Page 59 of Madness

Tristan glared at me from the front. I could see the animosity in his eyes through the rearview mirror. I could also see one of them was swollen with a dark bruise forming underneath. I turned me head away.

He’d always made me uncomfortable, but tonight was different. It could have just been my nerves, but his rage felt personal today. Before, it had felt generalized, like he disliked all women. Though he owned them because of his status. Oddly enough, I’d never felt that from Maddox, even though he’d literally paid me. He should’ve been the one I was afraid of, not Tristan.

Maddox was physically strong. More powerful. Higher up on the food chain. A predator. But desperation could cause the most damage. I would know. And Tristan reeked of desperation. Even I could tell he was power-hungry. Eager to prove himself.

I stared out the window the entire drive, not wanting to provoke him in any way. Not that we’d ever talked before. But I wouldn’t risk tonight being the night he turned his sights on me. I didn’t feel strong enough to deal with two monsters. Maddox waited for me. I only had enough in me to handle him.

After what felt like an eternity, we pulled up to the now-familiar mansion. Maddox waited for me on the stone steps. My heart fluttered as my stomach tightened. The reaction was unwelcome and startling. He opened the door and grasped my hand before I could shove the emotions away.

“Mia amata.”He whispered before bringing his lips to mine. He kissed me easily as if we’d been doing it this entire time. Not like he’d only done it for the first time two nights ago. I eagerly kissed him back.

We walked into the house with my hand clasped in his. His body warming my chilled skin. Once inside, I dropped his hand and headed for the stairs. It had become my routine I would go change in the guest room before joining him for dinner.

Maddox caught me outside the guest room door. His arms wrapping around my waist. He pulled me to his chest. Sending a shiver down my spine as he whispered in my ear. “Not there, little dove. My room.”

My lungs seized as we walked further down the hall. He kept me tucked into his side. I didn’t know if I was afraid, confused, or excited. Emotions swirled and mixed together, too hard to identify just one.

“Find something to wear.” He gestured to his walk-in closet. “I’ll meet you on the balcony for dinner.”

He disappeared through double doors leading to what I presumed was a balcony. I blinked at his back a few times before my feet carried me to the closet. I didn’t know what he expected me to find in there to wear. I suppose I could put on another of his dress shirts, but it was a little cold outside to eat dinner with bare legs.

I pushed the door open and sucked in a shocked breath. One side of the closet was full of suits, ties, and men’s shoes, all Maddox’s. On the other side was a collection of designer clothes. Dresses, jeans, tops, shoes, bags, even jewelry. All of it expensive. All of it in my size.

When? How? Why?

My mind couldn’t even form the full sentences. My hand shot out, caressing the soft fabrics between my fingers. Other than the few things Maddox had bought me, I’d never touched anything this beautiful. This luxurious.

Overwhelmed, I settled on a pair of dark gray pants and a black cashmere sweater. It draped off one shoulder, showing off the red lace of the bralette I’d also put on.

It was comfortable and would keep me warm. But there was a subtly sexiness I knew Maddox would like. I decided to leave my feet bare. I didn’t even bother to look at the jewelry. I rarely wore any, and I was too stunned to process the sparkly jewels that looked like diamonds.

I pulled my long blonde locks from the sweater as I walked to the balcony door. An intricately carved wrought iron table sat in the middle of the large space. Balcony was a loose term. It was more like an upstairs deck or patio. I didn’t know the difference, but the space felt too big to be called a balcony.

It had a magnificent view of the yard I’d never seen before. The rain sparkled on the damp grass. Beyond the vast lawn was a forest. The house was surrounded on four sides by trees. It seemed to go on forever. From here, I couldn’t see a single other house.

I was transfixed by the beauty of it all when my eyes caught on the red light of a camera. Then I noticed the armed guard who patrolled at the edge of the trees, and I remembered where I was. Who I was with. What had been done to get the money to buy all this. I wanted that fact to detract from its beauty, but it didn’t.

“Hungry?” Maddox’s voice pulled my gaze to him.

He sat at the table which had been set for dinner. It was more intimate than the dining room. Two place settings with a flower arrangement and candles burning in the middle. I stared as the candlelight flickered in his eyes. They made them look more alive than normal. Less black and more blue. Or maybe it was because something was changing between us. I felt it, and now I could see it.

I walked on unsteady feet to sit next to him. The change in our routine, the confusion of not understanding what he wanted, made my limbs shake with nerves. As fucked up as the situation was before, I had come to understand his expectations. I had fallen into a rhythm with him. Now I felt like I was on unsteady ground. It was foolish of me to think I ever had been steady with Maddox.

I picked up my fork, spearing a piece of asparagus and bringing it to my mouth. It was delicious, the flavors exploding on my tongue. We sat in silence for a while.

I didn’t know what to do. What to talk about. Before, we had always been at war. It had been a game, each of us trying to outsmart the other. To dig out information and use it to our advantage. Without that, what we were supposed to do?

I glanced up to see Maddox wasn’t eating. Instead, he was leaning back in his chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand, as he stared at me. I swallowed the bite in my mouth before addressing him. “You’re not hungry?”

“I like watching you eat more.” He shrugged like that was a normal thing to say.

“Maddox, what’s going on?” The clang of my fork on the table was loud in my ears, setting my nerves further on edge.

“What do you mean, my little dove?”

Wait,mylittle dove?Had he always said it like that? Had I never noticed before? Or was he claiming ownership of me for the first time?

I shook off the thoughts. It wasn’t important. I needed to sort through what this was. I couldn’t sit here, becoming more and more strung out.

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