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Maddox debated for a second if it would be worth asking Colt about his reaction. It was… off. Before the accident, Colt rolled his eyes at the idea of mating and refused to accept it might happen to him. Now, he actually seemed to understand. Part of Maddox thought it had to do with how hard the last three years had been on the whole family.
For the first time, though, he began to wonder…
“So the truck’s all yours. What else do you need?”
Colt’s question distracted Maddox from his train of thought. He shook his head. Evangeline. This was all about getting back to his mate. Everything else could wait.
“First, boots. I had sneakers, but I left them behind after I shifted by the D.P.R.—I’ll probably need a couple of cheap pairs in case that happens again. A cell phone, if you think I’ll need one of those. You’re the only one I’m talking to right now so if you won’t call it, don’t bother. Money, definitely—my account’s still frozen from my time in the Cage, but you know I’m good for it.” Maddox held up his hand, ticking off each item as it came to him. “Let’s see… oh yeah, speaking of the D.P.R…. either I’ve got to pay someone to fix that damn counter, or maybe you could just do it for me. That would help. And, of course, I’m going to need the coordinates of the last spot you caught her scent.”
Colt had picked up a pen and pad from his tabletop and was currently jotting down his brother’s list when Maddox got to the last one. He glanced up, his brow furrowed. “I’ll give it to you, no problem. It’s just… you know I wasn't able to track it again, right? It’s like her scent just up and disappeared.”
“I know, but I figure she passed by there once, she's bound to do it again. You know Angie, she likes her routines. Besides, it’s the only lead I got. I'll live on the street corner if I have to, if it means I might see her again.”
“Just don't do anything stupid. I lost you once to the Cage and, now that you’re out, I don’t need you giving anyone a reason to lock you up again.” Then, as if he could guess the direction of Maddox's thoughts, Colt raised his eyebrow. “And, yes, sniffing random humans to see if they carry her scent counts.”
Maddox laughed out loud. It was the first time he’d found anything to laugh about in years which made him realize something important. “I missed you, bro. Really missed you, Colt. I know I saw you when I was locked up but...” He cleared his throat. “Well, you know. It’s good to be out and I know I’ll never be able to repay you—”
“Don’t mention it. You’d do it for me in a heartbeat and we both know it. Now, let me make sure I got everything here.” As if he was eager to avoid dealing with Maddox’s embarrassing gratitude, Colt glanced down at the notes he’d scribbled on the page in front of him.
He blinked. “Hey, Maddox?”
“Yeah?”
“Truck, sure. Boots, got it. But, uh… counter?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you need me to fix a D.P.R. counter?”
Maddox’s golden eyes flashed, an amber sheen rolling over his pupils. “Because I broke it.”
Colt pursed his lips. “Do I want to know why you broke it? Or when? I mean, considering you only went to the D.P.R. after the warden released you, should I just be glad that you’re not halfway back to prison already?”
Maddox climbed out of Colt’s chair. He placed a heavy hand on his brother’s shoulder before saying solemnly, “I’m never going back to the Cage, Colt. If they give me the choice again, they’ll have to kill me this time.”
8
Evangeline was dreaming about the accident again.
It had taken her a while to tell the difference between a flashback and a nightmare. For the first few months of her recovery, she relived the terror of the crash every minute of every day. It felt like she was stuck in an endless loop, trapped in the minute the truck slipped and skidded around the slick curve of the mountain before it flipped end over end down the craggy, rocky side.
>
She didn’t remember the actual impact. Just the fall. Her doctors theorized that she must have blacked out from fear before the vehicle actually ran right through the rusted guardrail and started its descent; if she was already limp, it made her unlikely survival a little more understandable.
The hole in her memory frustrated her because she felt like there was more to it than that. There was… there was something else she should be remembering.
When she fell asleep and the nightmares found her, she realized that the something was a someone.
That was how Evangeline was finally able to tell the difference between her memories and her dreams. Because, logically, she knew that she had been alone in the car when it crashed. Her parents assured her that her broken body was the only one trapped in the wreckage of the truck she’d been driving. She tried once to tell them that she didn’t even remember owning a vehicle like the one they found her in—or, for that matter, driving one—but they just sighed as they held her hands and promised that she would remember it all in time.
In her nightmares, Evangeline replaced her missing memories with her own twisted version of how the accident must have happened. It was raining, the sky dark and overcast. A hint of sweat, musk, and pine lingered in the small cab of the truck, caressing her senses and making her feel at ease despite the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
She was sitting in the passenger seat—he was driving, his hands beating a happy rhythm on the steering wheel. It was supposed to be a shortcut, the two of them desperate to get wherever they were going. The rain made the curve in the road dangerous, but he assured her that he had taken this path hundreds of times before. It was supposed to be safe.
That lull, that sweet certainty that nothing bad could happen when she was with him… it was the last thing she remembered before she was blinded by a bright purple flash. Lightning? Maybe. The truck swerved, as if it had been struck by it. The driver yanked the wheel sharply to the right. The truck didn’t respond. In her nightmares, it never did. Like a suicidal jumper, it took its swan dive over the side of the mountain, crashing right through the pitted, old guardrail as if it hadn’t even been there.
Strong arms yanked Evangeline right out of her seat, pressing her against a broad chest. There was only enough time to duck her head under his chin as he wrapped himself around her like a protective cocoon before the truck started to flip over and over.
