Page 111 of Cook

Angel piped in, “She needs her sister. They both do.”

Not yet. She wasn’t ready. The fact that she was clinging to my back said as much. I had my shit in order, and it was my job to protect her. I eased us another step backward.

“Not today,” I said.

Another slow step back.

Wilde didn’t move, but he worked his jaw. He stood up to Celt with Bou. Couldn’t he get what I was dealing with here?

Another step. One more, and I could slip Maddie inside.

“Cook—”

“Bou,” Melanie interrupted, and Bou waved a hand at her, turningover the floor. Angel’s ol’ lady looked me dead in the eyes. “I don’t know you very well, Cook, but I’d like to.”

I barked a laugh.

“Make her leave,” Maddie said in a small voice, and it doubled my resolve.

Lanie didn’t let my warning noises faze her. “My sister sees something about you I don’t understand.”

Yeah, I’m her Daddy. Her Dom. It’s my job to take care of her in every way possible. These things, though, the DA didn’t need to know.

Lanie took a step forward, and I took one away, whispering over my shoulder. “Go inside and wait for me there.”

Maddie slipped through the screen door, and I stepped to the edge of the porch so I could look down at Angel’s girl.

She jutted her chin up like I couldn’t scare her if I tried. “She’s my sister.” Her voice was calm and cool, trained to handle a crisis. Coached to debate and win in court.

I didn’t have that, but what I did have was Maddie. I crossed my arms over my chest.

Melanie went on, “I can’t say I know what she needs, Cook. But I want to, and I’ll do everything in my power to help her.”

“Everyone wants to help Maddie,” said Bou, pleading with me. “You’re not in this shit alone.”

“Easy for you to say!” I glared at Bou. “I figured you, of all people, would have a little more caution than to force shit on someone like this.” I waved at Lanie and Angel.

“Cook!”

“No, Bou. I’ve introduced Maddie to a few people now, and I trusted you by letting you in first. Don’t you think this is a betrayal of Maddie’s freedom to make her own fucking choices?”

Bou hung her head.

Lanie spoke up then. “We all just want to help, Cook.”

Behind me, the camera clicked.

Clicked and clicked again.

More clicks. So fast that it sounded like someone rattling a locked door. I turned toward where she poked her head out as Maddie took photos of everyone—of the situation—like she was capturing proof before going to the police. Not that she would. She was just being herself, working through whatever buzzed around in her head right now.

“Maddie,” I said, waving my hand down.

She lowered the camera, revealing how she gnawed at her bottom lip and the panic in her eyes. Her shoulders had slumped forward as she turned in her on herself. She was shrinking back, losing the beaming smile that she’d had this morning. All the confidence she had built last night evaporating in the afternoon Arizona sun.

My heart ached as hot rage thrashed through me again. I could hurt all of them for this. What the fuck did any of them think they were doing? They had seen Maddie’s state before. She was only slightly better with me. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. A lot better when it was just us.

“Maddie.” Lanie stepped to the side, and I clenched my teeth, swallowing my order for her to back up.

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