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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
MAVEN
Finding my things in Maddox’s old bedroom was bittersweet. Although I was happy to have fresh clothes to change into, I was annoyed that he and Rumer had conspired to trap me in this house. Well, it wouldn’t be for long. I was out of here.
I locked the bathroom door and took a hot shower, furiously washing away the smell of Maddox and sex. Annoyed with myself for fucking him, I lathered my body with soap, muttering obscenities that echoed in the acoustics of the room.
Of course I gave in the moment his hands and lips were on me. I’d missed him dreadfully. Time and space hadn’t weakened our connection. If anything, it had strengthened it. Unfortunately, it seemed to have strengthened Maddox’s possessive, overbearing traits as well. Or maybe that was his guilt.
After toweling off, I grabbed my phone and put on the loudest,angriest heavy metal music I could find. It helped purge the emotions that plagued me as I carefully brushed my long, wet locks. I dressed in faded blue jeans and a black tank top, leaving my hair down to help cover the bruises on my neck from Maddox’s teeth. Then I sat on the closed toilet lid and browsed the rental sites again.
Maddox could think whatever he damn well wanted. He couldn’t watch me every second of the day. Eventually he would slip up and give me the chance I needed to get the hell out of here. I hated that Ruthless had given me the opportunity to take off and I’d foolishly remained. Why didn’t I leave? I couldn’t bring myself to delve into the question, afraid of what the answer may be.
Several texts came in from my sister begging my forgiveness and promising to make it up to me. Friggin’ rights she would. I knew that she’d take good care of Akasha. I missed the furry beast but didn’t want to stress her out by moving her again so soon. Better to wait until I found us a permanent home. Hopefully I could get over to Rumer’s to see my kitty soon.
It was nearing evening when a knock on the bedroom door made my stomach plummet. I didn’t want to look into those blue eyes again so soon after he’d been inside me. Since I was bored and feeling a little snackish, I answered the door, bracing myself.
Maddox stood there looking like a snack himself. In a gray t-shirt and ripped jeans, his black hair stood up in tufts, like he’d fisted a handful and forgot to fix it. Fuck me, I loved it.
“Let’s go grab some dinner,” he said, motioning for me to join him in the hall. “Then you can come with Ruthless and me on a loan collection if you want. These guys have been dodging us for weeks.”
Despite my aversion to working for him, the thought of accompanying them on a job perked me up. I could use some action.
“Can we get tacos?” I asked, noticing the way his gaze dropped to my arm.
“We can get anything you want. Bring your blades.” Maddox nodded to my forearm. “You never covered your syndicate ink. Why not?”
Not wanting to get drawn into another serious talk that would inevitably end in more bruises and orgasms, I shrugged and retreated into the room to gather my things. “You know why. Don’t make it a big deal.”
Maddox watched as I secured a knife sheath to my forearm and another to my inner ankle, tucking it under my pant leg. Putting on a hoodie hid the one on my arm. Excitement began to build, creating a ball of tingles in the pit of my stomach.
“Mave, people don’t sport gang ink for no reason,” Maddox said, unable to let it go. “You know what kind of message that sends to anyone in the know. It means something.”
I stuffed my phone into a back pocket and left the room. “It doesn’t mean that I’m coming back to the syndicate, Maddox. Don’t force me to make promises I’m not sure I can keep.”
He hung back as I started down the hallway. I heard him mutter beneath his breath but couldn’t make out the words. Ruthless waited downstairs near the front door, typing away on his phone. He glanced up at my approach, his face a hard, neutral mask. My cheeks warmed as I thought about him watching Maddox go down on me.
“Are we taking the Escalade?” Ruthless asked Maddox as he rounded the corner behind me.
“Yeah. You drive. Vixen can take shotgun.”
I raised a brow, surprised he didn’t try to trap me in the backseat with him. When we exited the house and crossed the artfully landscaped front lawn, neither of them made a threat or vicious promise to grab me if I ran. Ruthless didn’t seem to give a shit, and Maddox’s attitude from earlier had simmered. Did he feel bad about the exchange between us?
A strange tension settled over us as we all climbed into the vehicle. I buckled my seatbelt in place, sneaking a peek at Ruthless as he started the engine. A leather jacket over a dark t-shirt and black jeans decorated his muscular frame. Dark colors helped to hide the blood. His mohawk was fanned out down the middle of his head.
Feeling my gaze, he turned to catch me staring. He didn’t say a word. Instead he raised both brows in a silent question. I didn’t speak either, but I also didn’t look away. Ruthless didn’t intimidate me. Not the way he wanted to. I refused to allow his moody state to scare me. Maybe he wasn’t the same Ruthless I knew from before, but a piece of him was still in there. I’d seen it.
Curling his lips into a silent snarl, Ruthless put the car in gear and broke eye contact first. It felt like a win. A small win, but I’d take it.
We swung by a restaurant known to have great tacos and picked up a takeout order. Even though a small pulse of adrenaline amped me up in anticipation of what we were about to do, I was still able to wolf down my tacos and half my iced tea during the drive. There wasn’t a lot of talk as we drove. The radio drowned out the sound of our chewing and kept us from being plunged into awkward silence.
When we left the busy city streets and headed for the industrial district on the outskirts of town, I turned in my seat to face Maddox. “Where exactly are we going?”
“A couple guys from the Crypt Keepers lost a load of cocaine to the Reapers,” Maddox explained. “They were too scared to tell their president, so they came to us for a loan to cover the loss. Unfortunately for them, they haven’t paid back a single dollar. We gave them more time and still nothing. They hang out at a warehouse bar on this side of the city. It’s a neutral zone for all. Time to pay them a visit.”
My brow furrowed. “Neutral zone? Is that new?”
“It is,” Maddox confirmed, popping his last bite of taco in his mouth. “Well, not that new. You’ve been gone a while.”
