Page 190 of Glutton for Punishment

That’s not right. There is no other man. Not outside of my love.

Why would I be thinking about anyone else?

The very idea feels absurd. The ultimate betrayal. I press a hand against my chest, trying to soothe the lingering discomfort and steady my breathing.

There couldn’t be anyone else.

Vex is everything. I wonder what he’s doing now.

Is he thinking about me?

He’ll call for me soon. I just know it. I curl up on the edge of the bed and rest my chin on my knees, staring at the door like it might open at any second.

Chapter 60

Maddox

My arm braces hard against Maylo’s throat, enough pressure that I feel him tense under it, but not enough to cut off his airway completely. Not yet.

Atticus stands at the doorway, blocking the exit. Controlled. Keeping a close eye out for anyone headed our way.

“Where is she?” I ask again, lower this time, because yelling isn’t helping and I’ve already done enough of that for the last forty-eight hours. “Do you have her?”

Maylo doesn’t struggle the way most people would. His eyes are steady, unfazed, like I’m just another inconvenience he has to tolerate. It pisses me off.

Arwen has been missing for two days. Two days of nothing but dead ends.

When it first happened, I lost it. I remember the moment it hit me. I felt the bond first, then found her bed empty. After that, everything turns into fragments. I called everyone I could think of. My father first. Then Duval. Valentine. Contacts who owe me favors.

Nobody gave me anything useful.

Atticus didn’t fare any better. I watched him break and pick himself up just enough to call his father, jaw locked so tight I thought he might crack a tooth. Whatever answer he got on that end didn’t help either. That much was clear when he threw the phone against the wall.

We went after Ryker next. Ready to threaten him within an inch of his life.

But he called his brother without hesitation. He looked panicked, which I questioned, but I trust him about as much as Amaya. It didn’t matter. He knew nothing either. When he asked to help us find her, I slammed the door in his face.

Which leaves us here.

And the only threads left to pull. Her other bonds.

Starting with Maylo.

The insane psycho crossed my path on our way to Alexi, like he were waiting for me. The guy gives me the creeps.

My hand presses harder against his throat.

“Talk,” I say, voice rough. “Don’t make this worse than it already is.”

Maylo exhales, almost thoughtfully, like he has all the time in the world.

That’s what really pisses me off.

Behind me, Atticus shifts. I know he’s anxious and wants to get his hands on Maylo too.

Without taking my eyes off him, I ask again, each word clipped. “Where is she? If you know anything—you need to start talking now.”

If he’s involved in this, I don’t care if he’s Arwen’s bond. I’ll tear the truth out of him piece by piece.