Page 122 of Mad As Hell

“Yes,” I answered automatically.

“Maddie, if you know the truth, that means you’re in, and I can’t promise things will work out the way I want. We have a plan, but it’s not bulletproof. Shit could go sideways fast, and it could mean we end up worse off than where we started.” He watched me carefully.

“We?” I questioned.

“Ash, Linc, and Court are as involved in this as I am. I’ll call them right now and have them drive up here. We’ll tell you everything. Answer any questions you have. No more secrets.” He hesitated. “But that means you’re part of it, and there’s no going back.”

I tilted my head and gave him a sad smile. “I love you, Ryan Cain. Going back was never an option.”

His eyes lit up before his mouth collided with mine. He kissed me like a man consumed by desire, his hands clutching my hips tight enough to bruise. A shiver worked down my spine as I realized I liked the idea of wearing his marks of possession over me.

“You messed up,” he murmured.

I shot him a curious glance.

“You should’ve run when I gave you the option. Now I’m never fucking letting you go,” he vowed against my lips. “You’re mine, Madison Porter. Yesterday, today, and every single motherfucking tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 33

MADDIE

Within an hour of Ryan calling Ash, all the guys showed up at the beach house with Bex. If we were doing this, we were all doing this. Bex was my best friend, and she needed to know what was going on, since it could affect her.

Ryan and I had been sitting mostly in silence, both of us trying to absorb what had happened over the last few hours. It felt like everything had shifted, but strangely I felt more in control than I had when I’d woken up.

I stayed curled on Ryan’s lap as we waited, his fingers tracing lazy, random patterns up and down my back, across my hip and thigh until we heard a car’s tires crunch along the gravel and sand where we’d left his car.

It wasn’t a surprise when a key scraped into the lock on the front door and opened it minutes later. Ryan trusted his friends with everything, and I had a feeling that extended out here.

They walked into the living room in silence, each with an expression more grave than the last, until Bex appeared. Her hazel eyes showed she was confused about why she’d been brought here, but that was because of me. When Ryan had called Ash, we’d both agreed that Bex needed to be looped in on everything, too.

I gave them each a sad smile from where I was curled in Ryan’s lap, my head resting against his shoulder as exhaustion weighed heavily in my bones.

Ash dropped into one of the recliners, nodding to us both while Linc and Court sat on the sectional. Bex tried walking to the other recliner, but Court snagged her hand and tugged her into the space between him and Linc on the couch. Her cheeks flushed and she looked ready to fight him on the seating arrangements, until she met his eyes. Whatever she saw there had her relaxing back against the sofa without complaint.

“Okay,” Ash began, his pale green eyes meeting mine, then Ryan’s, “what’s up?”

Ryan and I exchanged glances, and I gave a small nod for him to take the lead.

“I wanted you guys to be here when I told Maddie everything,” he explained.

Linc’s brows rose. “Everything?”

Ryan gave a grim nod. “Everything. No more secrets.” His gaze moved to Bex. “And since this involves Bex, too, I thought she should hear it.”

“I agree,” Court murmured, absently rubbing his thumb across his bottom lip.

Ash didn’t look quite as convinced. “No offense, Bex, but this might not be a secret that you want to hear or want to be part of.”

“She needs to be,” I cut in before Bex could. “Gary threatened her.”

“The fuck did you just say?” Court spat, his dark eyes filled with promises of violence and pain as they turned to me.

Linc leaned forward. “What are you talking about? What kind of threat?”

Bex laid a hand on each of their thighs. “Chill, guys. I already knew that.”

Court turned his fiery stare to her. “And you didn’t think to fucking tell me?”

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