Page 84 of King of Ruin

I blink back my surprise. We? “Mason wanted the phone, didn’t he?” Suddenly the fight with his brother in the parking garage makes sense. “That day Mason hit you. Were you and Mason arguing about me?”

Roman is silent. I appreciate that he isn’t offloading blame to his brother. But I need to know who to trust.

The silence is so thick, it threatens to break. “Roman please tell me the truth. I have to know if I can trust you.”

But before he can answer, my other phone rings, the burner phone that Roman gave me, and Lucia’s distinct ring fills the room.

I need my friend so much.

I pull back from Roman and he only holds me for a second before he lets me go.

Crossing to the bedside table, I pick up the phone. “Lucia?”

Can she hear how wrong my voice sounds?

“Maddie,” she cries into the line. “I’m going to need you to sit down.”

“What is it?” I cry. What else could possibly be going wrong?

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Roman

I hearthe panic in her voice and I’m racing to her side, no matter how angry she is with me.

She has every right to hate my guts. She doesn’t even know the half of it, though.

I can’t believe I forgot to give her the phone. Things with Thomasina…with her…

I’m forgetting to keep my guard up, forgetting to filter everything I say and do. I’m becoming this totally other person, and the one I am with Maddie.

That man, the man I am when I’m with her, I like and respect.

I’m a better man for being with her.

But the man I was…he’s about to ruin everything.

Her wide eyes stare at nothing as she slowly goes to sit on the bed. I can already tell she’s going to miss and I reach for her, grabbing her arm so she doesn’t fall.

She screams, jerking away, and crashes into the nightstand.

“Shit,” I rumble, righting her again.

She goes completely still in my arms. Like a hunted animal. “Maddie?” I ask quietly, dread pooling deep in my gut. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, sweetheart. You were going to miss.”

“Maddie?” I hear Lucia say into the line. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

But Maddie only makes this wounded noise in the back of her throat. “Sit.” I quietly command guiding her to the edge of the bed.

She does sit but every muscle in her body is rigid. I run my hands down her arms, trying to help her relax but she flinches away.

I’m afraid she’s going to hurt herself again so I drop my hands.

I don’t know what’s happened, what Lucia said, but I know it’s bad.

And I’m worried, by the way she just pulled away, instead of falling into my embrace, that whatever was said, involves me.

Did Alex tell Lucia about Thomasina?

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