Page 58 of Target

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“Not happening, baby. Talk to me.”

“I can’t, Kohen. I do not want to relive it.” Tears fill her eyes and I move closer, pulling her into my body, holding her tight.

I pull her tighter, feeling her trembling against me. "No one will hurt you, Mads," I whisper softly into her ear.

She shivers, her tears dampening my shirt. "I want to tell you, Kohen, but it's hard."

"I understand," I murmur, stroking her hair gently. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

She breathes deeply, her fingers gripping my shirt. "Promise?"

"I promise," I assure her, my voice steady, hiding how I am feeling beneath the surface. "I'm here, and I care about you, but after a meeting I just had, I need to know some things, babe.”

She nods against my chest, her arms like a tight rope around my waist.

“What meeting?” she finally ask, pulling back and looking up at me.

“Come sit, because I get the feeling that neither of us is going to be happy with what is discussed next.” Fear and uncertainty flash in her eyes as we sit.

“The club has been looking into a street crew that has been doing illegal shit, mainly street racing, putting the public at risk. Then the drugs started being move around and people were fucking dying from bad shit.” She gasps, fresh tears filling her eyes.

She has a fucking heart of gold and she is going to kill me with her kindness for complete strangers.

“We recently found out that the street racing gang is linked to an MC and they are here in Phoenix. The VP of the club is here because he wants to reclaim his girl.” Her eyes widen, and I give her a knowing look, hoping she will come clean but she stays silent. I sigh.

Images of what that cunt might have done to her circulate around my head, making me want to leave and hunt him down, to make sure that I am the last person he sees when he takes his last breath.

“Baby, I am hanging on by a thread here. Please tell me that it was Darian who was linked to Crypt and not you.”

She shakes her head and I got my fucking answer. My girl is the one who Crypt has come looking for.

“He found me,” she whispers so fucking quietly that I hardly hear her.

“Talk to me, baby,” I plead.

“I met him at the start of college. He was handsome, and so attentive with me, loved surprising me, buying me things. Everything a girl wants, right? To be bought gifts, showered in love, especially when you have shitty parents. Then it all changed,” she scoffs.

“Why did it change?”

“His older brother was a part of the club and they wanted Justin to prospect. So he did. I didn’t see him for two weeks, he just ghosted me and by the time he came back, he had already changed. He was angry at me all the time and told me that I needed to refer to him as Crypt from then on. The prospect cut changed him. I told him that I didn’t like who he was becoming and he slapped me. That was the first time. Darian tried stepping in but I made excuses for him, which was stupid, I know what now.

“The hits were never enough to truly mark me, but his words were worse at the time. Things escalated when the club got into trouble and went into lockdown, but I refused to go. I was in college and I could not miss classes. Let’s just say that Crypt did not take that well. He beat me and dragged me to the club. That was the first time he forced himself on me.”

I bolt my fists tight at my sides, needing to slam them into something or someone. Mads lets out a surprised squeak, making me look back to her.

“Not going to hurt you, baby, but I want to kill that motherfucker.” She looks at me with a look that guts me.

“It is not the physical pain that scares me with you, Kohen.” Her voice is soft, and it wavers.

“Never would I do anything to hurt you, physically or mentally, Madalyn. You have to know that. Fuck.” I run my fingers through my hair, gripping the ends in anger, and frustration.

Fuck, I am feeling so many emotions right now, I do not know which way is up.

“I thought he would forget about me when he went to prison. He got caught with a large amount of drugs and a gun on him. He got seven years. Not once have I heard from him since I left Las Vegas. His club reached out to me but I ignored them and moved on with my life, if you can call it that. I lived in fear of all bikers, and most men, if I am being honest with you and myself.

“Grandpa Pete, Aria, and Darian helped me through it. It was hard but I needed to put him behind me. I tried dating but I was too on guard for men to stick around. So I gave up— that was, until I had time to heal and fell for Wayne. Now that was a stupid mistake all on its own.”

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