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“What?” I frown.
“Kodiak is his club moniker,” she explains. “For the Beards of War motorcycle club. That’s where we are now.”
“Oh,” I answer dumbly.
“His real name is Madden Keller, and his brother’s name was Adam Nichols.”
“Madden,” I repeat the name on my lips. It suits him much better than Kodiak. I could see him as Madden, back before all the horrible things happened.
I don’t know why I type his name into the search bar instead of Adam’s, but that’s my first instinct. And when I do, a flood of articles surfaces with even more pictures. The first hard reality check is that I wasn’t wrong about him being familiar. His face is recognizable because he’s legitimately famous. Or at least, he was when he was the frontman for Last Rite. A slew of articles regard him as one of the most powerful rock artists of his generation, known for his captivating intensity and haunting vocal style. Quotes from fans compare his live performances to holy experiences. The short bio talks about his military background before he was propelled to superstardom and then burned out in a spectacular horror show with his arrest and subsequent charge for his own brother’s murder.
Madden was ultimately acquitted of that charge, but regardless of the jury’s verdict, the articles paint a picture that he’s undoubtedly guilty for both of their deaths in the court of public opinion.
Some of the articles mention a strained relationship between Bianca Rivera, her fiancé Adam, and his half-brother Madden. They lay out the complicated dynamics, citing obsessive jealousy as Madden’s motivation for killing his own brother and the disappearance of Bianca. The murder weapon was a gun registered in Madden’s name, but his fingerprints were absent. There’s also a reference to small drops of Bianca’s blood found in Madden’s truck, along with video evidence of the two of them having some kind of altercation the night the crimes occurred. There are active campaigns trying to raise awareness and calling for justice for her death. In addition to those, others are demanding Madden be officially charged with her murder.
After a solid twenty minutes of reading, my head throbs, and I want to vomit. But I keep digging, scouring article after article until I can’t anymore. In the end, I don’t know what to believe. The only thing I know for certain is that I hate everything I’ve read.
“They couldn’t convict him,” I point out. “Do you think that means he’s innocent?”
“Yes,” Birdie answers with unwavering conviction. “What happened to Adam and Bianca destroyed him. It’s still destroying him. The evidence might seem compelling when you read about it online, but it’s not the whole story.”
“So that’s why he was acquitted?”
“He had a damn good lawyer,” she says. “Lucian heard about his case and took him on as a client. He poked enough holes in the prosecution’s theory that there was no way the jury could convict him. But they can still prosecute him for Bianca’s murder even without a body, and there’s a good chance they will.”
“Oh God.” I hang my head in my hands and fight another wave of nausea.
Regardless of what I feel, Madden is convinced I’m Bianca. He thinks I skipped town and left him to rot while he was tossed into a jail cell and dragged through what I can only imagine felt like hell. It’s not hard to understand why he hates me so much. But he hates someone I don’t even know.
“Do you believe me when I say I’m not her?” I ask Birdie.
“If you aren’t, then she must have had a twin she didn’t know about.” Birdie places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “But whatever the case may be, we’ll get through this. We’ll find a way.”
Chapter 28
Madden
—PAST—
I spend the next week inventing new ways to punish myself in a bid to stop the constant reel of thoughts that revolve around Bianca. In the morning, I go to the gym and push myself until my body gives out. In the afternoon, I day drink. And at night, I go for long, agonizing runs until my lungs burn and my heels blister. Pain seems to be the only distraction I can find. The alternative is that I show up at her fucking door and tell her this isn’t happening. She and Adam aren’t happening. But the thought that consumes me is they already have.
I saw the way he wrapped his arm around her waist. I saw the possession in that single touch. And at night, I can hear him down by the pool, talking to her on the phone. I’ve been icing him and everyone else out, and by Friday, it’s become blatantly obvious I’ve got a big fucking problem.
I have love for my brother. There’s no question about that. When it comes to the family dynamics, Adam has been the only buffer between Stefan and me. While my mom was busy turning a blind eye to Stefan’s psychotic behavior, Adam would always intervene when he could. He had my back, even when it caused problems for himself. A part of me has always been loyal to him, just for that reason. A part that still feels like I owe him in many ways.
