Page 9 of Captive

"Ten, please. I was going to tell you." Maddox's damn long legs carry him too fast across thelot.

I race to my car and click the remote a thousand times to make sure it's open when I get there. The car chirps angrily along with my thumbpresses.

"Fuck, Angie, give me a damnchance."

My eyes are filled with tears that I sure as hell didn't want. I swipe at them with my forearm knowing full well that wiping them will only make it more obvious that I'm crying.You cry too easy, my dad's deep, authoritarian voice drones through my mind.Tears make you weak, Lil' An. I shake his voice out of my head.So not helping right now,Dad.

I'm in such a hurry to get in the car, I smack my bruised leg on the edge of the seat. "Shit, shit, shit." Tears burn my eyes. I grab the handle but the door rips from myhand.

Maddox is holding it. His gaze flickers with more emotion than I expect and it pushes a sob between my lips. I shake my head. "So help me, Maddox, I'll just drive off with you holding that fucking door. So prepare to be dragged along thestreet."

"Or you prepare to drive without a fucking door. Christ, Ten, I just want to talk. After everything we've been to each other—" He quickly amends his phrase. "After everything we've been through together. I just want to talk. You owe methat."

Anger quickly dries my tears. I turn my face up to his. He's so fucking tall, the sun behind him blinds me. But I can see his expression. There's more anguish than I anticipate. I'm glad. I don't want to be the only one suffering on this fucked upday.

"Maddox, I hope you two will be very happy but you're wrong. I don't owe you anything." My words stun him enough that he lightens his hold on the door. I pull it shut and lockit.

He doesn't make a move toward the handle again. He just stands there towering over the car like a tall Greek god with his thick, dark hair and aggravatingly good looks. I turn on the car and press the gas. I take one last glimpse back at him in the rearview. He watches my car until I'm out the driveway and around thecorner.

5

Maddox

Ikickthe hell out of the back door before it swings open. Tiffany's face appears on the other side, her blue eyes wide with concern. "Sweetie, was that you? It sounded like you were kicking thedoor."

I squeeze my teeth together and breathe through my nose. Steel toed boots might protect feet from falling objects, but it seems a head on collision with metal doors, not so much. I motion Tiffany back inside the precinct, but she leans to the side to look pastme.

"What were you doing out in the parking lot?" She says it with humor but there's an edge of suspicion in her tone. I was sure she noticed me following Ten out. She just wants me to admitit.

"I needed to talk to Angie before sheleft."

She steps back into the cool, dark hallway. "Angie's gone for the day? That's probably a good thing. I ran into her outside the ladies' room and she looked terrible. Pale andtired."

I don't want to talk to Tiffany about Ten. "She got hurt today." I brush past her. I wasn't expecting her to show up to the office this afternoon and it's thrown me. I hadn't mentioned the engagement to anyone and especially not to Ten. I wanted to tell her earlier, on the stakeout, but couldn't find the words . . . or the courage. After what happened with Ten finding out about my request for a new partner, the last thing I needed was for Tiffany to saunter in with herring.

Tiffany shuffles behind me on her heels. "I thought we could go grab a bite to eat. I haven't eaten all day. I'm dying for a chicken salad sandwich." Tiffany is practically skipping to keep up withme.

"I had a lunch break already. I told you I've got to head down to the interrogation room." We stop short of the office. The excitement and cheering has died down and everyone has gotten back to the workday.

Tiffany wipes some lipstick off the bottom edge of her lip with her thumb. My gaze is pulled to her mouth, only I'm not thinking about my fiancée's lips. I'm thinking about the crazy deep curve of Ten's bottom lip. There's no lipstick. Ten doesn't wear the stuff. I know it's because she's self-conscious about her full lips. When she confessed her insecurity to me, I had a good laugh, which earned me a solid thump on my arm. Somehow she'd convinced herself they were clownish. If she only knew how often I'd imagined thoseclownishlips onme.

"James." Tiffany's irritated tone pulls me back to the conversation. "Can't they find someone else to question the person? I was really hoping we could talk aboutvenues."

"Venues?"

She smiles. "For thewedding."

I shake my head. "No, I've got to question the guy myself." I lead her along the hallway that bypasses the offices and heads straight to the frontdesk.

"You know, if she just cleaned herself up a little. Dressed a little more feminine. Put on a dab of makeup. She'd be very pretty," Tiffany says as we head along thehallway.

"Who?" I ask as I open the door forher.

"Angie." Tiffany slips past me. "A little more effort in her appearance. Don't youthink?"

I don't answer. It feels like a loaded question. I lean down to kiss her. It's a quick kiss because every eye in the front office is on us. There's even an applause for the stupidkiss.

"Don't you people have work to do?" I say with a forcedsmile.

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