Page 64 of Mad Love

“Waiting is a smart plan,” he agreed. “She’s a strong woman. She’s going to be fine.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “She’s been through so much.”

“Exactly. She’s no stranger to surviving. Have faith in her,” he encouraged, and broke into a rattling cough that made me flinch. Behind him, his caretaker appeared.

“It’s late,” Eloise chided, settling her hands on the back of his wheelchair. She gave me a sad nod. “Hello, Ryan.”

“Hey.” I managed a tight-lipped smile.

Eloise had been with Grandpa since shortly after his diagnosis, but she’d been a friend of the family prior to that and was someone we trusted. Hell, she’d been there when I’d married Maddie in Grandpa’s living room.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, shaking her head. “But your grandfather is correct. Maddie is—”

“Strong. I know.” Irritation embedded in my tone like ground glass in pavement. I was sick of people telling me how strong my girl was. I knew, better than most, how true that was, but I also knew everyone had a breaking point. And, for fuck’s sake, wasn’t Maddie due a little good luck by now?

Grandpa turned and patted Eloise’s hand. “Just a few more minutes, Lou.”

She pursed her lips but moved out of frame, and a moment later I heard the sound of a door closing.

“She’s trying to be supportive.” Grandpa kept his tone mild, the censure there but also muted under his concern and empathy.

“I know,” I echoed, stabbing my fingers into my hair. “It’s been weeks. First she was at that fucked up asylum, and now she’s been alone with Gary for days? Jesus, Grandpa. Who knows what he’s—”

No, no. I couldn’t finish that train of thought, or I’d be in the car, headed to the first location Ash had found before anyone could stop me.

I leaned back hard enough in my desk chair that it creaked and threatened to tip over. Drumming my fingers on the desk, I tried to silence the riot of voices and urges screaming for me to get up and do something.

“I spoke to Corinne today,” Grandpa said, the soft cadence of his voice and the mention of my sister enough to pull me back from the edge.

For now.

I nodded, another twisted version of a smile moving across my lips. “She wants a horse for Christmas.”

Grandpa’s eyes twinkled. “I have an entire stable that she’s welcome to. But if she wants her own…”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “You spoil the shit out of her.”

“I noticed you didn’t complain about how I spoiled you when you wanted a car for your sixteenth birthday,” he pointed out.

I couldn’t stop from smirking as I envisioned the cherry red Lykan Hypersport sitting outside on the driveway the day he’d gifted it to me. I fucking loved that car. And it sure as shit cost more than a damn horse.

“Fine,” I relented.

His expression sobered. “Any word from that fuckhole of a father?”

My shoulders shook with laughter. “Tell me how you really feel.”

He scowled at me. “Only thing that excused him for not being a wet spot on a bed was fathering you and Corinne. And I use that word very graciously.”

“Fair enough,” I murmured. “No word. Ash tracked him to Panama and has been keeping an eye on him.” Unlike Gary, who’d apparently had more money and connections buried than we’d anticipated, my father was dead broke. Whatever money he had in his pockets now was from whatever he’d grabbed from the house and pawned.

But my father was a fucking cockroach, and I knew I’d eventually have to crush him beneath my heel before he scurried around long enough to annoy me.

“Good. He’s—”

Whatever Grandpa was about to say was cut off by the piercing chirp of the alarm. Two doors down, I heard Bex yelp. That noise was loud as hell.

“Ryan?” Grandpa’s brows slammed down with concern.

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