Page 5 of Mad Love

Linus shifted on his seat. “Unfortunately, that will take longer to sort out, Ryan. The psychologist—”

“Fuck her,” I hissed. “I’d be willing to bet she owed Cabot a favor or something. No way is Maddie crazy.”

“Proving it will take time,” Linus warned me. “You’ll need to be patient—”

“Not gonna happen,” I retorted. “He took her from me. Took her, drugged her, and is keeping her somewhere. He’s crazy on a good day, and right now he’s desperate. I’m going to find her, and I’m going to get her back.”

“There’s a restraining order in place.” Linus frowned at me.

Court chuckled and rubbed his jaw. “You honestly think a piece of paper will stop him?”

“It won’t,” I assured him. “I’m getting her back. I don’t care who I have to go through to make it happen.”

“Fine,” Linus agreed, his shoulders hunched. “But first you need to prepare yourself for what happens next. You’ll be taken to—”

“Central booking.” I attempted to wave a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah.”

Linus gave me a hard look. “I don’t think you understand, Ryan. You’ll be in with the worst sort of criminals. Murderers, drug dealers, rapists… It’s not going to be easy.”

I grinned, knowing full well I probably looked slightly feral. I had a lot of rage, and I had no problem unleashing it on someone who thought they could push the rich kid around.

I turned my attention to Court. “How’s Bex?”

A muscle popped in his jaw. “Not great. She feels like it’s all her fault.”

I shook my head. “It isn’t.”

“Try telling her that,” he grumbled. “She also thinks it’s her fault we lost the game.”

After Maddie had gone missing, Bex had managed to get my attention from the sidelines just as we’d retaken the field after halftime. We’d been ahead 21-3, ready to claim yet another victory until Bex told me she had no idea where Maddie was.

The four of us had walked off the field without hesitating, abandoning our coaches and our team. I’d heard some of the officers talking about the game, so I knew the outcome.

Without the four of us, the final score had been 23-33.

Our season was over.

But none of that mattered. Football was never going to be my endgame. I loved the sport, and yeah, I was good at it, but it was never my goal to make it to the big leagues.

For the past three years, I’d believed Phoenix was my goal. The company my friends and I had built was going to be a legacy of good in the world. A way to right all the wrongs and atrocities committed by our families.

But now I knew that wasn’t what I wanted either.

Maddie was my future. My everything. Without her…

A shudder rolled down my spine.

There was no without her.

Linus heaved out a long breath. “Look, I can get these charges dropped Monday, but try not to kill anyone in lockup this weekend, okay? That’ll make things significantly more complicated.”

Court rolled his eyes toward the ceiling but didn’t say anything. We both knew if our positions had been reversed—if Bex had been taken—he’d have needed an outlet for his frustration and aggression, too.

I shrugged, fury pumping through my veins. “I’ll do my best not to kill anyone.”

That was all I could offer.

CHAPTER 3

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