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“You had every right to leave,” Wolfe finally said. “You did what you had to do to take care of yourself. What happened between Maddox and me isn’t on you, Maven. It’s on Maddox.”
“What about you?” Propping my elbow on the door, I leaned my head on my hand and studied him. “It takes more than one person to carry on this kind of bad blood. Have you ever considered being the first to extend the olive branch?”
His silence answered for him. All I could do was encourage peace. I couldn’t force it.
The rest of the drive was quiet. Wolfe seemed to be lost in thought. I watched the city fly by as we drew closer to Wolfe’s neighborhood. Crawling into his bed and sleeping for several hours would be bliss.
Unfortunately, that was not to be. As we rounded the corner onto Wolfe’s street, we were greeted by a firetruck outside his house. I sat up straighter in my seat, hand on the door.
“What in the fuck?” Bringing the car to a jerking halt, Wolfe threw it in park and leapt from the vehicle.
I was hot on his heels as he raced up to the nearest firefighter. The man stretched out an arm to keep Wolfe from running up to the house.
“Are you the homeowner?” The firefighter asked, waiting for Wolfe’s nod to continue. “There’s been an incident, Sir. The police are on their way.”
As soon as he spoke, two cop cars rounded the corner with lights flashing. We spent the next hour standing outside answering questions and watching the fire crew put out the fire in the front office of the house. Apparently an explosive had been hurled through the office window, setting the room ablaze. The security system had tripped, alerting the authorities.
While Wolfe handled the police, I walked several yards down the street and called Ace to let him know what happened. Since he’d already dropped Maddox at home, I called Mads too. I didn’t expect him to answer.
“It’s been a long night, Vixen,” he said upon picking up. “What now?”
“There’s been an attack on Wolfe’s house. It doesn’t feel like an Archer move to me. I think it may be the Crimson Thorns.” Even though nobody stood within earshot, I lowered my voice.
I scanned what remained of the night, wondering if somewhere they were watching. They had to have spotted us earlier and tailed us back here. Archer and his thugs had dominated my attention, making me let down my guard when it came to the Thorns. A mistake that could have got me killed. If Wolfe and I had been asleep in his bed instead of out picking up Maddox, we could be dead from smoke inhalation right now.
“An attack?” Urgency laced Maddox’s tone. “What kind of attack?”
I explained everything, including the cops that currently grilled Wolfe. The Hales usually had a man on the inside to help take care of shit like this. Maybe Maddox got him in the split. Inwardly I rolled my eyes at the thought.
“Don’t worry about the cops. I’ll take care of it. As soon as they let you leave, get your asses over here. Both of you.” Maddox’s take-charge attitude left no room for argument. Not that I wanted to argue. I had nowhere else to go, and that’s where my clothes were.
Still, I asked, “Are you sure? I don’t want to watch the two of you bicker and shove like kids in the schoolyard.”
“He’s my brother, Mave. I may want to knock his fucking lights out on occasion, but I’d never turn my back on him when shit hits the fan. Let me know when you’re on your way.”
“Fine. We’re bringing Ace too.” I also left no room for argument. Nobody was being left alone until we knew exactly who was behind the attack.
The sky was beginning to lighten when Wolfe and I arrived at Maddox’s house. Ace’s gunmetal gray Mercedes was already in the driveway. Some of my tension eased now that we were all safe here together. Maddox’s house sat behind a stone wall and an iron gate with a perimeter manned by gun toting people. We were safer here than anywhere else.
“I think I’d rather sit in what’s left of my scorched office than have to stay here,” Wolfe muttered as we entered the house.
“Hush,” I admonished, a finger over my lips. “None of that. We’re in this together. All of us.”
We found Maddox, Ruthless, and Ace gathered in the living room. Ace sat on an armchair next to one of the two couches where both Maddox and Ruthless sat. All three of them glanced up as we entered. Maddox visibly slumped in relief.
“You’re both okay?” He looked us over for any sign of injury. Even though he’d cleaned the blood that had stained his face, the two bruises marking his nose and one eye remained from his shenanigans.
“Yeah, we’re fine. We weren’t there when it happened.” I plopped down on the couch across from Maddox and Ruthless, leaving space for Wolfe next to me.
“How bad is the damage?” Ace sparked up a joint and sucked in a large drag before passing it to me.
I knew the weed would only make me more tired, but it would also help take the edge off after a hell of a night. Leaning back on the couch, I rested my head against the soft leather.
“The front hall and office are a disaster. I won’t know much more until the insurance adjuster takes a look at it.” Shoulders slumping, Wolfe shook his head. “I can’t figure out how they found us. I kept an eye out for a tail. There was nothing.”
“Did you check your car for a tag? Maybe they tracked you.” Ruthless suggested, sipping from a mug of hot tea. It seemed like such a warm, fuzzy drink. A direct contrast to his cold, hard personality.
Wolfe shot off the couch in a blur. “Son of a bitch. When would they have found the chance to plant it? When we stopped for food? At the strip club? I’d have seen them.”
