Page 10 of You Will Bow

I watch as his blood pumps faster and faster. Jaw locked, fists clenched, and the reddening of his face is impossible to miss. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“You heard me,” I tell him, not feeling an ounce of regret for saying what I said. “My girl. Not ours. Not yours. Justmine.”

“Yeah?” His eyebrows lift. “If she’s your girl then tell me where she’s at. Do you know? Is she safe?”

“She ismyfucking girl,” I shout. “We’ve got the guy who was tormenting her, so she’s safe. Now mind your own damn business.”

“And Lev? Do you just not give a shit that he’s worming his way in onyourgirl?”

My hand sweeps through the air, a mixture of frustration and defensiveness brewing inside me. It’s not me I feel the need to defend; it’s my relationship with Riley. Ridge is never going to allow me to get comfortable in it. “Lev’s not gonna hurt her.”

“How can you be so sure? You know what he’s capable of.” The confidence in his tone is unnerving. Riley will never be safe as far as Ridge is concerned. There will always be a threat, and I’m starting to think I’m the threat he sees right now.

“How about you let me take care of Riley, and mind your own fucking business.” Generally, when I feel myself getting worked up like this, I walk away. But not this time. If I ever want to feel good enough, or be good enough for Riley, it’s time I stand up for myself and our relationship. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ridge and Lev look down at me. I’m the good guy. The pushover. The weak link.

Ridge bumps his chest into mine, his shoulders tight, nostrils flaring. “Rileyismy fucking business.” He steps into me again, and I stumble, falling onto Cade’s lap.

I’m back on my feet in two seconds flat, hands flying to Ridge’s chest. “Not anymore, she’s not. She made her choice, and it wasn’t you, so back the fuck off.”

A roaring laugh ripples through Ridge’s vocal cords, the sinister sound echoing off the brick walls surrounding us. “You gave her no choice. You put on a good show for a vulnerable girl and played your holier-than-thou act. This is only temporary, Maddox.” He shoves me so hard, I fly back onto Cade, tipping the chair over and taking us both to the floor. “Don’t get comfortable.”

“You son of a bitch!” I push myself up and charge at him, teeth bared. My arms fly out, and I grab him around the waist. As soon as his back collides with the cement floor, so do my hands, scraping against the hard surface. Ridge curses and shouts, screaming monstrous words that only a psycho like him would ever say.

“I’ll fucking kill you if you ever try and stand between us,” Ridge roars. “I will literally slice your chest open and pull your heart out with my bare hands before freezing it and using it as an ice sculpture at mine and Riley’s wedding.”

One of his hands grabs at my face, palming it and turning it to the left, while the other whales at my shoulder, punching repeatedly, but I feel no pain.

I reach out and grab his throat. “Do it, you sick fuck. Go ahead and rip out my heart because I’m not giving up on her. I’ll fight, and when you try to push me away from her, I’ll come back and fight even harder.”

A triple knock at the door has us both halting. I look at Ridge’s angry eyes before my gaze slides to the door. In a swift motion, Ridge shoves me off him, and just when I think he’s trying to take the upper hand, ready to pummel my ass, he pushes himself up. With a stern finger jabbed into my chest, he seethes, “This isn’t over.”

“You’re right, it’s not.” Could’ve probably said something harsher, but it’s better than silence. I refuse to let Ridge have the last word, but I also don’t wanna stir up any more problems right now. We’ve got enough shit to deal with.

Getting on Ridge’s bad side is never a good idea, though I’m certain I’m now on it. We always talk about Lev being the loose cannon, but Ridge is a ticking time bomb.

When Ridge opens the door, Lev comes inside with his typical heavy scowl. He nods toward Cade before slamming the door shut. “This fucker’s still alive?”

My questioning eyes land on Ridge because I’m pretty surprised myself.

“He is. It’s not time yet,” Ridge tells him, and it’s the assurance I needed that he does have a plan. Which is good, because I sure as fuck don’t. Really didn’t want any part of this in the first place, but my loyalties lie with Lev and Ridge, even if they both piss me off daily.

“Hey,” I say to Lev. “You checked this asshole for his phone, right?”

“Yep,” he replies. “He said he didn’t have it on him. I patted him down and didn’t find it. What the hell are you doing here, anyways? Thought you were sitting this one out?”

“That was the plan, but apparently, plans change, and our prisoner needed a babysitter, while Ridge was out doing whatever the fuck Ridge does.”

“Whatever the fuck I do?” Ridge mocks me. “How about looking after the girl you say is yours, while you’re doing whatever the fuck you do.”

“Maybe I would’ve been with her if you didn’t send me here. Or was that all part of your plan to distract me?”

He wears a cocksure grin on his face as his shoulders waggle. “Maybe it was. Or maybe I don’t need a plan because I don’t give a fuck what you think about—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Lev howls. “Both of you. Is this chick really worth it? Are you willing to destroy a lifetime of friendship for a piece of ass?”

If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing, Lev?”

“Nope. Not looking for a fling, or a piece of ass,” Lev retorts as he hovers over Cade.

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