My phone rings, and I silence it quickly. It's Donnie. My rage has me answering in a much different way than normal. "What?"
Donnie chuckles. "Where's the bitch?" He thinks he’s being funny, but now I know he really means Maddie is a bitch to him; it makes me see red spots in my vision. My blood pressure runs through the roof as I listen to him snort.
I'm holding onto the damn phone so hard, I'm afraid I'm going to crack it. "Your sister is sleeping. And that's not really a nice thing to call her."
"Dude, chill the fuck out. I was calling to make sure she isn't causing you any problems." His words make me want to snap his neck. That cocky son of a bitch doesn’t have a clue that I’m onto his game. I used to believe he was so self-assured because he was good at what he was doing. Now? Fuck, it’s all been one big smoke screen.
"And what problems could she possibly be causing, Donnie?" I can hear the ice in my tone. I'm ready to jump through this phone and beat the shit out of him.
There’s a moment where all I hear is his breathing. He sighs and for once there’s no other smart remark. "She has a problem with telling lies. Just watch her, ok?"
It takes me a moment to keep from cussing him out. Who the fuck does he think he is? He’s the one keeping a damn secret and lying to my face every damn day. I swallow and close my eyes before I talk. "Oh. Yeah man, no. She's gone to school, went to her tutoring gig, and came home at a reasonable hour. Did her homework and everything."
I just lied and I can't find a fuck to give about it.
"Good. She gives you any trouble and we can be home within a few hours."
"Got it. She's good and so am I. Don't worry about anything."
He hangs up, and I want to throw my phone in a fit of rage. I feel dirty even talking to the son of a bitch now. My stomach growls, and I sigh. Taking a moment to watch Maddie, I remember she didn’t eat. I sigh and get off the bed, remembering the pizza. Walking into the kitchen, I pick up a plate from the dish strainer and put some slices on it. I hate to wake Maddie up, but she needs to eat.
I glance at her from the bedroom doorway. She's gorgeous with those long, ebony strands of silken hair fanned out around the pillow. Her face is delicate and even in her sleep, that bottom lip pouts outward. I bring the pizza over to the bed and sit down beside her.
"Maddie,” I whisper in her ear as I kiss her forehead. She doesn’t stir at first. I chuckle and lick her ear this time. “Oh, Maddie.”
"Mm," she mumbles so cutely. I want to devour that sound in a kiss, but this girl, damn, she's emotionally scarred and physically abused. There's no way I can do anything like that. Not now, I think to myself.
"Wake up, sweet angel. You've got to eat. I don't want you starving."
Maddie rolls over to look at me, and she smiles. As she sits up, I notice her worrying her bottom lip. “You … you aren’t mad at me?”
My brow furrows and I reach out to touch her cheek. “No, sweet angel, I’m not mad at you. I’m going to take good care of you. Just relax and eat.”
I hand her the plate of pizza and get up. My nerves are shot, and I’m restless. I need to fix this, but I don’t know how. The right thing to do would be to turn this in but Maddie is adamant about not going to the hospital or the police. I’m not sure I blame her.
Maddie eats in silence as I pace back and forth. I almost don’t want to believe the story that she just told me. However, the way Donnie speaks of his sister helps me settle it in my mind that it's all true. They hurt her, and they refused to get justice for her.
“Maddie, we are going to make this right. You’ll get justice.” I am adamant about it. Do I know where to begin looking? Yes, I’m going to raid Donnie’s warehouse.
“Can we cuddle?” She sounds so little right now. It kills me. This girl needs someone in her corner to take care of her. Fuck, I can do that. I can take care of this sweet girl. She’s mine. I don’t give a damn if anyone doesn’t like it. If things hadn’t interfered with my feelings toward Donnie and the Chief, I would have asked them for permission to date her. Not now. Fuck them.
“Of course we can.” Her smile feels like the sun shining down on me. I get back into the bed and pull the covers over us. She curls around me, and I hold her. Grinning like a damn fool, I hold her tightly. The tease puts a leg between mine and her arm around my waist. I hold back a moan as I try not to think about those breasts of hers pressed up against me.
Running my hands through her hair, I feel her hand on my stomach as I move the pizza to the side table. At least she ate two pieces of pizza. I’ll make sure she eats more later. She trembles in my arms, and I look down at her.
“My sweet angel, you're such a good girl. You did a good job eating. Now I want you to rest. Just rest, sweet one.” My words make her body tremble. She snuggles into me and I think if she was a cat, she’d be purring. She’s plastered herself to my side. Fuck, my hard on is going to be hard to hide if she inches her leg up even a little farther. Praising her has my cock raging, begging to slide deep into her wetness.
Shit, I’m a goner.
* * *
Maddie sleeps soundlyas I slip from the bed. I don't want to leave her, but I have to find the evidence. If I have any shot in hell of getting Donnie and the Chief investigated, I need to find the flaming bullet. I get dressed in a pair of black running shorts, Nike running shoes, and a blue police department issued T-shirt. If anyone asks, I’m getting my miles in. Besides, I normally go running at this time of morning. I’ll be back before Maddie wakes up.
In case she wakes up, I’ve left a note that I went jogging. I don’t want Maddie to be scared or worry. Shit, I’m already feeling the obsessive need to protect her. Putting my earbuds in, I slip out the door and start my run. It’s a five-mile run to the warehouse Donnie keeps, but I can catch the bus about a mile from my house if I hurry.
The smell of the morning sun’s rays shining down on dry pavement hits me, and I take a deep breath as I round the corner to make my way toward downtown. I take the next corner and stop dead in my tracks. What used to be the library is now a smoking pile of rubble.Holy fuck.
I check my phone for any messages, and I see I’ve missed four calls from the department. Two alerts of a level four fire and there were people inside. I come to a stop at the corner facing the library and read through the reports. From what I can gather, Maddie missed the fire by twenty minutes.
