Page 13 of Steamy Ever After

“Go take your hellcat home and let me know where to meet you.”

I shake out my shoulders and nod at the guys, leaving the back room feeling like I can breathe easy. The weight that’s been holding me down for years has finally been lifted. I still need to talk to Linc though. Guilt starts to creep up again, but I push it aside. I’ll take care of Marie first.

I search the bar for her, but she’s not there. I grab my barstool and wait for her to come back from the bathroom, figuring that must be where she went. After a few minutes pass, I start to get up thinking she must be upstairs still, but Tammy sidles up next to me, halting my movement.

“Whatcha doing tonight, Blake?” Her flirtatious tone is unwelcome. She knows damn well I’m here with Marie. I noticeably lean away from her; if my hellcat comes back down and sees me with Tammy, I don’t know what she’ll think. Hopefully the way I’m sitting will make it obvious that I’m not interested. To both of them.

“I came here with my girl.”

Tammy’s a pretty little thing, but she just wants to be on the arm of any of the members. I don’t have any problems letting her down easy.

“I know, but she just left.”

I stare at her and my brow furrows in confusion and disbelief. “What?” I look around the main room, searching for her gorgeous ass.

“Yeah, she asked to use my phone and took off.” She says the words easily and leans closer to me, putting her hand on my thigh. I push her off the second her hand hits me. She protests, looking wounded by my rejection, but I don’t give a fuck.

She fucking left me? I try to swallow down the lump forming in my throat. I really thought we had something. My fist slams on the bar. I fucking know we had something special between us. It’s my own damn fault. I pushed her too hard, too fast. It’s the way I’ve always been. Fuck! I finally got everything straightened out with the MC and the same fucking night, she leaves me. I’ve got to get her back. I’m not going to let her go without fighting for her.

I ignore Tammy and whatever words are falling out of her mouth, and walk with long, powerful strides to the back room. Pinch and Maddox are still there, relaxed around the computer and looking at some video online. When they see my face, both of them look back with concern and Maddox shoots up from his spot ready to take out whoever I need him to.

“She took off.”

The confidence leaves Maddox’s face. He’s never kept a girl, so he wouldn’t know what the hell to do. Neither have I.

“What’d you do to scare her off?”

I shake my head. I know I was pushing her limits, but I thought she could take it. I thought she fucking loved it. I feel like a piece of shit.

I’m pissed that she left. I’m pissed she didn’t tell me she wasn’t happy. I’m pissed that I pushed her too hard. To be honest, I’m just pissed the fuck off. “I just need her address.” I stare pointedly at Pinch. “Where’s that ID?”

“What’d you do to our kitten, Blake?” Maddox interjects.

“She’s not our kitten. She’s mine.” Maddox huffs at my words; his nostrils flare and his fists clench. I can see the wheels turning in his head as the silence settles in between us.

“Maybe if she was ours, she wouldn’t have left you,” he points out easily and I fucking lose it. The last thread holding me together snaps. I’ve been on edge all night and this just breaks something in me.

Adrenaline pumps through my body, burning up my skin. I hear the loud, pulsing thud of my blood in my ears. A snarl rips through me as I slam both of my fists into Maddox’s shoulders, landing hard and knocking into him with all my weight. He stumbles, smashing his shoulder and head against the brick wall. Before he gains his balance, I land a blow into his gut that nearly has him doubling over. But Maddox’s a huge fucker who’s taken enough punches to know how to handle them. He mutters under his breath, “Stupid fuck!” while ramming his shoulder into my gut. My legs lose their balance as my boot backs into the fucking rug, tripping me.

I fall hard on my ass and elbows with Maddox’s large frame crushing down on mine. I quickly wrap a leg around his calf and push my weight to the opposite shoulder, forcing him down on his back with me landing hard on his chest. My fist slams into the floor as I try to gain my balance and focus. It hurts like a bitch as I get up clenching my fists and the movement splits my knuckles. My left hand grabs the collar of his shirt as I raise my bloodied right fist. But before I’m able to gain my balance and take a swing at him, he plants a punch on my left cheek. Fuck! I stagger back, both fists immediately going to my face to block any more punches. I land on my ass, but move to my feet the second I see Maddox breathing heavy and struggling to get up.

“What the fuck are you two going at it for?” Linc’s words barely register as my fist connects with Maddox’s hard jaw. My knuckles scream at the contact and pain shoots up my arm before running back down to my aching fist. Fuck, that hurt. Maddox’s got a hand cradling that side of his face and he’s rubbing his jaw. At least it fucking hurt him too.

“Maddox wants to fuck my girl. He doesn’t fucking understand that she’s mine.”

“Fuck you. You may have seen her first, but that doesn’t make her yours.”

“Shut the fuck up. Both of you. You two want to tear each other apart, fine by me. Fight it out in the ring tomorrow.” A moment passes of silence. All I can hear is the blood still roaring in my ears and our heavy breathing. I glare at Maddox before facing Linc.

The second I see him, all I can think about is how he brought me on, even knowing I was undercover. How he patched me, knowing I was a cop. He has no idea I know. It feels like everything is crumbling around me. Fuck. My girl left me, the only girl I ever fucking wanted. My best friend wants to sleep with her. And the only people I ever considered family have known for years that I’ve been lying to them. Something hard drops in the pit of my stomach as my heart lurches in my chest.

I open my mouth, but the words don’t come out. I slam my mouth shut and clench my fists, wanting to beat the shit out of Maddox all over again. Anything to get rid of this pain pushing down on me. I don’t know how to tell Linc. How the hell do I tell him? My blood runs cold and all I can hear is a pounding in my ears.

I hear Maddox spit in the trashcan before he says, “Blake’s got some prick’s info for Roger, Pres.” I glance over at him and he gives me a tight smile. I give the same tense smile back and relax my fists. Even after knocking him around, he’s still helping me out.

It takes a minute for Linc to register what Maddox just told him. I see the moment it finally clicks, because his face lights up and a smile takes over his face; a rough chuckle barrels through his chest. “Well, it’s about damn time.” His left hand comes down on my shoulder and squeezes before he grabs me in a bear hug. What the fuck? “Who told you?”

Pinch pipes up before I can respond and says, “Maddox was fucking around with him, Pres. So I told him.”

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