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Yeah, I may have been in a mood. While Rumer had spent the last hour dolling herself up, I’d been on the couch watching reruns ofThe Simpsonsand munching out. Aside from working on a client’s online marketing plan, it had been pretty much all I’d done in the few days since the dinner from hell at my parents’ place.
The conversation with Maddox had played on a loop inside my head long after the night ended. Nobody had asked me about the bathroom discussion. Not until Rumer and I had arrived back at her place and she’d forced most of it out of me. I knew my first meeting with Maddox after all these years would go horribly. Why was I so damn surprised?
“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” Snatching the popcorn bowl from my hand, Rumer also grabbed the chocolate bar from the coffee table and took both into the kitchen. “Eating yourself into a junk food coma isn’t the way to stick it to Maddox. Living your best life and flaunting it right in his smug face is the way to do it. Start by looking damn good when you see his brother tonight. Mads would fucking hate that.”
She wasn’t wrong. There had been a time when Maddox and Wolfe were inseparable. Despite their different personalities and interests, they’d been close. Close enough to share me without issue. But now? That had all changed. What happened to me had caused them to go their separate ways, now sharing only a last name.
I let Rumer pull me off the couch and shove me into the spare room acting as my bedroom. She dug through my meager things, holding up a simple black dress with an asymmetrical skirt and a one shoulder strap. I caught it when she tossed it at me and sighed.
Being dragged to my mother’s best friend’s anniversary party had not been anticipated when I shopped for a few wardrobe items. Of course the woman would find any excuse to shove me in front of the Hales. Anyone else would think their mother had it out for them. I knew that in her mind she was helping. I didn’t need her damn help but saying so would crush her.
“Why exactly is Wolfe going to be there?” I asked, shrugging out of my oversized hoodie.
Rumer returned to the bathroom. The sound of hairspray spritzes followed. “His people work security for the Olson’s. Ever since Mrs. Olson was mugged for a diamond necklace a few years back they have constant protection following them everywhere.”
I stripped down to my underthings and approached the bathroom, wrinkling my nose at the cloying scent of hairspray. “Figures. Oh well, better him than Maddox. Can I grab a shower?”
“Of course. Better hurry. We’re supposed to be there in an hour. Will you have enough time for hair and makeup?” Rumer frowned and shook her head like it would take much more time than that to get me looking presentable.
I shoved her out of the bathroom and closed the door. “It’s not my party. What do I care? They get what they get.”
“Damn, Mave. I knew seeing Maddox would bring you down, but I didn’t think it would be this far down. Pull your head out of your ass. Don’t give that fucker power over you. You’re better than that.” My sister’s muffled voice continued through the closed door until I turned on the water.
Maddox had no power over me, despite what he may think. It wasn’t that he’d brought me down but that coming home had flung me right back into the life I’d tried to leave behind. Maybe this was inevitable. Maybe there was no leaving this life.
A shower did wonders to make me feel refreshed. Once I slid the black dress on, I started to look forward to dressing up a little. I went for a classic look, black winged eyeliner and deep red lips. I pinned my dark tresses up atop my head, letting a few strands escape to fall around my face.
My gaze fell upon the cobra tattoo on my forearm, and I cringed. Why hadn’t I ever covered or removed it? I briefly considered wearing a long sleeved cardigan over top, then decided against it. There was no sense in hiding my past. It would always be part of me.
“All right, now that’s more like it.” Rumer clapped as I emerged dressed and ready with a few minutes to spare. “Wolfe is going to drool all over you. I wonder if Ace will be there too.”
“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t come home to go right back to them. Any of them.” Gathering my keys and phone, I popped them into a small black purse with my wallet. “Let’s get this over with. Then I’m ignoring all calls and texts from Mom and Dad for at least a month. You’d think they could have at least let me settle in first.”
“I know,” Rumer sympathized. “They’re meddlesome shits, but we love them. You can understand why I don’t tell them about my frequent visits to the Crypt Keepers clubhouse. They’d shit bricks.”
Hell yes they would. The four functioning motorcycle clubs didn’t generally mingle with other organized crime groups in the city unless it included a business transaction for their benefit. My father would flip his lid if he knew Rumer was getting busy with bikers on a regular basis. Too bad for him. It wasn’t any of his damn business.
Twenty minutes later we arrived at a house far too big for just two people. The Olson kids had grown up and moved out long ago. People drinking and mingling packed the foyer. Several security people in dark suits were strategically placed at the door and around the room. As soon as we stepped into the ballroom where the real party was, my mother rushed us with an exuberant smile.
“You made it, and on time too.” She crushed me into a hug, flooding my nose with her floral perfume. “Have you seen Wolfe yet? I didn’t think he could get more handsome. Those Hale boys are something else.”
“Of course not,” I snapped, annoyance emerging in my tone. “I just walked in the door. What are you trying to do to me here, Mother? You threw me at Maddox, and that didn’t work, so now it’s Wolfe? What about what I want?”
Blinking her long fake lashes several times, my mother pulled away, confusion marring her brow. “I thought you’d be happy to see them. It’s been a long time. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
Before my temper could get the best of me, Rumer dragged me away by the arm. “Don’t be a bitch to Mom, Mave. You’re the one that never told her the truth about what happened back then. I doubt that you told any of us the full story.”
We stopped near a buffet table laden with appetizers and desserts. Finger foods for the most part. I watched Rumer pop a deviled egg into her mouth, wishing I’d refused to come at all. Who was I kidding? Clearly I was a sucker for punishment.
“What’s to tell? I got in over my head with the Hale Syndicate and paid the price for it. End of story.” Averting my gaze, I pretended to survey the room. My family knew that I’d been harmed by the Archer Syndicate, but they didn’t know the details. That it was all because of Maddox. They didn’t need to know.
Or maybe they did know, and they all loved Maddox so damn much it didn’t matter that he’d fucked up so hard. Well, it mattered to me.
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter,” Rumer scoffed, accepting two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. She handed one to me. “I know you left because Maddox made a stupid move. Everyone knows that. Isn’t it time to move past that though?”
Eyes narrowed, I glared at my sister until she raised a hand in surrender. I sipped the champagne, not at all surprised the Olsons sprang for the good stuff. “If you’d like to continue to be my favorite person, you’ll never say that again. You weren’t there that night, Rumer. You have no idea how bad it was. Nobody gets to decide when or if I move past it.”
With a shake of her head, Rumer sipped her drink. “No, you’re right. I’m sorry. Nobody gets to tell you how to deal. Forget I said anything.”
