Page 71 of Vicious in the Dark

Trying to keep them from seeing my crestfallen expression, I turned away. “Yeah, okay. I understand.”

Unable to see me sad, Ace jumped in, doing his best to have my back. “Maven is right. We’re better together. Archer will always have the advantage as long as we’re apart. Maybe it’s time to set our differences aside and start new.”

Nobody spoke for what felt like eons but was only a few minutes. I choked back the emotion that swelled in my chest. My head began to throb. All I wanted was to be alone. To sort through the jumble of thoughts and feelings that tangled together in knots.

“Let’s just take some time,” Wolfe said tentatively. “It’s too soon to commit to anything. I doubt Maddox wants Ace and me back in the fold. If you can forgive him, Butterfly, then I’ll do my best to do the same.”

Across the room Maddox frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He made no effort to correct Wolfe’s assumption.

“I want to.” My voice came out thin and weak, cracking as I steeled myself, trying to keep it together. “I’m trying.”

Maddox and I made eye contact. He looked as haunted as I felt.

“I’m going to take off.” Pulling me into his arms, Wolfe hugged me close, resting his head atop mine. “I think it’s best for me and Ace to go. I’ll stay in a hotel until my house is ready. There’s a private party at Shifty’s on Saturday. Will you come? Bring Rumer.”

I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest, wishing he would stay but knowing it was for the best right now. He wasn’t the only one who had to go. It was past time for me to settle on any old rental and get some personal space of my own. Maybe one day we’d be ready to exist under the same roof. That wouldn’t be today.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” I nodded, swallowing my disappointment when the embrace ended.

In the few minutes it took Wolfe to gather his things and leave, Maddox didn’t say a word. He went to the bar instead and poured himself a glass of whiskey. The atmosphere around him felt strained, like the wrong word would make Maddox shatter.

I toyed with the hilt of the small blade tucked into my jeans pocket, the one I’d hidden in my hair. After the door closed behind Wolfe and Ace I said, “I should go too. I’ve had a few more call backs for apartments. I’m going to arrange to see them tomorrow. I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

Maddox’s hand tightened on the whiskey glass. “Ruthless, would you give us the room, please?”

Fuck me. I held up a hand to keep Ruthless from leaving. “No, it’s cool. I’m going to go upstairs and grab a shower anyway. We can talk about this later.”

“We’re going to talk about it right now,” Maddox insisted, setting his glass down and striding toward me.

I turned on a heel and headed for the stairs, hoping I could lock myself in the bathroom and avoid this fight. He was only a few steps behind me. Without a glance back, I hurried down the hall to the bedroom I’d been staying in. I swung the door shut, knowing it was useless. Maddox burst through behind me.

Grabbing my arm, he jerked me to a stop and spun me around. “Maven, what the hell? You won’t even talk to me?”

“Talk?” I questioned. “Or argue until one of us snaps? I don’t want that, Mads. I need you to back off a little, give me some room to breathe. You can’t control every move I make.”

Releasing my arm, Maddox held both hands up in surrender. “I don’t want to control you, Vixen. You proved tonight that I couldn’t if I wanted to. But even with the Thorns out of the way, Archer is still a threat. He knows you’re my weakness. He’ll come after you again.”

“Then let’s be ready for him,” I countered. “Bring Wolfe and Ace back into the syndicate. Unite forces and take Archer down. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen, if we all work together.”

Maddox’s jaw clenched, the muscles twitching. “I don’t want you to leave.”

My shoulders slumped. He still refused to talk about Wolfe and Ace coming back. Why did the Hales have to be so goddamn stubborn?

“I’m not sure it’s good for me to be here right now,” I said honestly. “I can’t have you watching every move I make. It’s not healthy for either of us. I won’t be your prisoner.”

Maddox stormed across the room to the patio door, shoving a hand through his hair in frustration. He stared outside into the night. “What happened to you is all my fault. We all know it. I can’t help but feel like it’s my responsibility to keep you safe now. I don’t want to cage you, Mave, but I can’t lose you either. I failed you once. I can’t let that happen again.”

His sincerity touched me. I knew he cared, but I also knew that he had his own demons to wrestle. “My safety is not your burden to bear. You don’t have to punish yourself like that. The best way for us to stay safe is to stay together. All five of us.”

Whirling to face me, Maddox snarled, “It’s too late for that. Wolfe couldn’t even look at me after you left town. He’ll never trust me with you again. Especially if you leave here and something else happens to you.”

His emotions were volatile, all over the place. My own temper began to rise. “The only thing that will make me stay is you working this shit out with your brother.”

The ultimatum flew out of my mouth, driven by the pain and anger I still carried. Being apart had done a number on Maddox and me, but it was starting to feel like nothing compared to being back together.

Maddox prowled toward me, one slow step after the other. “You were supposed to be my queen. We were going to rule this city together.”

“I was supposed to be Wolfe’s queen too,” I shot back. “As well as Ruthless and Ace. Only if I’m with all four of you does this work. That’s how it’s always been. That’s how we reclaim our power and tear down Archer.”

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