Page 141 of Maddox
Meanwhile I stare at that door.
She trusted you.
Fuck me.
Delaney
Later, I roll over and look at the closed door. Romeo was kind enough to make me some tea before forcing me to eat a sandwich.
In all of this, I’ve brushed aside the fact that I wouldn’t be here hiding from the Aces if Maddox hadn’t spotted Joey that day.
I don’t know how the Aces found out, although I suspect it was Draven. Either way, I know that it started with the man who stares at me with nothing but hate and revulsion in his eyes.
Beyond that, I’m hiding out with the one group of people that the Aces hate the most.
As long as I’m here, I’m risking more than my life. If I leave, maybe Maddox and his brothers can go back to whatever it is that they do when they’re not guarding me.
Am I being protected or held? What’s the endgame for Joker because he wants answers and he’s willing to use me to get them.
But how far is he willing to go?
The bottom line is that I can’t stay here. I don’t want to.
With any luck, now that Romeo has been around a few times, we’ve established enough trust that he will let down his guard.
I like Romeo and I don’t want to get him in trouble, but my heart can’t take much more of this.
I need out because apparently, I can't control myself around Maddox. He’s rude, angry and dismissive and I still practically beg when he says come.
Ugh.
The hall is dark when I emerge, but I don’t see Romeo as I tiptoe across the floor.
The front room and adjoining kitchen are empty, and I eye the picture of Maddox’s mom hanging over the fireplace uneasily before muttering, “Don’t judge me. You’d do it too.”
After which I wince when Maddox’s description of her death rolls through me. I can’t imagine her pain in the end, but I see what it’s done to her son, and I wish with every fiber of my being that I could be the one to soothe it.
Shaking my head of the fairytale that can never be, I peek out the blinds and confirm that it’s still just Romeo and I, when I see his dark head of hair glinting in the light of the moon.
I can’t exactly walk down the highway because I’m an easy target. I don’t relish the thought of cutting through the trees, but I think if I do, I’ll reach the town limits, and I can call my mom.
When Romeo’s head pops up, I tiptoe back to the room and place my phone in my backpack before pacing before the bed.
What should I do? Sneak out? Wait for him to fall asleep?
I’m just starting another loop of the bed when I hear a light tap against the wood and spin around.
Shit. Just…act natural.
Right.
Rolling my eyes, I collapse on the mattress, aiming for a sleepy, raspy tone as I say, “Yeah?”
Romeo pushes open the door, leaning against the jamb and I sit up with a tingle of awareness when he says, “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
He exhales slowly, glancing around with a frown before his eyes drop to my bag on the floor and he says, “You’re already planning to run. The answers you need aren’t here, sweetheart. Besides, you can’t stay. It’s ripping them apart.”
