Page 130 of Fought and Freed

MADDY

Maddy read the letter repeatedly, more tears pouring down her face each time. Grant’s betrayal hurt, but she was furious at Mike.

No, furious wasn’t a big enough word for the emotions boiling inside her where Mike was concerned.

And Kelly… Shit, Grant was right. Who knew what that asshole was doing to her? Maddy was done with this.

Lucca had shown her where they gathered for meetings, but she wasn’t sure how to call one. But Harry would know, so she called and convinced him to tell everyone Lucca was calling this meeting.

Harry didn’t like it, but he followed her orders.

Now came the hard part.

She changed her clothes and headed downstairs.

“Hey, little one.” Cody peered at her from over the back of the couch. “Jace said you got a letter from Grant?”

“Yes. The short story is that Mike made him go into rehab and befriend me. I’m not sure what Mike wanted him to do to me, but Grant couldn’t do it and paid the price.” Maddy’s hands clenched into fists. “Mike has Grant’s sister somewhere, which is how he got Grant to do all of this.”

Maddy passed him the envelope. “Here’s the letter. You can read it. I’m going out and will be back later.”

“Whoa, hold it, Maddy.” Cody looked from the letter back to her. “You can’t just dump this on us and leave.”

“Sorry, but I am.” She headed for the door.

Jace came out of the kitchen and did a double take when she grabbed her keys. “Where are you going?”

“I have a meeting I need to get to.” Keys in hand, she walked out the door.

Cody stomped out behind her. “What are you up to, Maddy?”

She turned to glare at him. “I love you, but I don’t have to tell you everything I do.”

He crossed his massive arms over his chest. “Yes, you do. Especially if you’re doing something stupid.”

“I’m not, I promise.” She turned back around and walked down the sidewalk.

Skylar, who was just returning from another doctor’s appointment, stopped in front of her. “Uh, oh. What has big brother in a pissy mood?”

“Me.” She kissed his cheek. “He’ll explain, I’m sure. I’ll see you later.”

Maddy took off in her car and headed out of town to the industrial side of Blueridge, where Lucca had purchased an old warehouse and revamped it into a clubhouse for his gang.

As she pulled into the parking lot, she had second thoughts. Motorcycles and muscle cars filled the lot, and her Kia Soul looked out of place. She didn’t know these guys and had only met some of them at the fights.

She wished Viper was there to keep her safe.

But thinking of Kelly helped her work up the nerve to walk through the door.

The bottom floor made her think of a living room and bar in one. Couches and chairs were positioned in front of a large-screen TV. There were also pool tables, a dartboard, and a large wooden bar almost as big as the one at Inferno.

Around Maddy, the room fell silent, and she swallowed hard as the men’s eyes settled on her.

Harry came down the stairs, saying something in Italian.

She really needed to learn the language.

Harry stopped next to her and raised his eyebrows. “Maddy, are you sure about this?”

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