Page 41 of Madness

He’d get bored eventually and move on. I just had to stay alive until he did. Then I could even leave town. Get away from him and all the memories of my mother that plagued me here.

Still, something in the back of my mind told me not to do this. Told me I’d be making a deal with a demon. There would be no way out.

How could I not do it?

I stared at his handsome face. A predator trapping his prey.

I nodded, unable to form the words. Maddox smiled. Not his sadistic smile, but a true genuine smile like I’d pleased him. A warmth spread in my chest. I resisted the urge to push back the curl that had fallen onto his forehead. To run my hand through the stubble on his jaw.

Shit. I wasn’t going to survive this.

“Tomorrow night. A car will be waiting out front at seven.” He said as his thumb traced my lips one more time before he released me and headed towards the door.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, his retreating back. He didn’t look at me as he opened the door. His voice carried across the room.

“I told you. I want to watch you break.”

Maddox closed the door behind him. The soft click dug under my skin. It felt loud and final in the silent room.

It felt like my death.

23

Kincaid

My chest was tight as I stood on the sidewalk in front of my apartment, waiting for the car Maddox would send. I’d barely slept last night. I kept replaying our conversation in my mind. Trying to figure out if there was a way I could’ve gotten out of this. I knew there wasn’t, but it didn’t stop my mind from torturing me. I had to live with this situation now.

I pulled a hair tie off my wrist and put my hair up as I waited. I wore tennis shoes, leggings, and a plain black t-shirt. He might want to turn me into his whore, but I wouldn’t dress like one. And I certainly wasn’t going to dress up. He forced this on me. He could deal with how I looked.

I knew it wouldn’t protect me still; the clothes felt like armor. A little rebellion. I’d also worn the most boring white bra and cotton panties. I didn’t have on a single swipe of mascara or any makeup. It was a feeble attempt to get him to lose interest, but it was all I had.

I watched as a sleek black car turned down the street. I knew it was for me. There weren’t nice cars in this neighborhood. It looked exactly like the other car I’d ridden in. I didn’t know if it was the same one or if he had a fleet of them. Each beat of my heart sounded louder the closer it came. By the time it stopped in front of me, it felt like my heart was going to explode.

Tristan, the Draco Malfoy-looking bodyguard, got out of the driver’s seat and walked around to open the back door for me. I’d gotten good at reading people over the years, men especially. I learned who to avoid at the club and who was harmless.

This guy was giving off major ‘danger’ vibes. It wasn’t the same as Sebastian or even Maddox. This was something else. It was… cunning. Deceptive. But I guess those skills were necessary when you were in the Mafia.

He didn’t say a word as he waited for me to get into the car, but his eyes tracked me. I felt him looking at my chest as I approached and then his gaze on my ass as I ducked into the car. It made my skin crawl, knowing I’d be alone with him on the way to Maddox’s. Like this whole situation, I had no choice.

“You should buckle up.” Tristan leaned into the car and reached for my seatbelt. I tried to grab it myself, but he pushed my hand away. I wanted to think he was being nice, but then his hand lingered between my cleavage as he clicked the belt in place.

So this was how it was going to be. I would be a whore that Maddox passed around to his men. I blinked back tears as I watched the scenery go by. I thought things might have been different after he saved me, that maybe he cared. Maybe he didn’t want to break me. Kill me. I realized now that a part of me had been holding on to a fantasy that Maddox could actually feel something for me. I shouldn’t want it, but I did.

I wanted this person who set my body on fire not to be a soulless demon. To not be a murderer. Or to feel something for me besides the desire to fuck me and destroy me. Maybe that was why I had agreed. I was foolish. Too lost in the stories I read.

I needed to steel my spine. To prepare myself for what this really was. I needed to survive.

* * *

Maddox waited for me on the steps of his enormous house. A mansion, really. I could tell it was heavily guarded. We had to pass through a gate, and armed guards were walking the perimeter. His life was dangerous. But my boss had just attacked me, so I suppose there was always danger.

Tristan opened my door for me. This time he didn’t look at me or try to touch me. In fact, he did everything he could to pretend I didn’t exist. Had I read the situation wrong?

I didn’t have time to think about it because Maddox grabbed my hand and led me to the house. I tried to ignore his attractiveness as his warmth pressed into my side. I tried not to feel the tingles that his touch set off in my body.

He closed the front door behind us. I listened for sounds in the house. It felt surprisingly empty compared to all the guards outside. No kitchen sounds or footsteps were walking around.

“Do you live here alone?” I asked, curious about him even though I shouldn’t be.

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