Page 60 of Wicked Games of Desire

He holds them up to his nose and inhales deeply, and I think my heart is going to stop. “You’re fucking mine, princess. Don’t forget it.” He pockets them, while I stare back at him in utter shock. “Ricky,” he calls after his brother.

Ricky stands and follows Alessandro, and I’m left with Maddox, trying to work out what the hell just happened and why we have to leave in such a rush.

Chapter 34

Something I have workedout about Maddox is he doesn’t like to follow orders. And as I stare out over the wreckage in front of me, I’m left wondering if Maddox has a death wish. Disobeying his boss to show me the charred remands of my papa’s estate seems like a bad reason to die.

“Why did you bring me here?” I glance over my shoulder at him.

“You’re still having those fucking nightmares,” he explains, like it’s obvious why we would have gone out of our way to stop here on our way home.

I look him over. Am I? I hadn’t even realized, and even more so, why is it him who’s trying to do something about it and not the man I’m now sleeping next to?

I hop off his bike and take off my helmet, wandering over to the construction fence that’s surrounding the charcoaled property. Like I assumed it would be, everything is gone. It’s a pile of twisted steel, bricks, and ash.

One lone tear slips down my cheek for the girl that lost it all last Christmas Eve. I might have my identity back now, but I’m not the same person anymore. When I think back, I’m almost surprised how much I’ve changed. But that girl might have thought she had freedom and some sort of control over her life, but really, she was just controlled by a different asshole. Shipped off to school so far away and kept in the dark. She was flittering around with no direction at all.

Now I know what I want.

Control. The power to have a life that’s my own. And revenge against the people who have wronged me. I want to show them I’m not some pathetic little girl they can push around and stomp all over. The girl that ran from this house screaming was weak. But I’m not. I have let them all get away with manipulating me for far too fucking long. Metal bites into my fingers before I realize I’ve even taken hold of the fence in front of me with such force. Anger and adrenaline surge through me with this new realization.

“I hate my papa for the life he forced upon me and Marco.” The words drip from my lips like poison, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I spin back to face Maddox. “Why did you really bring me here?” I cry, emotion taking over.

“I want you to remember this is your reality and not some fucked-up nightmare. Do what you want with that.”

He’s being so cryptic tonight, but I don’t think he brought me here to hurt me. Or punish me. But knowing Maddox, there is a reason. I swipe my angry tears away. “Why haven’t they bulldozed this place?” I demand to know.

“I guess the owner is still deciding what to do with it.” He raises a brow, and I wonder what he’s insinuating.

“Marco?” I snap.

He lifts a shoulder. “Maybe that’s somethingyou have to ask him.”

I knew he had a better reason for bringing me here than just trying to help me get over my nightmares. He knows something, and he wants me to be clued in as well. I wonder if this is more about the promise he made me earlier today not to keep secrets from me anymore. He wants me to ask who owns my father’s land and charcoaled house? And I know this is important. I guess I just assumed if my brother was still alive, it would all be his.

“Come on, we need to get back before the others.”

I take one last glance back at the place, then put my helmet back on and slip onto his bike behind him, wrapping my arms around his middle. He takes off up the road, and I hug him a little tighter. Maddox is the biggest mystery to me, but tonight, I know he brought me here for a reason. Now I just need to work out what it was.

We arrive at the safe house before the others, and as we enter, he’s completely silent. It makes me wonder what’s going on with him. More than he shows, that’s for sure. Before even kicking off my heels, I visit the pantry and pour two servings of whiskey into tumblers, setting them down on the coffee table in front of where he’s plonked himself down. I’m not ready to go our separate ways for the night.

“What’s this?” he asks, motioning to the drinks.

“I was too on edge to drink at the club. Have one with me now?” I offer a half smile.

He collects the glass and has a sip, his eyes not leaving mine, like he’s trying to decide what to do with me. I have a few ideas for him.

I settle comfortably on the armchair, curling my feet up beneath me. The smooth whiskey slides down my throat nicely, and for the first time tonight, I’m able to relax my shoulders and take a proper breath. Alessandro has me so on edge all the time when he’s around. But even with the silence between Maddox and me, I feel at peace.

“How did you and Ricky end up living with the Morettis?” I ask after nearly finishing off my drink.

He looks me over, and I think he’s going to tell me it’s none of my business, but instead, he surprises me. “Our parents died when we were just kids.”

My heart aches for those two young boys and the losses they must have endured. “Oh, that’s very sad.”

“My father was to blame.” He pauses, staring into his tumbler. “My dead-beat dad had been seeing Ricky’s mom for a few years on and off. I don’t know what she saw in him, he would dump me with her for months at a time. I was okay with it. Ricky was a year younger than me, and my friend, and his mother was so kind to me. She treated me like I was hers and never once complained about being left with another mouth to feed. She was the only mother I ever knew.”

“Is that where you get your cooking skills from?” I ask, not sure what else to do with this walk down memory lane.

---