Bending Steele

Chapter Fifty-Six

Adam sucked in a deep breath as Abigail read the last few lines of the letter, his stomach rolling into knots. He had suspected the bastard was crazy, but that note was undeniable proof of just how deranged he truly is and it made him sick. The prickling of hairs rose on the back of his neck along with his worry for Abigail. Scrubbing a palm over his nape, he attempted to rub the discomforting feeling away and rein in his anger. He had dozens of questions he wanted to ask and he practically twitched with the need to get the ball rolling on catching this motherfucker, but his priority right now had to be Abigail. She needed him to be steady, not an overly emotional mess who took off half-cocked.

Glancing down at the woman standing at his side, he expected to see a frightened expression on her face and those haunted shadows back in those grey depths, but instead, he saw something else. Maybe it was the way she was attempting to not look alarmed or maybe it was the straightening of her shoulders and the determined set of her lips. Whatever the reason, he was infinitely proud of her. It was proof she was a fighter through and through.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her closer and placed a reassuring kiss on the top of her head. It was past time her stepfather learned he was no longer dealing with a scared child all alone who he could make run in fear, but a powerful woman in her own right with people who loved her backing her up each step of the way.

Logan let out a low whistle, drawing Adam's attention. "Wow, he really is one messed up puppy," he mumbled, plucking the letter out of Abigail's hands and gazing down at the scrawled message.

"And delusional if he thinks flowers are a big enough gift to bring any woman crawling back on her knees," Jonathan muttered under his breath with a disgruntled snort. "Everyone knows it takes a hell of a lot more than some dead floral arrangements to appease a pissed off female these days."

"Jonathan," Adam growled, sending his brother a threatening glare. His brother's attempt at poorly timed humor was only adding to his edginess.

"I'm just saying," he said, taking a swig of his drink and rolling his eyes over the rim.

"It's true," Jo Jo added with a little shrug. "Flowers are totally cliché," he said, waving a perfectly manicured hand in the air and fluffing up his hair. "Besides, everyone knows if you want to get back into Abby's good graces, then you had better come bearing cupcakes."

"He's not referring to the flowers," Abigail whispered to Adam, swinging her gaze up to his. She blinked, her eyes fluttering to the note still in Logan's hands. "It's not the flowers. The roses aren't the gift."

Cussing under his breath at her whispered confession, Adam reached for her wrist and guided her back to the couch. "Sit," he ordered. Thankfully, it didn't take any encouragement from him this time to get her to comply. Whatever conclusions she had drawn, had her unsettled and he wanted to give her a chance to calm herself before they proceeded further.

Once she was situated, he went to the bar and retrieved her a bottled water out of the mini fridge while Jonathan and Jo Jo continued to discuss the gift trends acceptable by modern women. It seemed like a futile waste of time when all he wanted to do was question Abigail for more information, but...she needed a respite and so did he. She wasn't the only one needing a moment to gather herself and he needed to do something to keep busy. Apprehension ate at him like a disease and he felt like he was about to crawl out of his skin at any time. He was over this discussing shit to death, what he desired was action. Worry had been burning in his gut for weeks now. Until that cocksucker was behind bars for good, or better yet...buried six feet under...he wouldn't relax.

The thought the asshole was able to get into his head and under his skin filled him with rage, but even worse, he hated what the man was still doing to Abigail. He was sick of the man's games and did not want to give him any further opportunity to hunt her down. This time, he planned on turning the tables on the asshole. Dean Swanson was going to become the one hunted. Adam wouldn't settle for anything less than his total and complete annihilation.