Page 78 of Psycho

“Except Tamen.” She replied. “How does he fit into all of it? How is he the money man?”

“I don’t know.” I answered her questions honestly. “I know little about his dealings anymore, but I plan to find out. And I’d wager to say that he wishes you no harm, now that he knows you’re Peyton’s sister.”

She scoffed and kissed my palm before looking back down at our daughter. “I need to see her, Maddox. I can’t breathe, knowing she’s hurt because of me.”

“Shh,” I soothed, kissing her forehead as our daughter pulled back and stretched like she was finally full and content. “Peyton doesn’t feel that way about all of it, and neither should you. We’ll go see her in the morning, Dane said he’d come get us after everyone got some rest.”

“We need to name our baby.” Liv settled back into bed, bringing the baby up to her shoulder as she started burping her. “But we have to do it right and give her one worthy of her story.”

I snorted and winked at Liv, trying to break through some of the tension in her body, “Hostage doesn’t have the ring to it I was leaning towards.”

“Funny guy.” She deadpanned and looked out the window at the dark city skyline for a minute before looking back at me. “What about Aurora?”

“Aurora?” I repeated, trying it out. “As in the northern lights?”

A small smile pulled at her lips as she nodded gently, “Exactly.”

“I think that sounds perfect.”

“What do you think, little one?” She brought the baby down and talked to her in a sugary sweet voice, “Do you like Aurora?”

The baby burped and covered Liv’s fresh blanket with a layer of spit up milk and I tipped my head back to laugh at the comical response. “I think she approves.”

Chapter 37 – Olivia

Ihummed a tune that I had no recollection of learning; it seemed it had always just been in my brain as I rocked Aurora, orRoryas Maddox had already taken to calling her. We were in our regular chair next to Peyton’s bed in her hospital room. We visited every day.

But today, they were discharging me and Rory. Yet Peyton remained asleep, like she was trapped in her subconscious and couldn’t get out. Leaving her felt impossible, as if they were telling me I had to leave behind a part of my physical body.

I couldn’t do it.

So I was stalling. And hiding from the nurse on the maternity floor who told me she’d be around to discharge us in an hour.

Four hours ago.

I wondered if Dane could smuggle in another roll out cot for me to stay with her.

Dane was currently cleaning up some loose ends with Maddox, though I was told there were guards around in their absence, but I was glad I couldn’t see them.

The one guard I ached to see more than anything, was that blonde supermodel who two timed Maddox’s trust by sleeping with Damon while working to protect me. No doubt, she was the one who fed Damon information about my outing with Peyton that day and led him right to us.

That bitch had conveniently gone MIA after the fall of the entire Hell Eaters Crew the other night. Go figure.

And Tamen. He was the other person I’d give something important up to for some answers.

Real answers, not the vague and veiled ones I got from Maddox and Dane since the entire ordeal. They handled me as though I would shatter.

Tamen never did, not even when I was vulnerable and in harm’s way, which made me sure that if he were around, I’d get some real fucking answers out of him.

“Where’s the bear?” A deep, rumbly voice echoed from the doorway, surprising me as I looked up to see the Englishman himself, leaning on the frame with a smug grin.

Maddox and Dane assured me he wouldn’t hurt me, but they were both unable to hide their distrust and dislike for The Duke from their tone. Which left me on edge as he looked down at my baby asleep in my arms.

“You mean Maddox?” I asked, knowing that perhaps my only real opportunity to get answers was in front of me.

“Do you know any other man as ugly or as furry as a grizzly?” He raised one eyebrow mockingly and then smirked as he leaned up off the frame and came into the room.

Shutting the door behind him.

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