Page 50 of Masked Darling

The car ride spent in silence for a few tense minutes until Sadie broke it with a quiet voice.

“I’m Sadie, by the way.” She turned to smile at her even though the girl was staring at her lap. “The man driving is my fiancé, Jagger. He and his brother, Kade–he’s the one in the passenger seat,” Sadie pointed in their direction and the girl’s eyes looked up to find them both nodding and smiling in the rearview mirror at her. “They’re the ones who arranged for you guys to come to our bar. So we could help get you out.”

The girl nodded in acknowledgement and looked back down at her lap while Sadie looked around her to catch Madison’s eye. Madison licked her dry, cracked lips and touched the girl’s shoulder gently. She still kept her eyes on her lap but pulled the blanket tighter around her, the ebony skin of her knuckles going white with how hard she was clutching the knitted fabric. “I’m Madison,” she whispered, now for the second time to her since they’d met. “What’s your name?”

At those words, something broke inside her. The amount of terror and pain and heartache that she had endured thinkingthat there would never be an end to it…and finding out that there was.

Well,thatchanged a person.

Tears streamed down the woman’s face and she twisted to throw herself into Madison’s arms.

“Amari,” she sobbed into Madison’s shoulder. “My name is Amari.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It was almost 3:00 am when the weight of everything that had happened seemed to settle in the calm of the night as Madison sat at the bar of The Serpent Pit. Now that the crowds were gone and most of the lights were out, the neon bar signs were all that was left on, producing a cool glow over the worn countertops and familiar faces around her. Kade sat beside her, his arm casually draped over her shoulders, and Sadie was a few stools down from them, a pile of paperwork spread in front of her like usual, and Jagger had just leaned down to kiss the top of her head before going behind the bar to get everyone something to drink.

It had been a month since everything had gone down. A month since Madison had the most traumatic week of her life. A month since her boyfriend–she was still getting used to that part–and his family practically slaughtered a bunch of bad men and saved her and the others.

So much had happened, and yet, in this moment, the world felt calm to her.

Gremlin and Scales were in the back of the bar, bringing in inventory from the cooler to get ready for the next day. Madison could hear the familiar bickering between them that had become common after the shooting–Gremlin scolding Scales for trying to do too much while he was still healing. The sound made her smile. It was good to hear that. It was good to hear them still trying to take care of each other because they’d come so close to losing Scales. If Jagger hadn’t stepped in to donate his blood when they got there, they would have.

“You’re not Superman, Scales,” Gremlin’s voice called out, exasperated. “Take it easy, or I’m telling Sadie you’re out of the rotation next week.”

The laughter from the group at the bar was enough to fill the space around them. Madison let herself laugh, too. It wasn’t just the sound of people enjoying each other’s company–it was the sound of people who had survived such an incredibly difficult ordeal, who were still standing.

Sadie paused for a moment, looking up from her papers, and gave Madison a soft smile. The girls were both wrapped in their men’s Rebel jackets and there was a mutual understanding that they were protected, loved, covered. “You know, I’m really glad we’re all here. After everything... It feels nice, doesn’t it? To just be together like this.”

Madison nodded, feeling the warmth of her words settle into her chest as the men agreed around them.

Jagger slid a drink in front of each of them, his voice breaking through the moment. “Got some good news for you all, too,” he said, wiping his hands on the bar towel before setting it aside. “Warren and the Rebels found 24 more girls. They’re home now. Safe.”

The air shifted with the information, but it was with relief. The mention of the others who had been taken was still a hard topic to discuss. But 24 girls were back where they belonged.

“So, are all of them still alive?” Kade asked Jagger as he pulled Madison in closer to his side.

Jagger looked at Sadie and then back at his brother. “No. Sadly, there were a few that didn’t make it by the time we found them.”

Madison felt a knot in her throat at the news.

“But,” Jagger continued. “Those men are all being apprehended in their respective states.”

Not everyone had made it, but some had, and that was a victory.

“That’s… Good,” Madison said, her voice tight but strong.

“What happened to not involving the cops?”

Jagger shrugged at his brother’s next question. “There’s only so much we can do. The anonymous tips after we got the girls away from them should be enough to get the ball rolling with law enforcement.”

There were so many loose ends but it was a start. The Rebels couldn’t exactly go around killing everyone involved, the numbers were probably in the dozens–maybe, even more. Who knows how many of these rich assholes were waiting in line for their very own sale after their party? She hoped they’d find everyone who even so much as inquired about that underground shit that Montana had been doing.

“I’ve still been keeping in touch with Amari, too. And the girls I was with... they’re all doing well.”

Sadie leaned down the bar as she reached her arm out, placing her hand gently on Madison’s. “How areyoudoing, though?” Her voice was filled with genuine interest and caring.

Madison’s eyes met hers and she swallowed. There were days when it felt impossible to answer that question, when everything seemed too much to put into words. But tonight, at this moment, it was easier.

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