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He disappeared outside, returning a few minutes later with a small round disc in hand. I handed off the joint to Ruthless, frowning as I pondered this turn of events. “If they tracked your car, they’d have known that we weren’t at the house when they hit it.”
“Maybe they didn’t want you to be there,” Maddox said, anxiously popping his knuckles. “Maybe it was a message. A warning.”
“Maybe.” I nodded, wishing he would stop fidgeting. “It’s possible they want me to think I’m endangering you guys, so they can get me alone.”
Ruthless leaned forward, bouncing a knee. “And you don’t think this was Archer and his crew?”
I shoved both hands through my black locks and shook my head. Damn I was exhausted. “No, I really don’t. It didn’t feel like their style. Their approach is more direct. They want us to know when they fuck with us. This was too anonymous. Too elusive.”
Silence fell among us as we all pondered the situation. Finally, Ace said, “We need to figure out what our next move should be. These guys are outsiders. It shouldn’t be hard to find them.”
“I can make some calls,” Maddox offered. “I’ll get every contact I have looking for them.”
Tapping a finger on my lips, I weighed the pros and cons of his idea, finding it lacking. “That might be helpful, but it could take a while, and there’s always a chance of someone tipping them off. I think we should lay a trap. Lure them out.”
Maddox’s hard blue gaze locked on me, and he raised a brow. “You better not be suggesting what I think you’re suggesting. Not a fucking chance, Vixen. No way. I’m not risking you.”
That was exactly the response I’d expected from him. I covered a yawn with my hand and sat up straighter. The first rays of the sun through the window reminded me how long it had been since I’d slept.
“I have to be the bait, Mads. It’s the only way. One of the Thorns made a comment about me belonging to you guys. If that’s what they think, then they won’t kill me. They’ll use me as a bargaining chip, giving the four of you the perfect opportunity to make sure they never step foot in our city again.” Reasoning with Maddox had never been anything less than a battle when his mind was made up. This was my fight, and I wouldn’t have him dictate the terms.
“Or maybe they’ll be fed up with you by now and they’ll straight up kill you… if you’re lucky.” Maddox’s jaw clenched, and he grimaced as he loudly popped another knuckle. “We can’t take that chance, Mave. I won’t.”
“What’s the big deal?” I countered, crossing one leg over the other to direct his focus. “I’ve played the bait dozens of times before. I’m capable of doing this. The sooner we chase the Thorns out of town, the sooner we can get back to taking Archer down one piece at a time.”
We stared at one another, neither willing to back down. Here we go again.
Ruthless surprised me by being the first to take my side. He offered the rest of the shrinking joint to Maddox, who refused it, before stubbing it out in a glass ashtray on a side table. “Maven is right. Drawing them out will be the fastest way to deal with them. The Thorns aren’t worth wasting time on. Archer is our big fish. He’s where our focus needs to be.”
Everyone exchanged a look, weighing their opinions. Ace nodded, adding, “Agreed. The Thorns are a minor nuisance compared to Archer and his people, but they’re still a danger we need to get rid of. Better sooner than later. Maven’s already killed some of their guys. She knows what she’s doing.”
Maddox’s gaze locked onto Wolfe, silently daring him to take my side too. We were all surprised when Wolfe shook his head. “Sorry, Butterfly. I’m actually with Maddox on this one. The Thorns aren’t a risk worth taking. Not when it comes to you. We’ll find another way.”
I frowned, not quite sure if I was happy or annoyed. I’d so badly wanted the brothers to get along, to be under the same roof without trying to kill each other. Now they finally agreed on something. As much as I loved that, it didn’t help me right now.
Trying to catch Wolfe on a technicality, I said, “So if it was Archer instead of the Thorns, that would be okay?”
“Hell no,” Maddox spat, disgusted at the thought.
“Of course not,” Wolfe protested. “I just don’t think this is a good time to put you in a dangerous position.”
An awkward energy fell over our group as we all flashed back to the last time I’d truly been in danger. We all carried some form of trauma from that night, nobody more so than me. But I knew that life would come to a screeching halt if I didn’t keep looking forward, and that’s what I intended to do.
“Look guys,” I began, choosing my next words carefully. “We have to address the elephant in the room. We all know what happened that night, and we all know that’s what divided the four of you. It’s time to let that shit go, to leave the past where it is and move into our future. Together. All of us. If I can do it, what’s stopping the rest of you?”
Now nobody looked at anyone else, except for Ruthless. He stared hard at me, like he couldn’t figure me out. I met his searching stare with a raised brow. What did he think I was hiding? Maybe he could see the wounded part of me that I still carried from that night. Only he could relate to the hell I’d gone through. I wouldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t still haunted, that I didn’t still have nightmares on occasion. But I refused to let those things dictate how I lived my life. I would not be made a prisoner of my experience.
“It’s not that simple.” Wolfe squirmed on the couch next to me, glancing at Maddox who stared at the floor. “We can’t go back to how things were before. That’s not realistic.”
“Maybe not,” I agreed. “That doesn’t mean we can’t go forward. Start fresh. It kills me to see the four of you split like this. It’s not right.”
Maddox dragged his gaze back to mine. The anguish within his deep blues left me reeling. “Don’t waste your breath, Vixen. Even if you ever managed to forgive me, Wolfe never will.”
I looked to Wolfe for a reaction, silently pleading with him to prove Maddox wrong. Instead, he turned it around on me.
“You can’t forgive Maddox?” Wolfe asked, stiff with tension. “Then why should we?”
Although I didn’t owe anyone an explanation, I wouldn’t let him use my personal feelings to justify his grudge. “I’m willing to try. Are you?”
