Page 48 of Psycho

“What did he do?”

“Refused to give me any information. We tortured him for hours, nevertheless, he held firm.” His eyes got a faraway look in them as he stared at the ceiling, and I knew he was remembering whatever he did. “I thought we hit a brick wall. Until his girlfriend showed up.”

My stomach rolled, putting together the pieces in my head. “And you found the tool needed to get him to talk.”

He nodded solemnly. “I didn’t even think twice before using her, neither did Dane. We needed the information, and he was our last link to the Velvet Cage.” He blinked away the memories and finally looked over at me. “But when we were done, and they were both dead, I saw your face on her body for a second. And I think it put into perspective just how much danger you’re in by being with me. Someone could use you to get what they want from me.”

As I ran my palm over his cheek and tried to soothe some of the pain in his black eyes, I told him, “Baby, my days had been numbered long before I ever met you.”

“You don’t get it though, Storm, I wouldn’t survive losing you or this baby.” He shook his head, and I felt sincerity in his words. They weren’t pretty words of affirmation or empty promises, they were raw and honest, laced in harshness.

Nodding, I reassured him. “I know you wouldn’t, Maddox. Without me, you’d burn the world to the ground before giving in to the devil himself, I know.”

“You’re changing me, Storm.”

“You’re changing me, Psycho.” I tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace. “Tomorrow we can both revel in that change, because I don’t regret how loving you is softening me, just like it is you, Maddox. But I know that right now, that softness is making you second guess your true nature. So tonight, we’ll just hold space for the danger and what it means to have weakness and vulnerability. And tomorrow we can try to find peace knowing that even if this life is the reason we die before our time, the time we’ll get together will forever be better than a lifetime of what we had before.”

He simply laid his hand on our baby and a small sad smile kissed his lips when the little one answered his touch with a bump back of their own. “Tomorrow.” He whispered. “Tomorrow we’ll be okay.”

“Yes, we will.” I laid my cheek on his head, and he leaned us into the corner of the couch, reclined. “Because neither of us deserved this kind of peace, so we’ll enjoy it for however long we get to have it.”

“Forever, Storm.” He used the remote on the end table to turn the lights off and blanket us in the darkness we both found such familiarity in. “Because even in death, I’m yours.”

Chapter 20 – Maddox

Pulling into the parking garage at nearly six in the morning after yet another long night of hunting, I ached for nothing more than Liv’s calming touch on my skin. I never craved another human being the way I craved Liv, it was visceral, and it was vital; I couldn’t go without it.

But as soon as I parked my truck, my internal alarms started screaming when Chris, my head guard, came out of the shadows in a rush.

Throwing my door open, I bolted from the truck and met him in the elevator corridor. “What is it?”

“She found T-bone in the hallway outside of her apartment.”

“Fuck!” I roared, slamming my fist into the button as the man rushed on.

“She gouged one of his eyes pretty bad. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s blind.”

I ignore anything else he had to say as I hit the button for the top floor of the building, panicking with each passing second ofLiv being upset and scared from finding armed men in her space without me telling her first. As the elevator came to a stop, I could hear her screams before the doors even opened.

And as soon as they did, a ceramic mug flew at my head that I barely avoided before it smashed into the back of the elevator. “You son of a bitch!” Liv screamed at me with fire in her eyes blurred with tears. “You lied to me!” My vision was tinted red at the thought of her in nothing but a tight long sleeve shirt and booty shorts for my paid guards to enjoy the sight of.

I dodged another mug as she threw it out of our apartment door as three guards watched silently. Three men hired by me to protect her at all costs, who watched as she gave me a tongue lashing. “Leave us!” I bellowed, catching the next mug in the air as her red hair flashed through the opening, no doubt on her way for more ammo. “Now!”

With a hard shove, I crossed the threshold, grabbing her arm before she could land another blow. The door slammed shut behind me, a heavy, satisfying click sealing us inside, away from their prying eyes and ears. “You bastard!” A sharp screech tore through the air as she thrashed against my grip, her fist a blur before connecting painfully with my jaw. She gasped, a ragged breath hitching her chest, her fist trembling with a mix of fury and pain.

“Stop it!” I commanded and took both of her arms, crossing them over her chest and then turning her so her back was against my chest. I needed to calm her down, or she’d hurt more than just her hand. “Storm, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, you dick licker!” She screamed, fighting me anew. “You made me think I was crazy! Those fucking men have been lurking for weeks and I thought I belonged in a nuthouse, but it was all because of you!” Her voice was manic as she swung around, kicking and fighting me forevery inch of space she could make, but she wouldn’t get away. “I thought I was going insane, and it’s all your fault!”

“Shh, Storm. Just calm down for a second and we can talk.”

“I don’t want to talk to you!” Her voice broke and then her teeth bit into my forearm, instantly breaking through the skin as she held nothing back in her attempt to gain her freedom from me. “I want to hurt you!”

“Then hurt me.” I growled as blood ran down my arm. Gently as I could, swept her legs and pulled her down onto my lap on the floor, twisting my legs over hers so she was sitting on her ass with me wrapped around her like a cobra. “Here.” I held my other arm out and her teeth sank into it just like the first when she realized she couldn’t move anything else to fight me with. When she broke through the skin, she spit my blood out and hissed in anger, but didn’t go back in for another bite. She huffed and I could feel her heart racing under my arm across her chest, but she remained silent finally. “I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t like those words would do any good, but they needed to be said.

“I’m angry.” She sneered and shook against my arms like she hoped I had loosened them up since she stopped fighting the last time. “Really fucking angry, Psycho.”

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