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“Yeah, my dad made us work for him that day on no sleep. It fucking sucked.” My father and I had shared a mutual respect, although we had never been close. He’d never been the parent I would share a deep dark secret with. Not that my absent mother was either.
“Is that them?” Nodding to a set of headlights moving toward us, Ace pushed away from the car.
I eyed the black Escalade as it neared. It was definitely them. When they pulled into the end of the driveway to find us blocking the gate, I dropped what was left of the joint and prepared to confront my hotheaded, egomaniac brother.
What I didn’t expect to find was Maven in the passenger seat. The vehicle came to a stop and Maddox emerged from a back door. Maven threw her door open too, hopping out and rushing toward me. She threw both arms around my neck, engulfing me in her scent. Coconut wafted from her hair to drown me in memories.
“What are you doing here, Wolfe?” she asked, long lashes fluttering as she peered up at me. “Did you come to rescue me?”
She broke into a teasing grin, leaving me confused. What exactly was going on here?
“Do you need rescuing?” I replied, glancing over her head to Maddox who stood behind her glaring daggers at me.
“What the hell are you doing here unannounced?” Maddox snapped. “How many times do I need to remind you, Wolfe? You don’t live here anymore.”
Sliding an arm protectively around Maven, I raised my chin, silently inviting my brother to lose his shit. “Because I left. Not because you threw me out. Let us in. We need to talk about this.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you, Wolfe. Get off my property.” Maddox’s eyes narrowed as he readied for a fight.
Tightening my grip on Maven, I shook my head, refusing to be moved. “Not until we discuss this rationally. Let us inside. Unless you’d prefer to cause a scene right here on the street. I’m sure the neighbors would love that.”
I had him there. The neighbors were nosey cunts, and he knew it. Muttering curses beneath his breath, Maddox stormed over to the gate and punched in the security code. He waited for both Ace and Ruthless to drive the cars through before following Maven and me on foot.
“Are you okay?” I asked Maven, keeping my voice low. “Rumer said you weren’t exactly here willingly.”
Peering up at me with those enchanting green tinted blue eyes, she nodded. “Yeah, you could say that. I did have the chance to slip out earlier, but thanks to Rumer, I don’t have anywhere to go that isn’t a hotel.”
I cast a glance over my shoulder, finding my brother stalking after us like an angry wildcat. “You can stay with me. My door is always open to you, Butterfly.”
Maven’s gaze dropped. She stared hard at her feet as we ascended the curved driveway. “I don’t want to cause more problems between you guys.”
A ball of anger turned in my stomach, the same one I’d been nursing since Maddox fucked everything up. “That’s not for you to worry about. You’ve never caused a single problem between us. Don’t take responsibility for his bullshit.”
She nodded but said nothing. My blood boiled at the thought of Maddox making Maven feel like the problem. I sucked in a slow, deep breath, counting backwards from ten. If I didn’t calm the simmering rage, I’d give his smug face the pounding it deserved.
We reached the top of the driveway where Ruthless and Ace waited. When we joined them, Maddox took the lead and strode angrily into the house. Ruthless waited for the rest of us to enter before bringing up the rear. I fucking hated being treated like an interloper in the house I’d grown up in. This was my home too.
Maddox led us into the living room where he crossed to the bar and poured a drink from one of the many bottles lined up behind the counter. “Help yourself, and then get to the point so we can get this over with.”
During my last visit we’d punched each other in the face. I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that again. Not in front of Maven.
Ace tossed me the Mustang keys and positioned himself between Maddox and me. The poor bastard always got stuck playing peacekeeper when the four of us were together. Maven took a seat on the couch where she could watch all of us. Her expression revealed nothing. The woman had a pretty solid poker face.
“I’m not here for a drink,” I said, shoving my hands into my pockets in an effort to appear non-confrontational. “Have you officially lost your mind? You kidnapped Maven.”
Maddox swirled the gold liquor in his glass, smirking as if I’d said something utterly stupid. “Kidnapped is a bit of a stretch. As you can see, it’s not like I have her bound and gagged. Although it probably won’t be long until she’s begging me for that.”
The self-satisfied grin he slid Maven made me go cold inside. They’d already slept together. That hadn’t taken long. A pang of envy left a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn’t a feeling I knew well. I’d never felt envious when it came to Maven. She’d always been ours without question. But that was before everything changed.
“Go fuck yourself, Mads.” Maven flipped him a middle finger and tossed her long locks over a shoulder. “I never asked to be here.”
Ignoring her gesture, Maddox added another splash to his glass. “But now you don’t have anywhere else to go. Little sis doesn’t want the trouble you brought home. I guess you’re stuck with me.”
My rising temper was ready to fire back at him. I held my tongue, letting Maven fling a response, which she was quick to do.
“Is that what you think?” she quipped, crossing one leg over the other. The simple motion drew my eye. “There’s nothing to stop me from leaving with Wolfe and Ace right now.”
Maddox considered this, slowly sipping his drink. “Sure there is. There’s me. Let’s not forget that you had the chance to leave, and you chose to stay.”
