Page 19 of Mad Love

“Now we’re blackmailing everyone?” Linc smirked.

Ash’s green eyes flared. “Damn fucking right, if it keeps us safe and together.”

“Hey, I’m not disagreeing,” Linc said, holding up his hands in surrender as a wicked glint entered his dark blue eyes. “I’m down for whatever keeps all of us safe, and that includes Bex. Besides, Maddie might want her close.”

Worry churned in my gut at what he wasn’t saying.

Maddie might need Bex, because who knew what Gary was doing to her? He’d already beaten her up once. He’d spent several weeks controlling her diet and manipulating her through food. He’d sent Adam to fucking…

My hands balled into fists.

Yeah, the courts might have dismissed all charges against me for Adam Kindell’s death, but that was only because my friends and I were fucking pros at covering our tracks. Kindell might not have died at my hands, but he’d died at my order.

And he wouldn’t be the last before all was said and done.

“We need to find a house in town, but we also need a safe house.” I turned to Ash. “Something private with enough room for all of us and Court’s brothers. When Maddie comes home, we need a space to let her fucking breathe before we go after Gary. Maybe something in the mountains.”

Ash rubbed his jaw in thought. “I’ve already been looking. I sent Royal a few addresses for him, Bishop, and Knight to check out. I want to make sure whatever place we find is defensible. It’d be easier if Rook was with us, too.”

I exhaled hard with a nod, knowing that soon enough Rook would be with his brothers. He had a few weeks left on his contract with the Navy before he was officially discharged. A clusterfuck with his SEAL team had left one member dead, another medically discharged, and a third injured, and Rook had used that to get out of his current contract at the end of the year. He planned to work with Phoenix full time.

“What about the brothers?” Linc drawled, his gaze moving toward the stairs where sounds of the rest of the house waking up could be heard.

“As far as I’m concerned, my brothers are right here,” I answered, my tone cold. “I’ll hand in my resignation as president today.”

Being part of Alpha had been something my father had wanted. I was a legacy, and Cain men were brothers. The same was true for my friends, but none of us gave a shit about being in a frat house.

Our lives were so far beyond parties and pussy it was a joke.

“Somewhere different might be good,” Linc agreed, exchanging a look with Court.

“Why?” My spine stiffened.

“Our dads are pissed,” Court answered. “Beckett and Gary left them holding the bag with the Russians. It’s… not good.”

“What can we do?” Ash raised a brow and waited.

Linc snorted. “Build a time machine and castrate my grandfather before the fucker could be conceived?”

“Seems a tad out of my wheelhouse,” Ash deadpanned.

“Then you’re pretty fucking useless,” Linc retorted with a grin that quickly faded. “I can handle my dad.”

“Same,” Court added. “But it’d be nice for us to have a place where we don’t have to worry about potential spies.”

I glared at all the closed doors on this floor, knowing he was right. Their fathers could easily pay someone to spy on us here. If they weren’t already.

The door opened behind Court, and Bex edged around him in dark jeans and a bulky sweater. Her dark hair was damp, and she looked way too fucking young and innocent to be standing in a hallway with us assholes.

“What’s going on?” Bex asked softly, her gaze moving to each of us before staying on Court. Her body swayed toward him like he was gravity pulling her into his orbit.

“We’re moving,” he told her.

Her brow furrowed. “Okay. I told you I can go back—”

“We’re leaving Pac Cross.” He took her hand in his and held it like her fingers were made of the most fragile china in the world. “All five of us.”

She gasped and turned to me, unconsciously threading her fingers with Court’s. “Did you find Maddie?”

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