Page 26 of Cook

“Maddie?” asked the man.

His voice echoed past my ears like I was stuck in a tunnel.

He reached out for me, his eyebrows drawn together. “Are you all right?”

I knew this man, didn’t I? I had seen his face before. Somewhere. His features morphed and changed, I thought, but when cast in darkness and dim light, every man looked the same.

My eyes cut away, toward the window. It was bright outside. Sunlight streamed through the parted curtains, reminding me I wasn’t back at the mill. There was no cage here. Leo Finch wasn’t here to hurt me, he just looked similar to those who raped me when I was a helpless kid.

It was Cook who looked nothing like the other men who camefor me. Cook who was my safety net. I was in Cook’s house now. With his mom. Away from the men who’d held me down, who fucked me mercilessly, and who used blades on my skin.

But this pretty man . . . fuck!

Chapter 5

Cook

When church ended, I wastwitching to get the fuck out of Park Ridge. I needed to get back to Maddie pronto. I didn’t even try to wave Celt down. He had his shit to deal with, and now I had my own concerns.

I usually wasn’t the one to be reckless, but I had fucked up this time. I needed to tell Celt all that I had gotten into, but for now, I needed to go make sure Maddie and Mom were okay.

“Cook, wait!” called a man behind me.

Not Celt and not Wilde, so I didn’t care who it was. I kept walking. Back to my bike. I needed to get the fuck out of the Ridge.

“Cook,” ordered a second voice. Prez this time.

I must’ve slowed because Angel and Wilde descended on me like wolves, nipping at my heels. I was away from the rest of the group, but Celt wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Angel and Wilde crowded around me, and I stopped myself before reaching for my gun in the back waist of my pants. They weren’t my enemies, but I still didn’t need them breathing down my neck.

“Where’s Maddie?” asked Angel immediately.

Of fucking course. I ground my teeth.

“We know you have her,” added Wilde.

Why the fuck was he even involved? Just because Angel was his man. Maddie was neither of their ol’ ladies. She wasn’t mine either, but she was under my protection.

“We know you checked her out of the recovery house.” Wilde ran a hand over his skull cut.

“I didn’t check her out,” I said, wondering who came running to the Prez to tattle. “Maddie checked herself out.”

Angel crossed his arms over his barrel chest. “Where are you keeping her?”

“I told you she was fine,” I snipped at him.

“That doesn’t answer the question,” said Angel.

Right, and I wasn’t giving him that answer either. “She’s choosing to stay with me.” I snapped my jaw shut, clenching my teeth. But yeah, I was definitely keeping her. And keeping her safe at that.

“Where?” asked Angel.

“None of your fucking business.” I spat on the ground near his boots. It wasn’t like me to be so defensive, but damn, did the broken woman bring something out in me I couldn’t control.

Angel stood taller.

He didn’t scare me.

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