Page 63 of Fought and Freed

Maddy laughed so hard at the absurdity of it that her sides hurt.

They took some pictures next to the big ass fork, and after, she talked the guys into going to the Norton Simon Art Museum.

She had always wanted to visit it.

Then, it was time to head back to their hotel and get ready for dinner.

16

MADDY

At the restaurant, the team told everyone they couldn’t drink, but that shouldn’t stop anyone else from ordering.

Torr and Maddy had wine during dinner, and Maddy enjoyed getting to know her brother and his friends better.

They liked to rip on each other and tell stories about their teammates.

Maddy learned a lot about her brother that night, like that he had a prankster side to him.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” Skylar said proudly.

Both Skylar and Lucca had evil smiles on their faces.

“Oh, Hell no.” Ryder waved his arms. “We can’t let those two get together.”

Everyone started laughing.

Watching Lucca with his friends, it was hard to believe her brother was a gang leader.

At the end of their meal, they all got up and headed out of the restaurant to the main hotel hallway.

When they reached the elevators, Maddy realized she didn’t have her purse.

She turned to Ryder, who was walking beside her. “I left my purse at the table.”

He stayed back while the others got on the elevator. “I’ll wait while you go get it."

As she made her way back into the restaurant and to their table, she noticed a guy sitting by himself at a table diagonal from the one they’d sat at all night.

He was staring at her, and she lost her breath when she recognized him.

It was Alex, one of Mike’s guys. She’d never forget him. He had slapped her across the face after she kicked him in the balls.

What the Hell was he doing here? What were the chances of him being in California, unless Mike knew she was coming?

A hand touched her shoulder, and she let out a yelp.

“Silk, is something wrong?” Ryder asked with concern.

She turned to him. “No, I just…thought I recognized someone.”

“Here?” Disbelief filled his voice, making her uncertain.

She turned back toward the table, but it was empty, making her doubt what she saw. The drugs Mike had dosed her with made her see things. Maybe that hadn’t completely stopped?

Ryder was right. The likelihood that was really Alex was slim to none.

She bent and grabbed her purse. “I must be seeing things. Let’s go.”

---