy was dressed and ready to go, wearing a new pair of skinny jeans, a black and white striped top, and sneakers. She and Tanner opted to have Kim wait at the suite since they didn’t know what they’d be walking into.
“So I sent a text to Gage last night.” Addy showed Kim the messages.
She looked disappointed. “That was kind of a bummer thing to tell him.”
“When we get home I’ll tell him everything.” Addy tucked her phone back in her pocket. “I’d rather have him mad at me than worried.”
Kim tipped her head toward Addy and smiled. “Do you care if I call Matt?”
“I’ve never said you couldn’t talk to Matt—just don’t tell him what’s going on. Say I needed some space and wanted you to come away with me for a couple of days,” Addy said with a sigh. She didn’t like telling Kim to lie for her, but she didn’t know what else to do.
Kim unplugged her phone from the charger and headed for her room.
Tanner walked in from a small room that was set up as an office just off the living room. He was wearing jeans, a black fitted t-shirt, and black boots. A man followed behind him and Tanner introduced him to Addy as Oliver, his assistant. She smiled politely and shook his hand, thinking how Tanner wasn’t turning out to be what she thought at all.
Oliver was a good looking, clean cut man who was maybe in his mid-sixties. He was dressed in a blue blazer, light blue button down shirt, and khakis. He gave Addy a long look when Tanner introduced her. Not a look that said he didn’t like her or anything—it was more like he was curious about her.
Tanner told Oliver to keep an eye on Kim and give her anything she needed. Then he motioned Addy to the door. They walked down to the parking garage and climbed on Tanner’s motorcycle. Addy decided to leave the car for Kim in case she needed it.
The gate was open at the mystery house so Tanner just pulled up in the driveway. The black Spyder and the Can-Am were parked outside the garage.
Addy reached up and touched the symbol on his neck. “My neck’s burning again, is yours?”
“Yep,” he said, moving his head side to side.
“Should we just walk up?” she asked.
“That, or just sit here until they call the cops.”
“Right, we’d better go to the door.”
They walked up to the front porch side by side and Tanner pressed the doorbell. A guy about Addy’s age opened the door of the mystery house. She had to actively try not to stare at him because he looked like he just fell out of a calendar of hot guys.
Mr. July was at least six foot tall, with dark brown hair that hung loosely below his ears, tanned skin, and dark green eyes. It was all conveniently packaged in an amazing body.
He wore no shirt, had bare feet, and a loose pair of jeans that hung low on his waist. She decided that they must have just interrupted a photo shoot, because no guy just hung out at home looking like that.
He looked directly at Tanner. “What took you so long?”
Tanner’s face immediately contorted. “You know me?”
The guy ran his fingers through his hair and smirked. “Seriously?”
Addy took a step forward. “Who are you?”
“Come in,” he said, looking her up and down and motioning with his head toward the house.
“Thanks,” Tanner said.
Addy rolled her eyes at him. “Thanks?”
“What?” He pointed for her to follow the guy inside. “Manners.”
They followed him in, and the mystery house guy led them into a huge sitting room with books lining the shelves. She fully expected to see a camera crew come crashing in at any moment.
“Turn around and let me see the symbol on your neck,” he said to Tanner.
Tanner pointed at Addy. “She has one too.”
Addy’s jaw dropped—he sounded like he was tattling.
“Interesting.” Mystery house guy raised his eyebrows and motioned for them to show him.
“Why?” Addy put her hands on her hips. “What do you know about them?”
“Don’t then,” he said and shrugged. “The burning has to be killing you by now—but it’s your choice.”
He was right. The pain was making her feel sick and she could tell by the way Tanner looked he couldn’t take much more either.
Tanner turned around and showed him. Mystery house guy reached up, and with a flash of blue light, the symbol stopped glowing.
Addy stared at him wide-eyed. “How did you do that?”
“I can do a lot of things,” he said, moving closer to her. He was standing only inches in front of her and held his hand up. “May I?”
Addy reluctantly nodded, lifting her hair.
His hand slipped around the back of her neck. Just like when he touched Tanner—there was a flash and the burning on her neck and sick feeling in her gut went away. When he pulled his hand away, she noticed he was wearing a silver bracelet; each link had an Akori symbol engraved on it. She also noticed that he didn’t have any symbols on the top his hands, which meant he was a human.
“Thanks,” she said, waiting for him to move.
He took a few steps back and looked at Tanner. “I expected you.” He shifted his eyes to Addy. “However, you,” he said, pointing at her, “I did not expect.”
Addy and Tanner glanced at each other and then gave mystery guy a puzzled look.
“Please don’t tell me neither of you know anything.”
“I’d like to know who you are,” she said.
He sprawled out casually on the sofa and leaned his head back. “I hear that from a lot of girls.”
Addy made no attempt to hide her irritation. “Tanner, this is a waste of time—let’s go,” she said, turning to look at mystery guy. “Thank you for doing whatever it is you did.” She grabbed Tanner’s arm and tried to pull him toward the direction they’d entered from.
“Hold on, girlie.” Tanner moved from her grasp and turned to the guy. “I’m supposed to find you and bring you back to Addy’s house.”
“Exactly,” mystery guy said, pointing to Tanner but looking at Addy. “He’s obviously the brains, huh?” He stood up and walked over to where she was standing. “I’m Jackson.” He put his hand out to her.
Before Addy could respond, a young woman with shoulder length red hair came barreling into the room. She had the blue Akori symbols on her hands.
“Jax, we gotta roll. The Mesen found us.”
His posture changed and suddenly he looked serious. “How many?”
The woman turned her palms up. “At least a dozen—maybe more. Angelica says they’re only about five miles out.”
“Who’s coming?” Tanner asked, looking between them.
It looked like they’d forgotten Tanner and Addy were in the room.
“People who’d love to take out the new Overseer,” the woman said.
Addy took a step forward and looked between them. “Oh, well I’m not the Overseer—so there’s actually nothing to worry about.”
She tilted her head and grinned at Addy. “Of course you’re not.”
“Addison Sanders, this is Juliette,” Jax said, introducing them with a smirk on his face.
“This is her?” Juliette took a long look at Addy.
Addy glared at Jax, completely disregarding Juliette. “How’d you know my name?”
He gave her a smile and turned his back to her. “Let's move.”
Jax and Juliette led them outside to the driveway and they tossed a couple of bags onto the passenger’s seat of the Spyder. He pulled on a white t-shirt and shoes while Juliette got into the driver’s seat.
“I don’t understand what’s going on with the Mesen.” Addy stopped and looked between them. “I thought they were just Akori who didn’t come to the estate.”
Juliette turned to Jax, appearing completely flabbergasted. “He didn’t tell her anything? Unbelievable…”
Jax’s face tensed and he leaned over, whispering something
to Juliette. She threw her hands in the air and started the car.
“We need to get to Tremain,” Jax said to Tanner. “We’ll follow you guys.”
Addy leaned close to Tanner, feeling panicked. “I don’t know these people,” she whispered. “We can’t lead them straight to my home.”
“Listen,” he said, lowering his voice. “For whatever reason, when you touched that stone it led us here—right to them. I think we just need to go with it and see what happens.”
That was easy for him to say—the only people he had in the entire world weren’t sitting in the very place some strangers were demanding to go. “What about Kim?” Addy shook her head, still trying to decide what to do. “I can’t just leave her…”
Tanner pulled his phone out and Addy listened as he gave instructions to someone on the phone. About a minute later, he slipped his phone back in his pocket. “Oliver’s making sure she gets home.”
That was pretty much that—reluctantly Addy agreed to take them to Tremain. Within minutes they pulled out of the driveway with Juliette behind them and Jax following on the CanAm. Addy held onto Tanner as they led the strangers, who she wasn’t even sure if she could trust, to her home. Everything was spiraling out of control and she hoped she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
Chapter 16