Page 128 of Mad As Hell

“We were raised to think this was normal,” Court supplied, his tone softer as he watched Bex. “And we’re not the only ones.”

“It’s why no one blinked when you stepped in and handled the Shutterfield thing,” I mumbled, glancing up at Ryan.

He looked down at me and nodded. “Yeah. But it’s also why they’ll never see us coming until it’s too late. They think we’re all on board with their plans. That we’ll fall in line when the time comes.”

I glanced at each of them, amazed that they’d put this all together to stop their fathers. My gaze finally settled on Ryan. “What happens after you stop your dads? Phoenix closes shop?”

“Our dads aren’t the only bad guys out there,” Ryan told me softly with a grim shake of his head. “Beyond what we’re doing financially, we’re also working to help people like Victoria who have been hurt. Relocation, therapy, and everything in between to make sure they’re taken care of once they’re free.”

I stared at him, amazed. I’d pegged him so wrong when I’d first met him. I’d thought he was in on everything his dad was. That he’d protected Dean because it was what guys like them did for each other.

My hand came up and cradled his jaw. “You’re incredible.”

His eyes warmed a split second before he turned his mouth to kiss my palm. Then his arms tightened around me, fierce and protective. “I’m not letting anyone else get hurt, Mads.”

“None of us are,” Court added, his tone finite, and I noticed that Bex had moved closer to him. Maybe there was hope for them.

Maybe there was hope for us all.

CHAPTER 34

MADDIE

Our problems were too convoluted to be fixed in a day, but I felt infinitely better about facing them with a stomach full of cheese, pepperoni, and soda.

I pushed my plate away with a groan as I leaned back in my seat at the dining room table. Unlike the pretentious rooms at Gary’s and Beckett’s, Ryan’s dining room was bright and airy with more floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the oceanfront. The pale wood table sat eight, but it was a tight fit with the six of us. These guys weren’t small, and I wasn’t even surprised when Linc opened the front door to reveal a delivery man with five pizzas and two boxes of breadsticks.

Across from me, Bex lifted a hand a moment too late to conceal a massive yawn. She shot me a sheepish look. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep that great last night.”

I glanced at Ryan and felt my cheeks redden when he smirked back at me. We hadn’t done much sleeping ourselves.

Ash looked down at his watch. “It’s barely five. We can head back in a few minutes.”

Bex gave a slow nod, looking like she was in a carb coma. From her right, Court reached over and smoothed a hand up and down her back. She seemed to melt a little more as she leaned into his touch.

When I arched a questioning brow in her direction, she gave me a half-shrug in response. With everything we were up against, I guess her anger toward him had fizzled.

“Can we stay here tonight?” I asked softly, looking to my left at Ryan.

Surprise lit his face. “You want to stay?”

I nodded, resting my elbow on the table and dropping my chin into my hand. “I like it here. I mean, I know we have to go back eventually, but…” Here I could just be me. I didn’t have to pretend everything was okay in case Gary had his spies watching me.

“We can stay here tonight,” he replied, his eyes soft. “We’ll head back to school tomorrow afternoon.”

Relief saturated my bones as I grinned at him.

Shaking his head, he tapped the tip of my nose. “Fuck. There isn’t much I won’t do if you keep smiling like that.”

Heat pooled low in my belly as Linc let out a loud groan and stared at Ryan. “Are your balls even still attached?”

“I can assure you they are,” I answered for him, my tone full of saccharine. “And unlike yours, they get regular action.”

Linc’s jaw dropped as everyone started laughing. Eventually, he laughed, too.

When we started to settle, Ryan added, “You’re all welcome to stay.”

“Plenty of guest rooms?” I assumed, my gaze lifting to the ceiling as I wondered how many bedrooms this place had.

---