Page 32 of Mad Love

Apparently I did not, because I could only gape in horror as my eyes focused on a picture of Madison—or Madelaine, I wasn’t entirely sure—and motherfucking Charles Winthrope. The douche who had constantly been sniffing around Maddie.

It was a goddamn wedding announcement.

My heart thundered in my chest, and for a second, I wondered if it was true. If Maddie could be manipulated into marrying someone else the way she’d almost been forced to marry me before…

I slammed closed that line of thinking.

No. I trusted Maddie. Hell, the pictures they’d used in the paper looked like professional headshots, not a staged engagement photo. It could all be a bullshit bluff on Gary’s part to fuck with me.

I snorted and handed the papers to Royal. Like a fucking piece of paper could keep me from going after her. Besides, the paper said I couldn’t go near Madelaine Cabot.

Madison Porter was all fucking mine, now and forever.

And fuck that engagement. It was bullshit.

“I didn’t know,” Dr. Browne breathed, shaking her head and backing away from us.

Royal barely spared her a glance. “Looks like Gary left you holding the bag, doc.” He gave her a pitying look. “Sucks for you. Guess you really aren’t needed anymore.” He pulled out the gun, letting it dangle in his fingers like an extension of his arm.

“Please,” she begged. “I didn’t… I never…”

“Shut up,” I ordered, watching with detached coldness as she scrambled into the chair behind her desk. “Where’s the key for the files?”

“In my desk,” she replied. She reached for the top drawer.

Royal cocked the gun and leveled it at her head. “Slowly,” he advised.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she opened the drawer and lifted out a silver key.

Royal scoffed. “Wow. Really fucking secure.”

She flushed. “We’re on a locked level with the highest security clearance.”

He looked around. “It shows.” Disdain dripped from his tone, and all I could do was laugh. The sound came out hollow and cruel, swearing pain if she even tried fucking with me.

“I want Maddie’s file,” I told her. “Now.”

She got up and hurried to open the door. Inside were more locked cabinets, each with a number pad. She didn’t pause, punching in an access code and opening the cabinet closest to the door. A moment later, she had Maddie’s file and handed it to me.

“Thanks,” I said, like she’d done me a solid instead of acting under the threat of Royal’s gun. I looked at my friend. “We’re done here.”

Royal’s smile was the thing nightmares were made of. Like he’d closed off every single thing that made him human and slipped into the Iceman call sign his team had given him when he’d been a SEAL. His finger brushed the trigger, and the doctor literally dropped to her knees.

I couldn’t help the mirthless chuckle that escaped me as I reached down and plucked the key from her fingers. “Keycard.” I held out my palm and waited for her to give it to me. “Have a nice night, doc.”

We left the room, locking her inside as we went.

“What now?” Royal asked as we stepped into the hallway.

I paused and let out a heavy breath, feeling the anxiety I’d been fighting since seeing Maddie’s empty room. The fear flooding my veins was almost enough to drive me to my knees. “I don’t know. I just don’t fucking know.”

Royal clamped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed to the point of pain. “Keep it together, Cain. Your girl needs you.”

“We’re back at square one.” I scrubbed a hand down my face, exhaustion pulling at my bones. “We need to find Gary. We find him, and we’ll find Maddie.”

“Then that’s what we do,” Royal agreed.

“But if he hurts her…” Fuck. I wanted to slam my fists against the wall until they bled.

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