Chapter 9

CHAPTER

NINE

Maddie's thoughts remained on whatever was happening with Adrienne and Brody.

Adrienne, however, didn't offer any information, though Maddie had gently prodded.

She didn't want to be pushy. Maddie knew what it was like when people were nosy, and she preferred sharing things in her own time. She would give Adrienne that respect also.

Her new friend remained tense until Brody returned.

He sat back in his chair and placed his napkin in his lap, acting as if he'd just come from the restroom or something else mundane. "Sorry about that."

Adrienne stared at him as if waiting for an explanation. Actually, almost everyone at the table did.

Finally, he shrugged and said softly, "I thought I saw someone. No one was there."

Adrienne's face remained pale, but she nodded. "That's good news."

"Everything okay?" Josh's gaze flicked between the two of them.

"It's fine." Adrienne waved a hand in the air as if the whole incident was no big deal, but her shaky arms showed her nerves. "It's just my ex . . . he's been a little obsessive since I called things off. He's made some threats, and I'm just a little paranoid."

Alarm coursed through Maddie. "That's terrible. Did you tell the police?"

Adrienne nodded. "I did—back in New York. But I think he's been watching me. I'm nervous he may have followed me here."

"Maybe you should tell security here at the hotel so they can keep an eye out," Fowler said.

"It's probably just me being paranoid." She placed a hand on Brody's shoulder. "And I have Brody to watch out for me. He's better than any hotel security."

"I don't know about that." Brody shrugged off the compliment.

"Listen to him being humble." Adrienne cast him a look. "But he was Special Forces for the Navy for six years. He knows how to handle himself in high-stress situations."

"What are you doing now?" Brody now had Josh's full attention.

"I work private security. Wanted a more flexible schedule."

"If you're ever looking for another job, let me know." Josh leveled his gaze with Brody. "We could always use new people in our security department. Most people don't realize what a cutthroat business the tech world is. Innovators in this field stand to make billions—and that's reason enough for some people to go to extreme measures."

"I can imagine that's true." Brody nodded slowly as if carefully choosing his words. "If I ever decide to look for a new job, I'll find you."

"You do that." Josh said before sighing and placing his napkin on his plate. "Well, this has been a lot of fun. I may need to charge you guys with taking care of my fiancée while I'm busy with other events."

Maddie nearly spit out the sip of water she'd just taken. "I'm sorry, but I don't need a babysitter."

"That's not what I meant. You just seem to have a series of unfortunate events happening around you lately. Maybe someone needs to keep an eye on you until this streak of bad luck is over." Josh gave her a pointed look.

Maddie's cheeks heated. She was a grown woman. She didn't need people to talk about her like this—especially when she was sitting right here.

"She's more than welcome to hang out with us whenever she wants." Bree winked.

Relief relaxed her shoulders, if even just slightly.

At least her new friends weren't looking at her as if she were a freak—which was how Maddie felt at the moment.

"Speaking of which," Josh glanced at his watch, "I need to run. I have a meeting with HR about Jared. We need to figure out how to handle the incident."

His words sounded callous enough that Maddie's stomach knotted.

This wasn't a PR nightmare. A man had died. His family would grieve.

But this wasn't the time to point that out.

"Feel free to stay as long as you would like, darling. I can handle this." He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Part of Maddie felt as if she should leave anyway.

The other part of her wanted to stay.

To have some real conversation.

About something other than Josh's job.

Maddie watched him walk away and then turned to the rest of the group. "Don't let me keep you if you have other things to do."

"I think we're free for the rest of the night," Brody said.

"Please, don't feel obligated," Maddie pleaded.

"Not at all." Bree waved her hand through the air to brush off the thought. Her bracelets—mostly leather and beads—clanked together at the movement. "You seem normal, unlike most of the people here."

Maddie smiled. "I get that. I never feel like these people are my type of people."

Adrienne's eyes widened. "Me either! But I love my job, so I'm forced to conform."

"I totally understand."

Maddie and Adrienne exchanged a smile, the kind forged by a natural, unexplainable bond.

Maybe this trip wouldn't be so terrible after all, Maddie mused.

But she still had to figure out if her fiancé was trying to kill her.

Maddie and her new friends continued to talk as they finished their meal.

Maddie discovered she had a lot in common with them. They were each from blue-collar backgrounds, three out of the five of them named pizza as their favorite food, and none of them wanted to grow old in New York City.

They'd also discovered they were all doing at least two excursions together. And, of course, Bree and Maddie both liked emus. Bree even did a great impression of them, mimicking the grumbling sound the animal made.

They'd all had a good laugh at that—except for maybe Fowler, who only rolled his eyes. If Josh had been here, Maddie wouldn't have been able to cut loose like this. He took himself too seriously.

Maddie had never felt like she fit in with the corporate types. She was a pizza and football kind of girl who liked to let down her hair. These people—Josh's people—were all about climbing corporate ladders, playing golf, and talking about their portfolios.

At a lull in their conversation, voices from the group sitting on the balcony next to them drifted across the water and caught Maddie's ear—everyone else's as well, it seemed. They all leaned closer to hear.

"I still can't believe Jared is dead," a woman said.

Maddie thought she recognized the woman's voice from one of the corporate events she'd taken part in.

"That's Nancy," Adrienne whispered. "She's the head of sales at Benchmark."

So, yes, Maddie had seen her before.

"Is she saying that man worked for Benchmark?" Adrienne whispered.

"That's what Josh told me earlier," Maddie said. "I guess you didn't recognize him?"

Adrienne and Fowler both shook their heads.

"There are so many people at the office, we can't possibly know everyone," Adrienne explained.

That made sense.

"I can't believe he's dead either," the woman with Nancy said. "He hated the water. I can't figure out why he'd want to go swimming. And why so early? It doesn't make any sense to me."

"I know! Besides, he'd never let loose like that. He was a workaholic."

"I heard one of the police officers talking." Nancy leaned closer to the woman across the table. "They found Jared's cell phone, and there was a strange text message on it. They're trying to track down the person he sent it to."

Maddie froze. Though she'd suspected he might have sent that text, this could be a confirmation.

But why would Jared have sent her that message?

Maddie didn't like the unsettled feeling in her stomach. Jared hadn't been out on the beach for no reason. He hadn't simply gone on a predawn swim wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt.

So what had happened leading to his death?