Page 113 of Maddox

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

I was pacing the cold kitchen floor in bare feet, still without a shirt, but the fury was keeping me hot as hell. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Kage. There are no coincidences in this goddamn world. Not one. We might not be friends, but you owe it to me to be honest.”

I wasn’t entirely certain he had any idea Charmaine had been sent to Durango to begin a new life. However, with a population just over twenty thousand, I found it very difficult to believe otherwise. Durango was the same city Kage had landed in being given a house by his late uncle. It was also where Gray had found him when seeking his assistance on another mission that only Kage could help with.

The entire situation smelled to high heaven and I was finished with playing by anyone else’s rules.

Kage remained silent, but I could tell by his heavy breathing he remained on the line.

“Fucking talk to me. Now!” My voice had increased in volume and it wasn’t long before Charmaine stood in the doorway, staring at me intently. She didn’t need or deserve to hear me lose my shit, but I wasn’t going to keep her in the dark like I’d been.

“Just calm down, Maddox. Okay?”

“Then you better start talking.”

“This is about Charmaine Douglas. Right?”

I laughed bitterly, my tone turning sarcastic. “How could you have ever guessed?”

“Did you hear this from Gray?”

From the way he issued the question, I couldn’t tell whether he’d heard she was missing or not.

His sigh answered the question. “She’s with you. Right?”

“You goddamn son of a bitch. You knew all along she was living right there under your nose and you didn’t have the balls or the decency to pick up the phone and let me know? You fucking son of a bitch.”

“I couldn’t tell you, Maddox. I was sworn to secrecy.”

“By Gray?”

“Yeah, and by two burly looking guys in suits that paid me a visit. Before you ask, I had no clue who they were.”

If I had to guess, I’d say the men he was talking about were working with Gray. He’d orchestrated having her sent to Colorado. I honestly didn’t know whether to be enraged or grateful. If anyone other than me could keep her safe, it would be Kage. However, that didn’t give either man the right to keep me out of the loop. “Fuck this shit.”

“What is going on?” Charmaine asked.

I shook my head and walked closer, darting my eyes back and forth across hers. She’d put on her jeans but still had my work shirt on. And damn if she didn’t look incredible. She shuddered visibly when I brushed my hand down her arm. “You should have said something, Kage. Anything. I’ve been going out of my mind with worry about her. I had no clue whether she was even dead or alive.”

“Yeah, I get it. If the situation was reversed and I had no clue about Juliette, I’d burn down the world to find her. Gray asked me to look out for her. He mentioned you would continue having a target on your back because of Alfaro. Okay? I don’t know any details about what the hell went down a few months ago. Not my place to ask any questions. Gray simply told me Charmaine and her family had new identities and asked me to just pay attention. Nothing more.”

“Pay attention.”

“Yeah, I swear to God,” Kage said.

“You’re a fucking asshole, Kage. When I see you the next time, I’m going to knock you on your ass. Just expect it.”

Kage laughed. “Yeah, I will and I’ll deserve it. I tried to keep up with what’s happening with the case, but not a lot of people aredoing any talking. Including Gray, by the way. I don’t know how much he’s been kept in the loop.”

“I think he knows more than he’s willing to let either one of us discover. Whoever he’s working with could be more powerful than he alluded to.”

“Don’t ask me anything about it, Maddox. Gray told me nothing. But I admit, I do find it hard to believe he suddenly came to the two of us out of the blue. Maybe it’s time to have a conversation with Stone.”

Stone Bellows, another Navy SEAL and a man who’d helped Kage get out of a very dangerous situation about a year before. The man was rock solid and trustworthy. Together, the three of us had made up the three musketeers. After the shit had gone down during our last mission, our friendship had fallen apart. “Maybe, but not until I know what the hell is going on. What I do know is that she hasn’t felt safe since leaving her old life.”

“Is she with you now?”

“Yeah, for now. It remains to be seen for how long it’s possible. She continues to feel threatened and I don’t think the case against the bad guys is going as expected.”

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