Page 32 of Deserving Maddie

Workshouldbekeepinghis attention. Instead, all Ray could think about was the phone call he just had. Anders wanted him to know that Maddie had come to pick up her car today. The correct tire finally came in and it didn't take the mechanic long to change it out. That wasn't what had him worried. It was the argument Anders had with Maddie before she left in a huff.

He had told Anders he would handle the bill from the start, and as a good friend, Anders had done as he asked. Apparently, that didn't go over well with Maddie. Not if the conversation Anders had with her was any indication. There was a good chance she would be calling him to bitch at some point. He wanted to be happy it would give him a reason to talk to her, but at the same time, he felt guilty. He wanted to give her the space she needed.

"Ray!"

His boss snapped out his name.

"What?"

"Care to join us at the meeting you called or do you plan to stare at your phone all damn day?"

Shit. He had completely forgotten he asked Bravo Team for a meeting. The last three days he had spent so much time digging into the MC and Wraith that he had a ton of stuff he wanted to discuss.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

He scrambled to grab the notes he compiled. Wes was already halfway down the hall before he stepped out of his office and he had to jog to keep up.

"Do I need to slap you upside the head too?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, what? Why?"

Ray had been paying attention that time, so there was no way he missed whatever led to his boss having to ask that.

"You're distracted. I'm assuming it has something to do with Maddie. So, do I need to slap you upside the head as well and tell you to stop being an idiot?"

"How am I the idiot here?"

He was royally confused as to what his boss was referring to. Was there something Wes knew that he didn't?

"You've been working more than usual, so I can only assume it's because you're avoiding her."

"For your information, she's the one avoiding me," he huffed. Although maybe not for much longer with any hope.

"Huh. I didn't take her as that type of woman."

The need to defend Maddie and the choice she was making was strong.

"She's not any type of woman. She's a single mother of two. She lost her husband in the line of duty and she's living in a new state. Give the woman time to breathe. When she's ready, I’ll be there waiting, but I'm not going to rush her."

It hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn't just like Maddie, he really cared for her. Enough that he was willing to wait around until she was ready to give him a chance or at least entertain the idea some more.

It was a huge improvement from the self-loathing he had felt the first few hours after he learned about her dead husband.

"Looks like there’s hope for you yet."

What the hell did that mean? On second thought, he didn't want to know. He didn't have the mental capacity to deal with Wes's ramblings. There was only so much of the man's infinite wisdom a person could take in a week, and he was at his max.

Ray entered the situation room and found all of Bravo Team waiting for him.

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

"Sounds like a man in love," Hollywood chuckled.

He wasn't touching that comment. He had no idea if he was in love or not. From his experience, love wasn't anything he wanted. His parents had a toxic love, and it wasn't until he watched his teammates fall that he finally realized what his parents had wasn't normal, or the norm for most people.

"How about we work and not waste any more time?" Wes grumbled.

"Good idea. I spent the last few days digging up as much as I could on Wraith. This isn't the first time he's taken over an MC. I was able to find two other charters where he did the same. One in California and the other in Florida. Both times he joined, brought in a few of his own guys, and slowly took over until the former MC was met with an untimely death. Seems he stays until he can get the connections he needs started and then leaves one of his guys in charge before moving on."

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