Page 66 of Psycho

My chest ached, not knowing if she was hurt or not. If she was scared or being hurt as I sat around helplessly only fueled my inner demons and eventually they’d break free and control me for good.

“Maddox, focus.” Dane interrupted my thoughts, and I grunted in response. “I listened to the audio repeatedly while P was in surgery and pulled every camera angle possible of the attack. Something that I missed the first few times of listening to it through all the chaos was something Peyton said right before they took Liv.”

Olivia’s terrified scream from when Damon pulled her through the wreckage echoed through my brain like a horror soundtrack stuck on repeat as I held my head in my hands. “What was it?”

“I think Peyton tried to give her the bracelet I got her. But I don’t know for sure since P’s still unconscious and I haven’t been back to the car to check. I don’t know if they took it off her when she went into surgery or if she managed to give it to Liv in time.”

“What’s special about the bracelet?”

“The tracker in it.” He replied, “I’ve tried pulling the location of it up, but it’s coming up blank. So, I don’t know, maybe it was just broken off in the crash. But maybe,”

My mind spun as I tried to figure out how to use that information to my advantage in finding Liv. “Send me the code for it, and I’ll see what I can find.”

“If Liv has it, then they have a system in place, blocking its coordinates from transmitting to me.”

“But if she has it, we have our first actual lead in hours.” I challenged, “And there isn’t a digital hurdle we can’t get over between the two of us.”

“Okay, yeah, you’re right. I’ll send it.”

“Thanks. Keep me updated when P wakes up. Maybe she remembers something, anything.”

“I will.” He paused, “Madd?”

“Yeah?”

“Peyton won’t survive losing her sister like this. It’ll kill her even if the crash and surgery don’t. And I won’t survive losing my wife. We both know if anything happens to either of these girls, you and I are better off being put down. Promise me if Peyton doesn’t make it, you’ll—”

I nodded my head, overcome with emotion by the overbearing weight of so many lives on my shoulders. My only loyal friend was asking me to make sure I killed him if he lost his wife before he could destroy the rest of humanity in his grief. “Right back at you, D.”

“I promise.”

Chapter 30 – Olivia

“Show me how you did it.” Damon barked, standing over me where I sat at a desk with a laptop. “I want to know how you redirected the money to your own account without us knowing.”

The Duke stood in the corner watching me with intense eyes that were burning a hole in the side of my face. I glanced at him as Damon dragged me into the office and threw me into the chair, and he was even more intimidating in full light.

But there was something about his laser-like stare that called to me. Was there humanity in it? No.

Kindness? Definitely not.

There was only darkness there. But it was a darkness I recognized.

A darkness I had fallen in love with.

The same darkness that Maddox’s gaze held when I met him.

The Duke, whatever his actual name was, was more than likely familiar with the same lifestyle that Maddox and Danewere. And maybe I could speak to that, create some kind of connection. But I couldn’t tell him who I was attached to, because that would make them targets.

“Are you listening to me?” Damon roared, slapping the back of my head and making my teeth clatter.

“I can’t feel my arm.” My reply was as calm as I could make it. “I can’t type if I can’t feel it. And we both know I didn’t move that money.”

“Stupid bitch.” Damon reared back and slapped me again, this time to my face. Even though I braced for it, familiar with his favorite type of communication by now, I still teetered on the chair, nearly falling off. “Lies!”

The Duke’s critical stare at Damon caught my attention, but he didn’t intervene.

“I only did what you said to do. Following your instructions, I transferred the money from the John’s accounts in small increments to the designated accounts to avoid raising suspicion. That’s it.”

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