Page 69 of Fought and Freed

He smiled at seeing her feeling so good. “Yes, we did, little one. Are you having fun?”

“How could I not be? I had all my guys by me, great food, and my brother won the game.” Maddy lost her smile and frowns. “The only thing that would make it better would be to know Grant is all right.”

Cody ground his back teeth together.

Damn, that kid. When they got home, Cody was going to teach him some manners. He didn’t like how Grant was messing with Maddy’s good mood.

Cody cuddled her closer. “Little one, I’m sure he’s fine. With everything you have been through, you deserve to enjoy yourself right now. If you don’t hear from Grant by the time we get home, we’ll track him down. Now, stop worrying about him and have fun.”

“You’re right, as always. I think I’ll snuggle in here for a bit.” She made herself comfortable on his lap, and soon she was fast asleep.

Ryder returned from another round at the food bar and sat down beside them. “She passed out?”

“Yeah.” Cody tucked her hair behind her ear. “She was worried about that kid again. How did he slip his way into her heart so quickly? You don’t think she has feelings for him, do you?”

Ryder took a bite of his sandwich as he thought about his answer. “She has brotherly feelings for him, and Skylar said he’s gay. But it’s almost like she thinks if he fails, then she fails. That’s what bothers me.”

“Yeah, that worries me, too.” Cody sighed before looking Ryder in the eyes. “I’ve been worried about you, too, Ryder. Something is going on with you. It’s like you got into something and have to hide it from us for some reason.”

Ryder swallowed the bite he’d just taken. “Even if I’m working through something on my own, with everything that’s happened to us, I’d think you’d trust me a little more.”

Cody turned as much as he could with Maddy in his arms. “I do trust you, but at the same time, I can see that whatever’s happening is slowly eating at you.”

Ryder put down his sandwich and rested both arms beside his plate. “I’m begging you, for my sake, let this go.” He let out a sigh. “Nothing I’m doing is illegal or could hurt Maddy.”

“Then, why can’t you tell us?” It hurt Cody that his friend didn’t trust him. “Why can’t you tell me?”

Ryder glared at him. “I’ve been asked not to tell anyone. If I get myself into trouble, though, I swear I’ll bring you in.”

Cody took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and nodded. Ryder’s promise made him feel better, but he was still worried.

“Let’s head toward the van.” Cody shifted Maddy around so he could carry her.

Torr was slumped in a seat with her head on the table.

“I’ll grab her,” Skylar said.

They made their way to the van and got everyone in it. The traffic was still heavy, but not as bad as it would have been if they had left immediately.

“Now that the game is over, what are the plans?” Jace asked.

“I figure there will be some kind of party tonight, and tomorrow will be a recovery day.” Cody kept his eyes on the cars ahead. “Tuesday, we’ll check out and head to the ocean, spend the day there, then head home.”

“Are we still planning on Santa Monica Pier?” Jace asked.

Cody nodded. “Yeah, it will give us something to do.”

When they returned to the hotel, they made their way into the lobby, with Cody carrying Maddy. Torr had woken up enough to walk in on her own.

An electrical buzz ran through the hotel from how excited everyone was.

Skylar opened the door to the suite.

Torr stumbled toward her room. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Cody nodded down to Maddy in his arms. “I’ll put her to bed.”

In her room, Cody gently put Maddy down on the bed and removed her shoes. She snuggled into the pillow, mumbled something, and snored.

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