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Seeing her car pull into the lot, I walk over to her door and go to pull it open, but instantly, I can tell something is off. So I yank on the door a little more aggressively than I intended as I bend down to her level. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I ask, my hand moving to her pale face and cupping her cheek.
She sniffs, her watering eyes meeting mine, her bottom lip trembling. “Hoodoo, I don’t know what to do.”
I have never seen Maxxy like this.
She is always so strong.
So full of life, but right now, she looks broken.
I reach in, unbuckling her belt, and hoist her out of the car. “Talk to me, kitten. Who do I have to murder?”
She finally manages a weak smile, her arms sliding around my waist, tugging me to her. “There’s nothing you can do. I’m in too deep.”
I pull back and grab either side of her face. “You need to tell me what’s going on. Right fucking now.”
She swallows and sighs. “It’s Selene…”
I groan out my frustration. “Urgh, that bitch. What doesshewant?”
Maxxy hesitates, then she closes her eyes, shaking her head. “She’s blackmailing me.”
My eyes widen. “She’s what?”
“Turns out, she has footage of the stabbing in jail. It’s clear as day. You can see me stabbing the other inmate, and you can see Selene taking the shiv off me, then taking the fall in front of the guards. The camera angle captured it all perfectly.”
My stomach twists, and I shrug. “Okay, so we pay her off. How much does she want? A million? Fine. We pay her.”
Maxxy slumps her shoulders, gnawing on her bottom lip. “She doesn’t want money, Hoodoo.”
My muscles tense as I hold her tighter. “Okaaay, then what the fuckdoesshe want?”
Maxxy’s eyes meet mine again, so full of despair and sadness it breaks my heart. “Me.”
I narrow my eyes, clearing my throat in confusion. “I’m sorry, ahh… I’m trying to figure this out. She wantsyou?What does that mean exactly?”
She brings her hand up to my face, caressing my bearded cheek gently. “She said I have to go work for her at the Bachelors for three years as payment for the time she did for my crime.”
“What? No,” I reply blankly.
Maxxy sighs. “I have until the end of next month to get all my affairs in order. Then I have to be in Baton Rouge.” I smirk, letting out a small laugh, and Maxxy scrunches up her face. “You find this funny?”
I take a step back from her, then reach for her hand, taking it in mine. “C’mon, this shit is not happening. We’re gonna fix this. And I knowjustwho to talk to.” I take off, practically dragging her with me.
She doesn’t even have time to shut her car door, letting out a small “oomph” as I pull her along. “Hoodoo… Hoodoo! Where are we going?”
My feet feel like lead as they pound against the pavement, heat washing over my skin as beads of sweat trickle down my temples. My heart beats faster as my pulse whooshes in my ears so loud it’s almost deafening. I need to calm down, or my blood pressure will go through the roof.
I only just started this with Maxxy. There’s no fucking way in hell I’m going to lose her now.
“Hoodoo, you’re squeezing too tight. You’re hurting me,” she mumbles, but it’s enough to shock me back into reality.
I stop, glancing down at our joined hands, seeing that I am squeezing so hard that her hand has turned bright white. “Shit!” I let go instantly, and she grabs her hand, gently rubbing it as I run my fingers through my hair, trying to calm my racing heart.
Maxxy seems to notice, then places the hand I was just squeezing on my chest, her eyes meeting mine as she weakly smiles at me. “Hoodoo… breathe.”
Instinctively, I inhale sharply, and she slides her body against mine. My arms wrap around her, holding her tight, my lips dropping to the top of her head, kissing her hair as she clings to me. “I can’t let you go, kitten.”
She sniffs back, clearing her throat. “I don’t think we have much choice. I can’t go back to prison. The Bachelors know the warden. They know the judges. Who knows how long my stint would be.”
