Page 69 of Psycho

“The Ghost.” He replied, leaning back in his chair, but some of the menace in his eyes left his bright blue eyes as he stared at me.

“Dane.” I corrected again, given that he seemed to be triggered somehow by my brother-in-law’s actual name. “He’s a fucked-up monster who runs by no moral code and does whatever he wants to do without a second thought.” I sat up straighter and lookeddown my nose at him slightly, “That’s what I recognized in your eyes.”

“And you thought to align yourself to a monster like that?” He challenged, “You must be pretty desperate.”

That pissed me off, and I envisioned Maddox cutting his heart out with his knife and holding it in his hands, still beating, as he handed it to me for the disrespect.

“Less desperate than you are.” I lobbed back, no longer worried about my life or my soul. I was desperate, that was obvious. But I was also anything but a pushover. And the man before me wouldn’t scare me or bully me with his callous words. “I may or may not die at the end of this.” I shrugged, “That’s obviously not something I can change at this point. But I know for a fact that you’re just a normal man with a big wallet, walking around on borrowed time. Because you’re going to die for sure at the end of this nightmare. The only thing that changes is the how.”

The fucker in front of me smiled again and leaned over to snub his cigarette out on the floor before standing up, towering over me. “Is the baby okay from the crash?”

His question caught me so off guard, I had no sarcastic or snarky response to give him as my hands clung tighter to my stomach, staring up at the man. “I don’t know.”

The Duke’s blue eyes fell to my stomach and his head angled to the side. “I’ll have a baby doctor here in the morning to check.”

“Why?” I squinted back in speculation, wondering why he even cared to be kind.

He shrugged, walking toward the door as he slid his hand into his slacks pocket. “Because if it’s dead inside of you, then your value to Maddox and Dane goes down.” If I had something nearby to throw at his skull, I would have. But he was lucky the room was bare of projectiles, because I was just manic enough to try. “Oh, and Little Hacker?” He turned, using a stupidnickname that the girls from the Velvet Cage had given to me when we interacted. “Don’t tell Damon about this little visit. Better yet, refrain from speaking to him as much as possible.”

“Why?” I repeated, hating how he seemed to have all the answers but gave me only crumbs to survive off.

“My chances of getting you and your baby out of here alive dwindle every time you raise that scumbag’s temper. Which you do often.” He gave me a pointed stare. “Be a good girl, and I’ll get you home before you do something stupid like go into labor.”

As he walked back out of the door and locked it behind him again, I sank back onto the bed as the same back ache pain I’d been having on and off hit me like a brick. “You’d better move fast then.” I whispered into the darkness around me as I tried to figure out the secretive man’s motive forliterallyanything.

Chapter 31 – Maddox

“The tracker isn’t pulling any data and hasn’t since right after the crash.” I replied to Dane over the phone.

Liv had been taken yesterday, and every single second that passed without knowing where she was or if she was okay, gutted me. If I didn’t have the task of finding her on my plate, I would have lost my grip on reality within the first hour.

“I didn’t find it in Peyton’s belongings. She had to have given it to her. That’s the only explanation.”

“Then why can’t I fucking find her by it?” I snapped, rubbing my forehead as I rested my elbows on my desk.

“Have you slept?” He asked in place of an actual answer.

“Have you?” I replied, knowing he wouldn’t have rested either, given that Peyton still wasn’t awake.

Would she know anything we don’t about where Liv was taken or was I just grasping at straws.

“Take an hour or two, Maddox.” Dane countered. “Your mind won’t work clearly under sleep deprivation.”

“Yeah, okay. Call me with any news on P.” I hung up and stared at the computer screen, lost, begging for an answer.

I had a map up on the screen with points of interest plotted out like where the crash happened and known hangouts of Damon and his Hell Eater Crew, but nothing spoke to me as a place he’d be hiding her.

I didn’t even know if she was still in the city or not.

But I couldn’t stop searching for sleep. I’d never forgive myself if she was being hurt while I was sleeping.

I’d never forgive myself anyway for everything else that had already been done, but there’d be no redemption for me if I stopped trying.

She’d never forgive me.

Chapter 32 – Olivia

“Good morning.” A middle-aged man with a bright cheery smile walked into the room as two men followed behind him with two rolling trunks. The men were Hell Eaters, Damon’s minions, but behind them was The Duke.

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