Page 152 of Mad Love

“Where is he?” I asked, looking around for our missing friend and wondering if he somehow stayed behind to watch out for—or stalk—Bex.

“Meeting with Linus,” Bishop replied. “With all the shit that went down, it’s a bit of a legal clusterfuck, so they’re dealing with it.”

Ryan went to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup, then got me an orange juice.

I eyed the plate of bacon, wondering how pissed Ryan would be if I took what was left for myself. With an inward sigh, I left half of it for him.

Because true love was sharing the last strips of bacon on the plate instead of eating them all yourself.

“Court will be here in a few hours,” Knight told us, and sipped his own coffee. He looked at me. “He’s got a plan for how you can get rid of the whole restraining order thing and start getting your life back to normal.”

I dropped into the seat beside Ash with a snort. “What’s even normal anymore? Back to the trailer park?”

“Cute,” Ryan remarked, setting my juice and his coffee down before getting his own plate.

Mrs. Flounders hovered in the background. “Does anyone want more? I always forget how much you boys eat.” She shook her head, amused. “And I have no idea where you put it.”

“I think we’re good,” Ryan assured her, even going as far as to give her a small, one-armed hug.

She blushed and patted her apron. “Well, I have some things to look after, but just leave your dishes in the sink when you’re finished.” Her steely eyed gaze landed on me, her brows arching. “That means you, young lady. You need your rest. I’ll handle the cleanup.”

I mean, all I had done was make everyone clean up after themselves after Thanksgiving a few weeks earlier. Although, it had been pretty hilarious, watching the guys awkwardly juggle dishes and look unsure about where things went when I led them into the kitchen after the meal.

I ducked my head as Linc muttered, “Kiss ass.” So, of course, I kicked his shin under the table and smirked when he winced and sucked in a sharp breath.

Ryan sat down beside me and started eating. “The sooner we get that shit handled, the better I’ll feel.” He looked at Royal. “Are you guys staying stateside for the holidays?”

Royal nodded, holding a mug of coffee in his hands. “Yeah. We want to stay close since we don’t know what’s happening with Grandpa, and Kent’s been quiet lately.”

Linc grimaced. “Yeah, my dad stopped returning my calls. I have no idea what the fucker’s planning next, but he’s gotta know things are closing in around them. I mean, Beckett ran, and Gary’s dead. That leaves him and Jasper holding the bag, and there's a fuckton of Russian Bratva looking for them to deliver on shit they can’t.”

Knight rolled his eyes. “That’s redundant, dude.”

“Huh?”

“Bratva is the Russian mafia. Saying Russian Bratva is like saying the same thing twice.”

“Whatever,” Linc muttered, waving a dismissive fork. “Point is, they’re laying low, and we might actually have a few weeks before you guys are needed… elsewhere.”

I looked around at Court’s half-brothers. “How often are you guys away?”

“Often enough.” Royal’s cagey answer was compounded by a flinty stare that dared me to ask any more questions he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—answer. If the guy wasn’t so amazing with Cori, and hadn’t saved my ass, I’d have kicked him in the nuts weeks ago.

“A few weeks would be nice,” Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked exhausted. “We need to handle the flash drives, the restraining order, find a new house, and Gary’s estate—”

“The estate that’s currently halfway in the valley?” I quipped, popping a bite of egg into my mouth.

Bishop laughed. “Sure, but he had houses in several other countries, as well as investments that we didn’t fully eliminate, and that means that you are his sole heir, Madison.”

“Yeah, but no way did he leave everything to me,” I argued.

“Don’t be so sure,” Ash warned. “A lot of the inheritance by-laws in our families say it has to go to a living blood relative. You’re the last one standing, Mads. Even if Gary had wanted to cut you out, he couldn’t.”

I tensed. “Can’t I just give it all away? Again?”

Ryan inclined his head. “You can. I mean, we certainly don’t need the money, but there’s also nothing wrong with holding on to things for a little while. There’s no rush anymore. You can take your time, and some of those places have been in the Cabot family for generations, baby.”

I shrugged, not wanting to show that the history of my family did intrigue me a little. I mean, they couldn’t all be as maniacal and fucked up as Gary had been… right?

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