Page 46 of Madness & Mayhem

He shakes his head, his laughter only growing louder.

The footsteps of Archer walk up to me, and my body stiffens as he stops in front of me. I can feel the tension in the room grow, Reign stepping closer to me, ready to pounce at any given second.

“Archer,” he warns.

Archer’s fingers grip my chin, and he moves my face to his, until our eyes clash, his angry ones against my hesitant ones. They burn into me, melting me in place, placing shackles around my ankles until I can’t move. Can’t breathe.

This is Archer, it always has been. The guys have me locked in their soul.

I’m theirs. Their best friend. Their girl.

Though only one owns my soul.

My eyes drift to Reign, and I can see his jaw cut like glass, ticking, ticking, ready to explode like a bomb.

“I always knew you were crazy,” he murmurs.

I tilt my head to the side, my eyes narrowing slightly. “This isn’t new, Archer.”

He smirks slightly, though beneath the humor is a danger I don’t want to test. “You’re crazier than I ever thought you were. Untamed, Lakyn.”

I swallow audibly.

His fingers drop. “We could place all the rope across your body, secure you with all the shackles in the world, and you’ll still find your way out of them. You’re wild, baby Lake. Wilder than I ever realized.”

Kyler stops laughing, turning around and glancing at me. “There’s only one person that can take care of you, baby Lake, and it isn’t us.”

I take a deep, shaky breath as I stare at Archer. He smiles, and it’s not forced, though he isn’t fully friendly, either. Taking a step toward me once more, he smiles as he brushes his fingers along my shoulder. “Reign is the only one who can take care of you, Lakyn. It’s not for me anymore. Your wild and his wild match. Me and you,” he shakes his head. “We’re in the same puzzle, Lakyn, but we don’t fit together.”

I know we don’t. We’re best friends. Maybe even soul mates, in a sense. All of us are to each other, but that’s as far as it goes. He’s not my heart.

The man standing dangerously close beside me is. Completely. Wholeheartedly. Forever.

“What changed, Arch? You were about to kill me yesterday. Why the sudden change in demeanor?” Reign barks.

Archer steps away from me, glancing at Reign. “This isn’t about you, Reign. This is about her. She’s our world, and if you’re the one who she needs to be with, then forgiveness will come with time.” His eyes narrow. “Though, we’ll never forget.”

The silence stretches on, and the air grows taut with tension that ripples between the two men.

Posie breaks the silence, as if she knows it could quickly escalate to violence, if it goes on much longer. “So, you two are going after her, then?”

I nod my head slowly, my eyes disconnecting from Archer’s as I look over at her, worry cooling my bones at the thought of her hating me for doing what I know is necessary. This isn’t just to protect me, it’s to protect everyone inside and outside of this cabin. We’re all involved, and I’ll do whatever needs to be done to protect my people.

“When?” Archer asks, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Why?” Reign clips.

Archer looks up at him. “Because we’ll fucking distract them so you can go take care of it. We don’t want this bitch digging any more than you do.”

They want to help.

My heart gallops in my chest, and I clench my hands into fists at my sides as I turn to Reign. “When can we go?”

Reign shakes his head at me slowly before turning to Archer. “There’s a lot to discuss before we do anything. Nothing is set in stone yet.”

Kyler cuts his phone through the air. “Take a look at her latest video and I can guarantee you aren’t going to keep wanting to do the sit-and-wait approach.”

I step forward instantly, my blood pumping wildly through my veins as I pull his phone from his grip, sliding it from between his fingers. A video is paused, and I can already see her stupid dark hair pulled into a ponytail behind her head, her frozen face distorted, though there’s an eagerness in her eyes that shows me I’m already not going to like what it is I’m about to see.

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