Maddie was mine. Undeniably.
Did she make my heart race? Yes.
Did I dream about her? Did I miss her when she wasn’t with me? Yes, and yes.
Did I want to give her the world? Yes.
Was there a strange pull dragging me toward her? Another yes.
Could I picture my life without her? No.
Did I love her? Wasn’t it too soon?
I didn’t have a straightforward answer, which angered me. Why couldn’t this be simple? And if it was confusing for me, how was I gonna be able to explain it to her?
The creak of the door opening had me moving forward, meeting Maddie at the threshold of the bathroom. She’d been crying, as I suspected, her eyes red and slightly puffy.
“I’m so sorry, babe.” That time when I reached out to touch her, she let me. “It’s not that I don’t—”
“You don’t have to say anything.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have told you that. You’re right. I’ve been through a lot, and I’m just confused. What I feel for you probably isn’t love at all, but something else altogether.”
I’d been the one to try and convince her of that very thing, so why the hell did her words gut me?
35
Two days had passed, and the awkwardness between me and Lincoln only seemed to increase. Ever since I told him that what I felt for him wasn’t love, although I believed the opposite to be true, he seemed to be distancing himself, acting like I’d been the one to break his heart and not the other way around. He wasn’t even sleeping in the same room with me anymore.
My time here was closing in, and although I feared that Griller was still waiting to snatch me back, I had to devise some sort of plan to leave. I couldn’t stay here at the clubhouse forever, and now that things between us were strained, I thought it was best to leave.
Losing myself in mindless television did nothing to take my mind off my situation, and it wasn’t until Lincoln walked into the bedroom that I perked up. Simply looking at him made my heart thrash inside my chest, so much I sometimes feared I’d have a heart attack.
“Hi,” he greeted, rooting through some of the drawers of the dresser until he pulled out a white T-shirt. Turning away from me briefly, he pulled his off and tossed it in the corner. Before he redressed, I saw the handle of a gun in his waistband.
“I don’t like guns.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to say that because I doubted he cared.
“I’m not a fan either, but we need to carry in case somethin’ goes down.”
“Speaking of which,” I said, moving to stand next to him. “I’ve been thinking and… um… it’s for the best if I leave.”
“Leave?”
“Yeah. It’s because of me that the Reapers might come after you all, and I just think I should go.”
“And where do you think you’d go?” He folded his arms over his chest and didn’t look pleased to be having this conversation. Was it because he realized I’d need his help? I didn’t have any money, so I would need to borrow some from him. I’d pay him back, of course, once I was settled and got a job.
“Back home to Oklahoma. I have an aunt who lives about an hour from where I did. I haven’t spoken to her in years, but I’m sure if I reached out, she’d help me.”
“No.” His response was immediate and curt.
“What do you mean, no?”
“What do you think no means, Maddie? It means you’re not goin’ anywhere.” He unfolded his arms and advanced toward me. “I told you right before you spread your legs for me that if we had sex, you belonged to me, and me to you. Do you remember that?” His tone was angry, some of his word choices crass, but his eyes told me something different.
Was he upset I wanted to leave here?
Leave him?
“Do you remember?” he repeated, grabbing my arms and pulling me into him, his lips an inch from mine.
“Yes.”
“So, what makes you think I’ll let you go?”
“Are you saying I’m your prisoner now?” My heart skidded to a stop, my mouth dropping open in surprise. Had I been wrong about Lincoln all this time? While he never physically hurt me, nor did any other members of his club, was he going to keep me here against my will?
There was a knock, the handle of the door twisting before he could answer.
“Linc, what the hell ya doin’ back here? Let’s go.” A young guy who looked to be closer to my age walked in, looking to me, then Lincoln. “Hi.” He stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’m Zander. Linc’s brother.” As soon as he introduced himself, I saw the resemblance, although their eye and hair color were different.
“Hi. I’m Maddie.” I looked at Lincoln quickly. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“That’s probably because he didn’t want any competition.” Zander was attractive with his dark blond hair and hazel-colored eyes, his hair a bit shorter than Lincoln’s. He was tall, but then next to me, most people were. “Do you know he has a sister?”
“Yes. Riley. I met her a couple times. I like her.” I smiled to ease the mounting tension in the room. I’d suddenly become uncomfortable with the way Lincoln’s eyes bounced between me and his sibling.
“And how do you know my big bro?”
“She’s my girlfriend,” he answered for me, shocking me half to death.
“Okay.” He nodded before inspecting the room. “Are you keeping her locked in here? How come I haven’t heard anything about her? No offense, Maddie,” he said, before turning his focus back on his brother.
“It’s complicated.”
Wasn’t that the understatement of the
