Page 58 of Property of Max
“When you know someone as long as I’ve known him, you don’t need a clear shot of their face,” she says, jaw tightening. “It’s the way he moves. His build. That crooked way he carries his shoulder. That’s him. He has her. He lied. Why?”
“That’s what I plan on finding out,” I say.
“Max, why don’t you and Bones pay him a visit? See if Bree’s there,” Spike says.
“I’m coming too,” Lila snaps, pushing herself up. Her eyes blaze at me. “Don’t you dare tell me to stay on my ass and wait. I’m going. Where’s my phone?”
“I had no intention of leaving you behind, baby,” I say honestly as I press the phone into her hand. My thumb covers hers for a second…steady, anchoring. “We go together. We find her. We bring her home.”
“Micah must be worried sick,” she cries, her voice breaking.
“He doesn’t know what’s happening,” I say gently. “Cody’s with him. He checked in and said Micah’s asleep.”
Lila releases a breath so deep it shakes her shoulders.
“Okay,” she whispers, nodding as if she’s trying to convince herself. “Okay. Good. That’s good.”
I cup her cheek, tilting her face to mine.
“We’re going to get her back, baby,” I promise, holding her gaze so she sees the truth in my words.
Bones leans forward, his voice low. “Does your ex-husband know you’re tied to us? That you’re connected with the club?”
“No,” Lila says quickly, then blinks hard. Her confusion bleeds through her voice. “Wait…how long was I out? Where…where am I?”
“A couple of hours,” I admit, keeping my tone steady. “We had Patch look you over. He said you’d wake when your brain was ready. Baby, you had a severe panic attack. Your body just… shut down on you.”
“A panic attack,” she whispers, testing the words like they don’t quite fit. “Okay. And where are we?”
“This is my house inside the compound,” I tell her softly, brushing my thumb across her hand. “You’re safe here.”
Her eyes glisten, a fresh tear sliding free. “Yeah,” she says faintly. “But is Bree safe…where she is?”
“Foster, I want you to dig into Chris Campton,” Spike says. “Max, report back what you find at the house. Someone took a Shadow…a very precious member of our family…and I want her fucking back.”
***Lila***
“This is it,” I tell Bones as we pull into Chris’s place. A two-story suburban dream, the kind you see in commercials. White siding, white picket fence, a neatly trimmed yard. Parked in the driveway is a gleaming black Mercedes S-Class, polished to perfection like it’s never seen a speck of dust.
“He seems to be doing good,” Bones mutters. His voice is edged, suspicious. “So why the fuck are you stuck in that shitty apartment with his kid if he’s living like this?”
“Bones,” Max warns, his tone a growl.
“It’s okay,” I say before it can escalate. I keep my eyes on the house, though the memories press in hard. “I used to live here, too. Chris and I got married fresh out of high school. His family runs a shipping business…big money, old money. Before the divorce, I didn’t have a job. Didn’t need one.”
I swallow, hating how raw it sounds to admit. “But I signed a prenup, so when things went south, he got everything. The house, the cars… all of it. Micah was still in the hospital at the time. We hadn’t realized he had locked-in syndrome yet. And Bree was only six at the time. Chris said he couldn’t handle the pressure, the responsibility. Taking care of a wife, a sick brother-in-law, and a child. It was too much for him.”
My throat tightens as I glance at them. “So, we were forced out. He’s never been cruel, not really. Just… absent. Bree doesn’t see him nearly as much as she should. Doesn’t ask about him much anymore, either.”
“He doesn’t help you?” Max asks, voice low. “Child support?”
“No,” I admit. “I don’t ask him to. It was hard at first, but I realized I was far happier without him in my life.”
Max presses a quick kiss to the top of my head and glances back at the house. It’s just after five; the sun’s still high enough that anyone could see us standing in the street.
“She might not be in there, Max,” I whisper. “What if she’s not? What do I do if she’s not?” My hands clench into fists at my sides.
Bones meets my eyes, steady and blunt. “Then we use every resource we have. And that’s a hell of a lot of resources.”
