Page 35 of Mad Max

“They think I’m part of a human trafficking ring.” Maddy starts coughing and grabs her water, but I just continue since no one tells me to stop. “I’m not, but they think I am ’cause I met with a guy and asked him how much a girl would cost. I wasn’t going to buy them. Okay, I was, but only to get them away or till they helped me find someone.”

“Who you looking for?” Ruby seems to believe me, at least. The other two are just staring wide-eyed at me.

“Don’t really know. Got a name but no description. Someone reached out asking for me to help, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“Do you know them?”

“No,” I say with a shake of my head.

“Then why help?” She seems to be generally curious as she tilts her head at me.

“Why not? If I were taken from my home, I would hope people would be looking for me. But since I usually keep to myself or others stay away because of my awkwardness in social gatherings or because of who my uncle is, I doubt many would look. I would need to rely on strangers to want to help. Who knows who this girl has on her side? I’m just doing what any person would do.”

“Riiight.” Still not sure if Maddy and Izzy believe me, as they share another glance before Ruby continues. “So, what about your uncle? He a factor?”

I’m confused by her change in topic. “I don’t think so. He didn’t even know I was looking for Candy till I told him. Even then, he tried to tell me to just forget about it, but he knows me. Once I’m given a challenge, I don’t stop till I solve it, no matter what it costs me. I once lost the puppy he gave me ’cause I read that a dog found its owners after a hurricane, and it had traveled five states over to find them. I wanted to test it, so I took the dog and dropped him off a few towns away, but he never came home. My uncle was the one who found out he was picked up by animal control and then adopted by a family of twin girls. I like to think I solved that riddle, just didn’t get the results I wanted. Worked out better for the dog, I think. I didn’t really understand it.”

“It’s a dog. What’s there to understand?” Izzy asks, sounding more confused than me most days.

I shrug. I don’t know how to explain it. She shifts her eyes to Ruby and takes a long swig of her beer.

Ruby shakes her head. “Not asking about your uncle and the whole buying women thing. Meant how is your uncle a problem where Mad Max is concerned?”

“He knows him.”

“Annnnd? You really aren’t giving me a lot to go on when I want the details, but then you go off on random shit when I don’t. Not sure if I want to strangle you or laugh at it and buy you another drink ’cause I secretly love how your mind works.”

This has me straightening in my chair, beaming almost. I ignore her first part and focus on the second. She likes me. Don’t think anyone has ever said that to me.

“Well, you’re awesome, too, so ignore the other idiots,” Ruby says before taking a long drag off her longneck.

I smile, seeing I slipped up and spoke out loud again. “When someone knows my uncle, they see me, but they don’t see me. Uncle Jimmy has a way for people to both know to protect me but also keep me far from their mind. Doubt he would do anything to Mad Max, just don’t know if he’ll ever see me beyond being Jimmy’s niece.”

“Damn, do I get that. Most of the time I’m not Ruby, just the Hounds of the Reaper’s prez’s daughter. Never to be touched. I tried at college to be someone else—you know, just Ruby for once. Lasted about a day. I like my family, and I love my dad, but I kind of just want people to like me for me and not ’cause they want something from the club.”

“Oh, sweets, you know we do.” Izzy motions to her and Maddy. She reaches out to squeeze Ruby’s hand, and her eyes water a bit. Till Maddy starts talking.

“Your dad would skin us alive if we didn’t.”

Ruby bursts out laughing, and Maddy gives her a wink before going back to her almost-empty chip plate.

“’Sup, sluts,” another woman with long brown hair and a cute round face says as she joins our table.

Ruby nods at her. “Hey, Kitten. Meet… wait, what’s your name?” She raises a brow at me.

“Cheyanne.”

“Got a nickname?”

“Ah, no. Why?”

Ruby shrugs. “No reason. Anyhow, Kitten is Flint’s old lady. You can also call her Jules. And we’re talking about how to get this girl and Mad Max together.”

Jules turns around and looks over at the group of guys still sitting across the room. Almost every person connected to this table in some way is over there, including the beast.

“I can see the appeal. He’s got this tall tree thing going, and you only come up to his hip.” She turns back and gives me a saucy look. “Want to climb that fucker, don’t you?”

“He is very climbable,” I say on a sigh as I watch him across the room. He’s not looking at me, so I can just remember our time together without worrying that he knows what I’m thinking.

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