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Yes, Theodore had stolen what mattered most to him and his siblings. And from that moment on, Maddux had vowed to one day bring down Theodore and Gavin. He’d become a bitter, coldhearted man outside of his brother and sister, his sole focus to amass as much fortune as possible so he could use that money and power to strip Theodore of everything that mattered the most to him.
And Maddux had finally succeeded . . . at the cost of devastating Arabella’s life, too. And while there wasn’t an ounce of bitterness or anger or hatred toward him in those soft blue eyes of hers right now, there was every chance that time would change all that. Whe
n everything finally sank in and she realized how ruthless he’d been in his quest to take down her father. The possibility that she’d one day come to hate him made his gut twist as sharp as a knife.
She suddenly worried her lower lip as she looked down at him, her brows furrowed. “Tempest and Hunter . . . do they know what happened tonight?”
Arabella tried to pull her hand from his, and feeling her attempt to try and withdraw from him, Maddux tightened his hold, suddenly sensing that everything was about to change. “Not yet. After I watched you get pulled into the car off the street, my only thought was to get to you as quickly as possible, and I didn’t have the chance to explain anything to either of them.” Though he intended to. “My sister is on the way to the hospital to pick us up, and I’m sure she’ll be bringing Hunter with her.”
At the mention of his brother, Arabella stiffened, panic flashing across her features. “I need to go.”
He frowned. “Go where?”
“Home. My home.” She gave her hand a firmer tug, forcing him to release her. “There’s no reason for me to go back to your place now that my father is in custody, and the last person your brother and sister are going to want to see right now is me, especially when they find out that you took a bullet to save my life. I’m sure Hunter will have a few choice things to say about that, which I’d rather not be around to hear.”
“Fuck Hunter,” he said on a low, furious growl, because he could feel her slipping through his fingers, even though he knew she’d never been his to begin with and this was always the way it would end between them—going their separate ways.
But still, his heart was beating so damn hard in his chest at the thought of losing her, and desperation suddenly gripped him. “Come home with me until we get everything figured out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out, Maddux.” She took a step back, away from him, her expression heartbreakingly sad. “They’re your family, and your loyalty is to them, not me. It never was, and it never will be, and that’s okay,” she said in a voice choked with emotion. “The truth is, there is just too much pain and heartache between our families, and I don’t belong or fit into your or your siblings’ lives.”
He wanted to argue that she belonged with him, even though he knew her pain and heartache were a direct result of his act of revenge toward her father. Yeah, it was totally a fucked-up situation, but who knew that he’d fall hard for this woman who’d managed to thaw the ice around his heart in a very short time? “Bella—”
“I’m going,” she said, cutting him off, the look in her eyes suddenly resolute. “Goodbye, Maddux.”
She turned around, and with her shoulders straightening with pride, he watched her walk out of his hospital room . . . and his life.
Chapter 23
Nothing was the same without Arabella. Maddux’s apartment was too quiet and devoid of any warmth. His bed was too cold and filled with too many provocative memories of the two of them together intimately. And his heart . . . Jesus Christ, when had that organ become more than just a vessel to pump blood throughout his body? When did it develop the ability to ache for a woman he wanted so badly she consumed his thoughts twenty-four seven?
Standing out on his terrace, Maddux stared at the dark night sky and the twinkle of lights around the city. Up until a little over a week ago, everything he did had been fueled by rage and retribution, to the exception of anything else. He’d even taken Arabella as a form of revenge against her father, never imagining how one tiny, stubborn, and brave woman would change the way he viewed his life and his future.
Except without Arabella, his life and his future felt empty and bleak. And at the age of thirty-two, with so many years still stretching ahead of him, he felt as though an integral, emotional part of him was missing, thanks to the prospect of spending all that time alone and without her. He’d been so wrapped up in avenging his parents’ deaths, and now that he’d accomplished his goal, there was nothing that gave him purpose anymore.
Sure, he had a billion-dollar tech and security company that he still needed to run, but he’d never been a man who felt as though he needed all the luxuries that money could buy when his main purpose for creating a small empire was to take care of his siblings and to build the capital to eventually take down Theodore Cole. Having money was nice, definitely, but all those tangible things he’d purchased over the years had never truly made him happy deep inside or fulfilled that hollow, isolated part of his soul . . . until Arabella.
What he now wanted more than anything was a reason for getting up in the morning and facing the day, knowing he actually had something to look forward to . . . like Arabella’s sweet smiles. Her humor and the way she challenged him and aroused him and made him want to be a better man going forward in life.
Except a week had passed since she’d walked out of his hospital room, and he hadn’t heard anything from her. Not that he’d expected to when she’d ended their short-lived relationship in a way that had finality written all over it. And things with him had been a little insane, too, with the takedown of Addingwell Financial, the dozens of arrests, and his involvement in the investigation.
He’d also had several meetings with his lawyer to transfer all of Theodore’s assets into Arabella’s name, which he’d yet to tell his siblings. Maddux had taken everything to hurt her father and cut the other man off at the knees, and he didn’t want or need any of Theodore’s property. Arabella, however, had nothing . . . and she deserved everything. He’d at least be able to give her what was rightfully hers to make her life a bit easier.
Inside his apartment, a chiming sound announced the arrival of the elevator on his floor. He turned around, leaned against the railing, and pushed his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he watched through the open French doors as his brother and sister walked into his place. His sister saw him out on the terrace first and headed in that direction, with Hunter following her, looking much more subdued and serious.
Something was definitely going on with his brother, but with Maddux’s life in an upheaval since the night of the Wilder Way Charity Ball, he really hadn’t had a chance to have a more personal conversation with Hunter to find out what had him so preoccupied, though he was guessing from what Tempest had told him, his brother’s distracted mood had a lot to do with the woman who’d vanished on him the night after the ball. If that was the case, it was amusing to see him so twisted up over a female, when it had been years since he’d allowed one to get to him on anything deeper than a physical level.
Maddux exhaled a deep, heavy breath, because the conversation he was about to have with his siblings wasn’t going to be an easy one. It was the one last issue he needed to resolve when it came to the whole Theodore situation, and there was no guessing how his brother and sister were going to react to what Maddux had decided.
His brother and sister now knew everything—from the years Maddux spent trying to build a case against Addingwell Financial and the front it had been for organized crime, which both Gavin and Theodore had been a part of, to Arabella being kidnapped by Gavin and the other man’s intention to kill him, her, and Theodore. He’d sat them down the night of the shooting and told them the entire story, and while Tempest had been shocked and a little rattled by it all, Hunter had actually been contrite about his behavior toward Arabella that had sent her running in the first place.
But none of that changed the fact that Arabella was gone, and the two of their lives were entwined in such a way that they both believed they had valid reasons for keeping their distance. Because of Theodore killing his parents and Maddux being the one to finally incarcerate her father, they’d both believed their conflict was insurmountable. But the more he thought of the situation, and those emotionally driven arguments they were both clinging to, the more he realized that nothing was impossible. Maddux knew this lesson firsthand and had lived it his entire adult life.
When had he ever shied away from going after something he wanted, despite the obstacles in his way? Never. He’d never feared rejection, because he’d refused to accept that anything was beyond his reach or unattainable. It had never been in his nature to give up on anything worth having or admit defeat when it came to the important things that mattered the most to him . . . yet he’d given up on the one person who meant more to him than any possession he owned or any amount of wealth he’d acquired.
He’d let Arabella go when she’d needed him the most in her life. And God, the truth was, he needed her, too . . . in ways he never knew were possible. She was his other half, and without her in his life, his future was incomplete and would stay that way.
He wanted to give her everything . . . not because she’d lost her family and was completely alone, but because he loved her. The realization was a huge shock to his system. How the hell had that happened? He never believed falling in love was a possibility, but as the truth settled around him, he couldn’t deny that Arabella fulfilled every part of him.
