Page 36 of Twisted Games of Revenge

His lips turn up at the sides, and I can see the cheeky twinkle in his eyes. “Sure. If you take one of these for me?”

I snatch the box from him. “I’m not fucking pregnant, Alex. I have an implant in my arm.”

He tugs me closer to him. “One day soon you will be,” he says before kissing my cheek.

I shake my head, making it abundantly clear I’m not into having babies. In fact, next to getting married and being killed at the hands of his papa, it’s my worst nightmare. Bringing a child into this life would be so unfair on every level and the last thing I want is to drag someone else into this mess.

Chapter 16

Alessandro and I pullup to his and the boys’ mansion, park his sleek car, and enter through the discreet internal door connecting the garage to the main house. I feel like a normal person for once, not a hostage hustled in through the cave.

Ricky’s face lights up with a huge grin when he spots me walking through the kitchen. He was at the sink, chugging a glass of water, but he puts it down immediately. “Baby doll.” He bursts toward me, his arms engulfing me in a warm hug as I feel his energy radiating through his embrace. His shirt is off, and his skin is glistening with sweat, making me giggle as he leans in for a kiss. This man is the devil, hot as fucking sin, especially fresh from a workout.

Maddox stands back watching us, shirtless, beads of sweat glistening over the ink on his sculpted chest. Their flushed cheeks and slightly ragged breathing indicate they have just been working out in their home gym. His gaze sweeps over me, his eyes like ice, sending a chill through me with their cold disapproval.

“Maddox, can we talk?” I ask him nervously. I know I need to try and make things right, not just because my conscience wants it, but because for this all to work, I need them all on board.

Without a word, he downs the rest of his water and walks toward the outdoor patio.

I follow him, hoping that’s what I was supposed to do, not that he’s trying to escape me.

I watch as he takes out a cigarette, lights it with a flick of his wrist, and inhales deeply, filling his lungs with smoke.

“Should you be smoking while you’re in training?”

He sucks in another drag, his eyes narrowing in on me. “You took the easy way out,” he finally says, disappointment coloring his tone.

“I did what I had to so I could survive, and you know it,” I snap back. I won’t let him guilt me, I’ve done enough of that myself since I left them. “Get Geovani to show you the video of Enzo,” I say, wishing they could understand where I’m coming from, how desperate I felt in that moment.

He laughs bitterly. “No one has seen him since the night you disappeared. At first, we all figured you must have run off with him, until Dani told us the truth.” He looks me up and down cruelly, like he can’t stand my new disguise. “This is so much worse.” He spits back at me, disgusted.

I stare back at him, panic and guilt racing through me. Where the fuck is Geovani? And why is this the first I’m hearing about him taking off? “Dani, she would have a copy,” I stutter out, trying to stay on track. One problem at a time, Harley.

“I’ve seen the fucking video surveillance. I know you were running scared, but can you honestly tell me what we had didn’t mean anything? That I wasn’t worth sticking around for? You know I would have protected you at all costs. I nearly died doing exactly that not so long ago. And you promised me you wouldn’tleave.” He runs a hand through his blonde mohawk, tugging at the ends, his eyes bloodshot.

I stare back at him, wanting so desperately to tell him how much I love him and for him to carry me back upstairs so he can fuck me like only he knows how. Telling me we will all live in bliss for the rest of our lives. But that’s just not our reality. We don’t get the happily ever after, it’s just not possible.

I take a step closer to him, reaching up to run a hand through his stubble, needing my skin on his. “No, what you and I had was everything. But I’m a realist, Maddox, and while we have the threat of Enzo hanging over us, you boys weren’t safe with Harley around. I know what I did was fucked up. But I did it for you. I couldn’t stand to see you hurt again because of me.”

“Don’t lie to yourself, Harley, you ran scared, breaking every fucking promise you ever made to me. And the other two in there might be ready to forgive you, but I’m not.” He takes one more long drag then stubs the butt out in the ashtray on the outdoor table. I didn’t expect it to be easy with him, but fuck, he played his part here. “I’m done with this shit,” he mutters, leaving me alone out here.

“No!” I shout, frustration taking over.

It makes him stop dead in his tracks.

“You don’t get to fucking walk away from me, Maddox. It wasn’t just me who did this to us. I asked for your fucking help. Begged you, and you let me feel like escaping and dealing with this threat alone was the only option I had, with all the secrets you three kept from me. So, fuck you, I don’t want your forgiveness,” I spit back at him, bitterness dripping off my every word, a fresh wave of anger radiating through me. How fucking dare he.

He spins around to face me, his features contorting in anger. “You could have been raped or killed by that fucking pig. We kept stuff from you to protect you. To avoid you ever having todeal with the scum of this fucking earth. And what did you do? Ran straight toward it, thinking that somehow magically you could save us all.”

I close the gap between us, so much tension in my body my fingers start to tremble. “I don’t need your protection. That asshole came at me, and I took care of him. I need your trust; I need all your secrets and truths, no more fucking lies to keep me safe. I need you all to treat me like your equal, and if you can’t do that, then you’re right, this is done. Because I won’t live in any of your shadows anymore. When you’re ready to treat me properly, come find me.” I shove past him, knocking his arm as I go. I didn’t expect things to go quite like that, but I’m not disappointed. We both got to say our piece and now he knows where we stand.

I feel him behind me before I have a chance to get too far. His hands are on me, spinning me around, and his lips meet mine in a bruising kiss, our bodies colliding with the concrete wall of the patio. His tongue invades my mouth in a way that makes me crazy. He lifts me, pushing my back into the wall as my legs wrap around his waist, and I lock my ankles in place around him.

When he finally breaks our kiss, I stare back at him, a panting mess. “The games end now, temptress.” He wraps his arms around me and carries me into the house with my legs still wrapped around him.

“Maddox,” I warn him, not sure what he’s on about.

But he lets us in the elevator, and we ride up to his room. So much tension swirls through the small, confined space that I don’t know what to do with myself. When we arrive on the top floor, he walks me straight to his bedroom. My dirty mind has all sorts of ideas of how we’re going to sort out our differences. But when he dumps me down on his bed, he goes to his bedside table and pulls out what looks like a journal and hands it to me.

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