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“We’ll see about that,” Wolfe muttered, parking next to Maddox’s blacked out BMW. “I haven’t been here in at least two years. He’ll know I mean business. Be ready for his defensive, narcissistic bullshit.”
As we strode up to the front door, I braced myself for Wolfe’s behavior rather than Maddox’s. Wolfe was my best friend and business partner. He was my priority. Nobody set him off the way Maddox did. I came to play peacemaker.
Maddox appeared in the doorway, a glass of whiskey in hand. He raised it to us in cheers. “A personal visit. This must be special. Come right in.”
We followed him inside, through the front entry and into the living room where Ruthless leaned against the back of one of the two couches. Many of my youthful memories had been made in this house, with these three people. Times had changed.
Ignoring the nostalgia that tugged at me, I nodded at both Ruthless and Maddox. They were like strangers to me now. Their grudging nods indicated they felt the same.
“Spit it out, Wolfe,” Maddox said, standing in the middle of the room. “I know that look in your eyes. Something has got you mad as hell.”
Wolfe strode past him, going to the bar near the patio to help himself to a drink from the many bottles littered about. “You’ve got that right. I’m not sure where to begin. The stupid move you made against Archer recently or the threat you made against Maven. No, scratch that. I’m definitely more pissed about Maven.”
Maddox’s blue eyes narrowed as he watched Wolfe splash some bourbon into a glass. “You saw Maven? Did she call you?”
Of course his first concern was whether or not Maven had reached out to Wolfe. Little did he know, Wolfe had been in touch with her since she left town.
“I ran into her at a party. Her mother is friends with my client.” Tone icy cold, Wolfe poured the entire shot of bourbon down his throat, setting the glass on the counter. “She told me that you threatened her with punishment for leaving the syndicate. Have you lost what’s left of your goddamn mind?”
A slow smile spread across Maddox’s face. It immediately put me on edge. How could anyone look so satisfied after threatening the woman they almost got killed? A woman they’d once loved.
“I didn’t threaten her. Not really. I asked if she needed to be reminded of what happens to those who leave? She jumped to the conclusion that I was calling her a traitor.” Maddox held his brother’s gaze, daring him to make this ugly.
“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Wolfe barked, his usually calm demeanor changing quickly in Maddox’s presence. “What do you think you’re going to do to her?”
Maddox took a drink of whiskey and gave a half shrug. “Make her sorry that she left.”
It was almost as if Maddox didn’t hear how deranged he sounded. Or he did and he didn’t give a shit.
Wolfe pushed away from the counter, crossing the room toward Maddox in slow, predatory strides. “If you harm one hair on her head, I’ll personally see to it that you come to an unrecognizable end.”
Ruthless glanced back and forth between both men before meeting my attentive gaze. His expression was unreadable, like usual. I didn’t know if I could count on him to help break them up if the two of them started swinging.
“Why would I hurt her?” Maddox chuckled, enjoying Wolfe’s anger and confusion. “There are plenty of ways to punish someone without resorting to violence. Maybe I’ll charge her for my protection or have her work for me again. Or maybe I’ll lock her up in my house where she belongs, until she realizes why leaving was the wrong choice.”
My eyes widened, but I stayed quiet, content to let Wolfe ask the question we were both thinking. Ruthless crossed his arms over his chest, one foot absently swinging. Despite his bored appearance, I knew he was ready to react at a moment’s notice.
“Lock her up?” Wolfe repeated, voice flat. “You’re fucking delusional, you know that? You’re the one that chased her away, Maddox. You can’t hold her hostage until she loves you again. You fucked up. Accept that.”
The energy in the room shifted, taking on a dark, ugly vibe. I remained where I stood next to the couch, certain I’d have to break up a fight.
Maddox’s face grew red with rage. In a sudden fit of temper, he hurled the whiskey glass at the baby grand piano near the patio door. It exploded in a shower of glass that littered the thick cream colored carpet.
“I’m not going to lock her up with me because I’m a fucking psychopath, Wolfe,” Maddox roared. “She’s in trouble. Why else would Maven come back to River City?”
“You know for sure that she’s in trouble?” I broke in, searching his smug face for the truth.
Maddox’s angry gaze swung my way. Veins in his neck protruded, revealing how tightly wound he was. “I’ve done some digging since she got back. Apparently the Crimson Thorns from Castle Grove are looking for a woman fitting her description. Knowing our Vixen, she made an impression they won’t soon forget. I know you all think I’m a piece of shit for what the Archer Syndicate did to her, but I don’t plan to let it happen again.”
Our vixen.She had been once. In Maddox’s mind she would always be his. Their bond had been unarguably deep. So deep that I worried perhaps Maven should fear him more than the Castle Grove Thorns.
“Why did you threaten her then?” Wolfe asked, unfazed by Maddox’s outburst. “Is it really about protecting her? Or do you just want to make her sorry she left? Grow the fuck up, Mads. The only person who deserves to be punished for that is you.”
Two fast strides brought Maddox face to face with Wolfe. He spoke through clenched teeth, seething. “You think I haven’t been punished? That I haven’t had my share of suffering since she left? Go fuck yourself, Wolfe. You don’t know shit about me anymore.”
“Look at you.” Wolfe waved a hand at Maddox. “You can barely keep your shit together. Maven’s return has made you a wreck. That explains why you pulled that stunt with the Archer delivery. Are you trying to start a war?”
“One hijacked delivery is not going to start a damn war,” Maddox retorted, hands clenched into fists. “Sure, there may have been a quarter million in fake bills in that van, but Archer won’t risk losing what foothold he has left in this city. Not for that.”
