Page 110 of Fought and Freed

“Man, do you have to always show me up?” Lucca joked.

“Okay, Mr. First-Round Draft.” Cody laughed back.

“When is that?” Maddy asked.

Ryder’s phone vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it, wanting to spend time with his family.

“April twentieth.” Lucca took a sip of water. “I’ll be gone the whole week and a few days after.”

Maddy beamed. “Then, you’ll be around for Ryder’s and my art show.”

“Did you decide on a date?” Cody questioned.

She reached out to squeeze Ryder’s hand. “Yes, April eleventh at six pm.”

“I can’t wait to see it.” Lucca gave her a soft look of affection. “I’m proud of you, sis. Uncle Sal wants me to videotape it.”

Maddy blushed at all the praise. “I wish he could be there.”

“One day, sis, he will,” Lucca promised.

The rest of the dinner was a fun affair. Ryder’s phone buzzed a few more times, but he kept letting it go to voicemail.

Ryder watched Maddy during dinner, loving the smile on her face. This was something she’d said she missed with being an orphan. Having a family.

He didn’t know how she survived what she did. If their roles were reversed, he wasn’t sure he could have done the same. He was glad she was getting everything she deserved.

Once they finished dinner, Lucca turned to Maddy. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

She stood to collect the plates. “Anything you say, Lucca, you can say in front of the guys. I don’t keep any secrets.”

He breathed heavily out of his nose. “The Jane Doe in the hospital passed away from the burns.”

“Oh.” She stopped stacking the dishes. “Did we ever figure out who she was?”

Lucca scrubbed his mouth with his hand. “It was Nikki.”

Looking stricken, Maddy collapsed into her chair. “I had a gut feeling that’s who it was. She was such a bitch to me, but I never wanted her to die. Did anyone claim her?”

“Someone did,” Lucca said.

Ryder didn’t hear the rest as his phone vibrated again.

Who in the Hell was calling so much?

He pulled it out of his pocket and saw his sister’s name on the caller ID.

“Excuse me, I need to take this.” He stood and stepped into the living room. As he hit answer “Honey, now—”

“He found me,” Honey interrupted. “Oh God, oh God…”

“Honey,” Ryder tried.

“They’ve got guns,” she panted. “They’re going door to door. I’m going to die.”

“Listen, Honey, you need to calm down.” Ryder ran back into the dining room. “Go into the bathroom and get in the tub. I’m on my way.”

Everyone looked up from the table in alarm.

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