Page 182 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

Speaking of which …

“I think this is the last of it,” River tells me as we meet up in the living room.

He has a box in his arms and a bag slung over his shoulder.

“I’ll double-check that we didn’t miss anything,” I tell him as I start forward. “I’ll be out in a second.”

He nods, wisps of his hair falling into his eyes. Then he heads out while I go into my bedroom.

I look around for anything else I want to take, but the only items left are a few pieces of paper and some garbage. I move on to my mother’s room, which is now empty, as well.

We didn’t live here for long, so it isn’t like memories are dancing around me. Plus, in almost every place I did live in, the memories weren’t great. Although, since some of my memories have randomly been resurfacing, I’m not positive I trust most of what I remember. Not that I don’t believe the ones I can remember. I just question how many of my memories have been blocked out?—

“Maddison,” someone whispers from close by.

I spin around, my hair whipping around me as I scan the flashlight around in a panic. “Who’s there?”

I can’t spot anyone, and as the air grows quiet, I question if I’m losing my damn mind.

Shaking my head at myself, I begin to lower the light of my phone when a figure appears in the doorway. They’re wearing a suit and tie, their shoulders are broad, and they’re tall enough that the top of their head nearly touches the doorway.

I open my mouth to shout for help when I note another suited guy looming behind the doorway.

Crap, this is bad.

“Maddison Averly, you need to come with us,” the man in the doorway demands.

I snort a nervous laugh. “Yeah, hard pass, dude.”

“You have to—Grey Devenport has requested to see you,” the man continues as if that means something.

I recall the name as belonging to the man in the grocery store who knew my aunt, but that guy creeped me out.

“Good for him.” I step back toward the window, planning to bail.

The man sighs as if I’m a mere nuisance. “I guess we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”

I raise my fists instinctively, preparing to fight. But the man doesn’t try to come at me. He turns to the man behind him and says, “If she doesn’t come with us, plant the drugs in the car and call the cops of the Aversons.”

I grit my teeth from side to side. “Are you freaking blackmailing me?”

The man turns toward me. “Nah, I’m just giving you a bit of motivation.”

I shake my head from side to side, the muscles in my jaw ticking. On the one hand, I could bail out the window and run, but after everything River and Finn have done for me, that’d be a shit move.

“Fine, just leave River and Finn out of this, whatever this is.” I step forward with my hands clenched at my sides.

The jerk smiles. “Good choice. Smart girl.”

“Yeah, you can shove your fake compliments up your ass,” I inform him with a sugary-sweet smile.

He returns it as he steps aside and gestures for me to go ahead.

I do, but the man standing just outside of my mother’s room ends up walking in front of me, and the other guy stays behind me. When we step outside, I find five other suited bodyguard-like guys standing around, two of which are forcing River and Finn to stand by their SUV.

The moment I step foot outside, River’s gaze finds me. “Maddy, don’t go with them.”

“I have to,” I tell him with a pressing look, begging him to understand.

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