Page 154 of Maddox
She stood there, achingly still with those gorgeous eyes wide in terror. Fuck me, I don’t think I will ever be able to forget it.
Approaching her was a fatal move on his part and now he’s going to live just long enough to regret it. The only thing that stopped me from choking him right there was the weird sound she made.
I would rather die than know that she’s afraid of me, which is why Josh has a few more hours. If he’s smart, he’ll leave town but I’m betting on him being anything but, the fucker is too arrogant.
When Delaney shivers, I close my eyes, beating back the horror dancing through my chest as I set her back gently and say, “I need you to tell me what you saw, princess.”
Her eyes meet mine, glazed with shock no doubt and she whispers, “Darcy’s dead. She’s…back there.”
Fuck me, I hoped this wouldn’t be the case but her running away or something equally mundane was just a pipe dream.
I know I have to go and confirm what she saw. The police will have to be involved, and I don’t want either of us being affiliated.
This is such a fucking cluster.
I also don’t know where Josh went off to and it’s really fucking suspicious that he was anywhere near Darcy’s body.
“Hold on,” I say, and she nods, her blue lips wobbling.
My chest clenches brutally when she blinks those eyes and wrapping my arm around her, I pull out my phone to call Reaper.
He’s around somewhere, checking shit out. We got word that Draven ran away and might be here but so far, I haven’t seen any evidence of it.
“Yup?” he grunts into the phone.
“I need you. North side of the tracks near the trees.”
I hang up before he responds and turn back to Delaney. She’s staring into nothing and shivering into her coat. Why is she here?
I don’t have time to ask because Reaper appears and as soon as he’s close, I bark, “Wait here with her.”
Reaper nods and ignoring his frown, I step beyond the trees. I don’t want to leave Delaney as she is, but I have to confirm what she said before I figure out what to do.
It doesn’t take long to find her, and I cover my mouth, choking back a cough when Darcy’s sightless eyes meet mine.
With all the decomposition it’s hard to determine what happened to her but she’s naked and posed in a compromising position that sends me back a step.
This is so much like Mom…blocking the images that push at my thoughts, I march back toward Delaney and bark, “What the fuck were you doing here?”
That could be her right now. She could be fucking dead. Jesus Christ!
My stomach roils and I clench my jaw to keep from shaking her. Doesn’t she know how dangerous this world is?
“What’s up?” Reaper says and I grab Delaney’s arm.
“We have to go. Now!”
“What?” she rasps. “No! Darcy–”
Turning her toward me, I say, “We can’t be found with a dead body, Delaney. You can’t either.”
She searches my gaze with a frown before whispering, “We’re going to leave her there?”
It’s the best option considering the police would love to pin something like this on us, but I know I can’t do that, which is why, I grunt, “No, I’ll make sure the cops are notified.”
I refuse to acknowledge the burn in my chest when she nods, trusting me to make this right. Still, my skin itches to get her as far from here as possible and as soon as we’re back at the cars, I look around.
“How did you get here?” I ask and when she points at a sedan toward the back, I lead her over.
