Page 62 of Uncaged Obsessions

I just shrug again. “Why would I?”

“Probably because it was the felons you’ve decided to associate yourself with. Don’t think we don’t know what you’ve been up to here. We aren’t idiots, Maxine. You’re a Barclay, and you’re coming home for the last fucking time,” my father spits.

“They’re not felons, you don’t know anything about them.”

“What do you know? Hm? Do you know that the Aldridge boy practically threatened his own father’s life? You think he wouldn’t do the same to you? He’s a fighter, he will always be one,” my mother explains.

I scoff. “You think Carson wasn’t? The problem was he only fought me and that was because I wouldn’t fight back. I was never going to marry him. And I will never go back with you.”

“You will, or we will go to the police and explain to them how your littlefriendskilled your fiancé so they could steal you away from us,” my mother spits.

“You have no proof.”

“Want to see if that’s true?” she challenges.

I raise my chin, most likely regretting what I’m about to say, but I’m confident in Danner and the plan she set in place. “You can try.”

“Fine, if that’s what you want to do then you can come crying to us when you’ve lost your little pack of…whatever they are.” She grimaces.

I fold my arms across my chest, because I’m slightly worried what her threat will do. I don’t dare show it to her, not even as she raises her chin, meeting my gaze.

“We will have someone lined up for you within the month, and I will force you down the aisle this time, no matter what it takes,” she threatens.

When I don’t say anything, they walk out and I breathe out a sigh of relief as soon as they’re gone, but the heaviness weighs on me from what just went down. They are going to try and frame my guys for a murder I committed.

Immediately, I reach for my phone and text Danner.

Max: We have a problem.

Danner: I’ll come over after you’re off work.

CHAPTER 35

ADAM

I’m waiting for Max outside The Tavern. When she comes out, she doesn’t look at me right away, and I know something is wrong. She turns to lock the door, and keeps her eyes on the ground as she approaches, taking the helmet from my hand and getting on my bike without a word.

Instead of trying to talk to her right now, I accept her silence, getting on the bike in front of her, but before I drive off I grab behind her knees and pull her into me tightly. She doesn’t fight the move and wraps her arms around my middle, the layer of clothing helping me accept her touch like this.

I want to take her to my house, maybe have Athena wrap around her throat again while I tie her to the bed and eat her out until she screams my name, but she said we all have to talk to Danner at her house.

That text she sent about needing to talk, plus the way she’s acting right now, have me going to her house to get whatever this is sorted out before anything else.

Danner’s already at Max’s house by the time we arrive, and so are Caine and Drew. I’m sure they’re both dying to know what’s going on. We all are, really.

Again, Max doesn’t say anything as she gets off, setting the helmet on the handlebar before walking ahead of me inside. I’m not far behind, and it’s no surprise that Caine is the first to grab her, kissing her fiercely as if he’s staking a useless claim on her in front of us.

He also doesn’t seem as tense when Drew does the same, kissing her softer in greeting. I try not to get distracted at the sight of her with them, even if I wish Danner wasn’t here so we could be doing something else.

“Alright you lover boys, there’s a reason I’m here and Max needs her mouth free to tell me what it is.” Danner sighs.

Max and Drew break apart, and she looks up at him with a lightness that wasn’t there when I picked her up. Maybe I should have pushed a little bit to try and help her to feel better about whatever’s going on, but I’m not them.

Max looks between all of us before saying, “my parents showed up at work tonight.”

“What?” Caine practically yells. “How did they do that and why the fuck did none of us know about it?”

“You need to stay calm and let her talk,” I instruct sternly.

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