“Not much other than the prospect, Pike, the one who told me to take her, was the one who brought her to the club in the first place. She said he told her he didn’t know his prez would take her from him, but I think that’s bullshit. Anyone who spends five seconds with those fucks knows exactly what type of scum they are.” I had to stop and take a breath because my heart started to thump too quickly inside my chest. “She told me they passed her around, but Griller abused her more than anyone.” I tried to keep it as vague as possible while still answering.
“Dutch would’ve killed her for sure,” my ol’ man said, looking at his friend, then me. “That guy is fucked-in-the-head crazy. We’ve had some run-ins with him in the past.”
I didn’t know anything about the guy, so I’d take his word for it, thankful now more than ever I’d been able to finally save Maddie from them.
“See if you can get some info out of her about their dealings. Find out if she knows anything else.” Marek leaned toward me. “Maybe she knows if they were behind the fire at Indulge. Since they had control over her, I doubt they’d hold their tongues in front of her, thinking she wasn’t a threat to them in any way because she was their prisoner. Plus, those assholes are stupid.”
“I’ll ask her if she knows anything.” While I understood our conversation was important, all I wanted to do was get back to the room and be with her. She was frightened, and I wanted to do everything I could to comfort her.
Both men rose from the table and I followed, but before we walked out of the room, I stopped Marek by grabbing his arm. “Is it all right if she stays here for a bit, until I figure something else out?”
“Yeah” was all he said before he left.
My dad stopped next to me on his way out. “Your mom is gonna be here soon, and she’s bringing Sully with her. If anyone can relate to that girl, it’s Marek’s wife.”
Agreeing with a nod, I had something else I wanted to ask. “Does she know about this?” I pointed to the small bandage on my temple.
“No, so you better downplay it.”
Not only did my mom and Sully show up, but so did my sister. All three of them bombarded me with questions as soon as I met them outside.
Grabbing my face, my mom turned my head to the side. “What happened?” She sucked in a lungful of air when she pried the bandage away from my skin. “Oh my God! Who shot you?”
“Shot you?” Riley parroted, stepping up next to our mother and leaning over her, both so close I had to take a step back to breathe.
“Uh… nobody. We just got into a scuffle.”
“Bullshit. Not only are you a terrible liar, Linc, but I know what it looks like when a bullet grazes the skin. I’ve seen too many of these in my time.”
After spending five minutes toning down what really happened, and reminding them that I was fine and still breathing, I turned the conversation around to the reason they were here.
I explained the situation with Maddie, and after having heard what Sully had gone through when she was in the Reapers’ clutches decades ago, I agreed that if anyone could reassure the girl she would be safe with us, it would be her.
I wasn’t sure if Marek ever told her that we now knew what happened to her at the hands of her father and Vex, but I sure as hell wouldn’t bring it up. Kaden and I had discussed this new information about his mom on the ride home that night, and for a full hour, he was inconsolable. It was one of the few times I saw him break down and cry, and his anguish tore at my heart.
“Where is she?” my mom asked, walking past me and into the clubhouse. I followed, as did Sully and Riley.
“Last bedroom.”
“Is she okay?” Riley asked.
Our mom had filled my sister in on what was going on. “Physically, she’s bruised up, but emotionally… that’s a different story.”
Riley shook her head, her fallen expression something I expected. She was tough, stubborn to a fault, but she had a big heart and hated to see anyone suffer.
“Linc?” I turned to look at my mom, who stood in the middle of the hallway. “You wanna go in first so we don’t scare her?”
“Good idea.” Maddie knew she was coming, but she didn’t know about Sully or Riley, and I had no doubt she’d feel overwhelmed and nervous if all three women waltzed in there unannounced.
I rushed ahead of them and knocked on the door twice before entering. Maddie was looking out the window. The only view she had was of the lot, but she seemed entranced because I unknowingly startled her when I walked up behind her.
“Sorry. I thought you heard me knock.” She just shook her head. “My mom is here, and she brought her friend. My sister is also with them.” She looked worried and scared, the emotions weaving not only into her furrowed brows and wide eyes, but in her posture as well. Her shoulders rose right before she backed up, but because she was so close to the wall, she didn’t have anywhere to go. I reached out and gently touched her shoulder, and she recoiled, the gesture infuriating me. I wasn’t upset with her. Instead, my anger continued to be heightened with every reminder of what she’d endured.
“I know it’s a lot to deal with, but my mom is a nurse, as you know, and her friend Sully, who is Marek’s wife, can relate to what you’ve been through, and my sister, Riley, wants to make sure you’re okay.” I wasn’t going to provide Maddie with any personal information about
