Page 3 of Mad Love

Tried and fucking failed.

Not that it should’ve been a surprise; at this point, failure was becoming a close friend of mine.

And I hated the motherfucker.

CHAPTER 2

RYAN

It took another two hours before my lawyers were let in. Well, my grandfather’s lawyer and Court. The door was barely shut before I was demanding answers from one of my oldest friends.

“Where is she?” My eyes bored into Court as he sat in one of the chairs across from me.

He grimaced. “We don’t know.”

Panic speared me like an ice pick to the chest. “What the fuck does that mean? It’s been two fucking days, Court.”

Court raked a hand through his hair. “It means Gary had everything set up. While you were being arrested, he got Maddie out a side door and into an unmarked car.”

“And Ash couldn’t trace it?” I stared at him. My best friend could hack almost any system; the courthouse had to have security cameras everywhere. Inside and out. How hard was it to see a nearly comatose woman being shoved into a car?

“The tapes were scrubbed,” Court answered. “He used security cams from the bank across the street, but they put her in a black Camry. It’s the most popular car in the country, man. And if that wasn’t enough, there happened to be no less than twenty-six of them leaving the parking garage in the same ten-minute time frame.”

“Fuck.” I slammed a fist against the table, the handcuffs digging tighter into my wrists. “Track every car down. I want to know—”

“Ry,” he cut me off, “we’re doing that, man. But it takes time. Gary had this shit planned for who knows how long.”

My gaze cut to the attorney, a man named Linus Clover whom I’d known since I was a kid. He was only a few years younger than my grandfather, and one of the best lawyers in the state.

Plus, I knew for a fact that he’d always been loyal to my grandfather and my mother. He hated my father, and I counted that as a win.

“When can you get me out?” I directed the question at him.

“The state’s case is flimsy, at best,” Linus replied, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, since it’s an election year, they’re intent on making an example that no one is above the law. I’ve already filed a complaint with the courts for violating your right to counsel and due process.”

A low growl rumbled in my chest. “I don’t care about complaints. I need to get out of here to find my wife.”

Court and Linus exchanged an uneasy look.

“What?” I demanded.

Linus cleared his throat. “Gary Cabot already filed paperwork to have your marriage annulled. The psychologist who evaluated Maddie signed an affidavit stating she was likely coerced into marrying you.”

I turned to Court, rage spilling into my blood and setting it on fire. “Find Gary. I want him—”

Linus held up a hand. “I’d ask you to refrain from making any… plans in my presence. I am, still, an officer of the court and required to report certain things.”

And this was why Linus could never be bought: he was actually a good guy. He didn’t give a shit about money or bribes or blackmail. He genuinely wanted to do the right thing.

It was adorable when it wasn’t getting in my way of putting a bullet in my father-in-law’s black heart.

“Ry, we’re handling it,” Court assured me, his dark eyes holding my gaze and silently communicating that my friends really were on top of shit.

Which did nothing to help the ache in my chest at knowing I’d failed her.

“I can’t lose her,” I whispered, my voice cracking as I let my emotions bleed through for a second before bottling them back up.

“None of us can,” he replied. “Maddie’s one of us. You know we’ll find her.”

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