Page 122 of Mad Love

“All right.” I sucked in a breath. “Let’s go pack our stuff.”

“Our?” Hope shone in her eyes.

“Of course. I’m coming with you,” I said. Did she think I’d let her deal with this alone?

“What about Gary?”

I sighed. “The guys are on their way to… You know. Beckett’s left the damn country. The only real problem still is the restraining order, and it’s not like Ryan will be with me.”

“You’re sure?” she pressed.

I touched her face. “I’m sure. You’re my best friend, Bex.”

She leaned in and gave me a tight hug. “Thanks, Maddie.”

I hugged her back, shoving down the guilty feeling welling in my gut. I’d call Ryan from the plane and tell him about our change in plans. I mean, he couldn’t tell me not to go if I was already in the air, right?

Right.

As Bex and I headed upstairs to pack, I could already imagine how pissed he was going to be, but he’d have to suck it up. Ryan owned my heart, but Bex was the sister of my soul, and she needed me. He would have to understand.

CHAPTER 43

RYAN

“Don’t be mad.”

Was there ever a conversation in the history of the world that started with that sentence that didn’t end in someone being pissed the fuck off?

“What’s wrong?” I demanded, my hand gripping the phone at my ear hard enough for the casing to crack.

Court’s head whipped around, and he stared at me from the driver’s side as Knight and Linc leaned forward from the back.

“Bex’s mom was in a really bad accident. She’s in the hospital, and it doesn’t look good,” Maddie told me.

“Shit,” I swore. “Is Bex okay?”

Now I had Court’s full attention, and I mouthed what had happened to him. He looked torn, ready to turn the car around.

“Yeah. She just needs to see her mom.”

I nodded. “Okay. Tell her as soon as we’re back, we’ll get her home.”

The silence that followed sent my bullshit meter through the roof.

“Madison?” I growled her name, already knowing whatever she said next would be bad. When Maddie got quiet, it usually meant I had fucked up, or she had. Either way? It wasn’t good.

She cleared her throat, the sound almost delicate. “So, Chase offered to fly her back to Los Angeles.”

“Tell Bex not to get on that damn plane,” I ordered, annoyed they’d even consider stepping foot back in California without us until Gary was handled. “She can’t go back there alone right now.”

“I mean, I agree.” She huffed a nervous laugh.

My eyes closed, and I focused on not losing my shit as what she wasn’t saying registered. God dammit. “Tell me you’re not going back with her.”

“I would, but we made that promise not to lie to each other,” she said, and I could imagine the way she was nervously biting her lower lip, waiting for me to explode.

The last thing I’d ever want to do is not live up to her expectations.

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