Page 145 of Skin In the Game (The BlackWater)

“When you joined the army?” He said.

She nodded. “Yes but it didn’t really factor in, I was going to join anyway.”

“How did she die?” He asked.

Maddie took a deep breath then as if steeling herself for it. “Her boyfriend was really violent, he wasn’t the first but he was way worse than the others. He attacked her. I tried to step in but it didn’t make any difference. She died a few days later.”

“Your dad really just left you in that environment?” He asked his face screwed up as if he couldn’t understand it.

She shrugged like it wasn’t that big a deal. “He didn’t know but I doubt he would have done anything if he did. I wasn’t his kid in his mind. His only children are Kelsey and Richard. I’m just a blip on the record.”

Cole sat back as if thinking it over. “That’s why you’re wild.” He said.

“What?” She said confused.

“That wildness, that almost feral streak in you that’s where it comes from.” He stated it as if it was a fact.

“Did you just call me feral?” She quipped and they both laughed easing the tension.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing.” He replied.

“Oh really?” She said.

He smirked before taking another sip of his wine. “So that scar on your stomach, how did you get that?”

“The fake story or the real one?”

He shrugged. “Both.”

“Fake version is ruptured appendix. Real version, I got stabbed trying to save my mother. It took months to heal, months to get my fitness back too.” She stated.

“And you can’t have kids because…?” He began.

“There was too much damage.” She said simply and he nodded.

“Do you mind?” He asked.

“Not having kids?”

“Yeah.” He replied.

She pulled a face. “It’s never been on my radar. My childhood was dysfunctional at best, what would I know about bringing up kids and besides why would I want too?”

“That makes sense.”

“Do you want kids?” She asked though she didn’t want to think about the reason why she asked it, why she even wanted to know.

“No.” He said.

“Oh.” She replied not sure if she was relieved by his answer or not.

He smirked again before taking a sip of his wine.

“If you’ve had nothing to do with your dad how do you have contact with Richard and Kelsey?” Cole asked her.

“Richard’s mum divorced my dad over what happened. He then went onto marry Kelsey’s mum. We didn’t have contact growing up but Richard tracked me down. Somehow he’d found out I joined up and we happened to both be in Afghan at the same time. He introduced me to Kelsey but I think he regrets that.”

Cole frowned. “How come?”

“Are you kidding? This is Kelsey we’re talking about. She’s always been off the charts.”

He laughed taking another sip of his drink. “So you’re dreams, what are they about?”

“What dreams?” She replied.

“The ones where you start whimpering and then you wake up.” He stated.

She frowned. “I don’t do that.”

“Yes you do.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I don’t dream. I don’t have nightmares. I literally shut my eyes and there’s nothing until I wake.”

He narrowed his eyes trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or not but he couldn’t quite figure it out.

“Why did you pick me?” She asked deciding to turn the tables a little and get her own answers.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Why did you single me out, as your plaything?”

He leaned towards her. “From the moment I met you I could sense what you were, your danger, your wildness. I was intrigued. You fought back, you fought me. No one does that. Not to me. I had to have you. From that first moment I saw you I had to have you.”

“But that was…” She thought back to the moment, when she’d put that man in his place for calling her miss. “That was at Homewell, I barely even spoke to you.”

He smiled. “You didn’t need too. I knew exactly what you were before you even opened your mouth.”

“So that’s it? I stood up to you?” She said.

He shrugged. “That was it at first.”

“Meaning?” She said.

“You figure it out Maddie.” He replied.

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