Page 114 of Maddox
I just don’t think I’m ready.
“Little bird,” she sighs. “You always were the most suspicious.”
I can’t contain my snort which she ignores as she continues, “They were looking for Joey. That’s all. Please, sweetie. Please come home.”
Grabbing the pillow on the bed, I sit down and squeeze it between my arms, breathing in Maddox’s spicy scent.
I think about what we just did, how wonderful it felt but where is this going?
If what I’m being told is correct, then technically he’s, my enemy. Does it matter if I’m not exactly keen on the Aces?
“Delaney,” she says echoing my thoughts, “if you’re anywhere near the Saints, you need to leave.”
“Why?” I whisper, a lump forming in my throat.
“Because, if they find out who your dad is…you can’t be there. Theywilluse you in this stupid war.”
What the hell is she talking about?
“What war?” I ask.
Grunting her displeasure, she mutters, “The Saints have been feuding with the Aces for over a decade. No one is innocent, sweetie, no one.”
“What are you saying?” I ask.
“I’m saying that you’re the enemy. If that boy ever finds out who you are…”
“Who am I? Is Joey my dad?”
“Believe me, kid,” she mumbles. “You’re just like your dad.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” I whisper.
“I wouldn’t lie about this.”
But she would and shaking my head, I swallow past the lump in my throat and ask, “Did you tell him?”
“Delaney…”
“Gotta go,” I rasp because I can’t fucking breathe through the pain pressing at my chest.
Of course she didn’t. It’s her greatest shame, after all. I just wish she hadn’t left me to take the fall.
“Please just listen to me,” she says, and I shake my head.
“There’s nothing to say until you tell him,” I mutter before ending the call.
It might be stupid to choose this course but how can I trust her when she refuses to be truthful herself?
Gah.
Setting the disturbing discussion aside, I approach the door. It’s quiet in the hall and I see the sun setting in the sky as I enter the living room and find Draven sitting at a table, eating cereal while she plays on her phone.
“Hey,” she says, pushing the box of cereal my way.
“Hey,” I mumble, grabbing the extra bowl.
While I prepare my food, she scrolls through her phone, and I eye her silently. Does she know about this war? What does that even mean?
