3. Chapter 3 – Maddox
Chapter 3 – Maddox
“ W hat really happened?” Dane asked me in hushed tones as Peyton led her sister from my apartment.
Why the fuck did watching her leave make me anxious?
“It was a shit show in that place. Looks like Kirst is running a brothel, of sorts.” I sighed, rubbing my hand over my beard as I fought the urge to look back at the door. “I almost wish I had met more resistance on my way in or out, it doesn’t seem right to leave so many hearts still beating after looking at her.”
He took a deep breath and looked at the door, giving me all the freedom I needed to look again myself. “She’s a hacker. I’ve tried keeping tabs on her but—” He faded off.
“But you’re busy with your perfect wife and too busy to take care of her sister.” I finished for him. It wasn’t like he was in the wrong for not watching over Olivia, but it also burned something inside of me to know she essentially fell through the cracks.
Too many innocent people fall through the cracks.
“That makes me feel—” He tightened his lips, and his shoulders deflated, “guilty.”
“Not used to that, are you?” I rolled my eyes and walked over to the kitchen, taking a bottle of water out of the fridge and drinking it all down.
“No, to be honest. I’ve never fucking cared about anyone but P, ever before. And for the most part, Olivia makes it easy on us by only dealing in small time shit, even if she is really fucking good at it.”
“Until now, though. We both know the Hell Eaters are bad news.”
“Which makes me wonder what the hell she was doing for them that they suddenly believed she was disposable.”
I flashed back to finding Olivia curled up in a ball on the floor of that dark storeroom, huddled around herself and how she curled around herself again in my bed when she came to. “I don’t think they did. If Kirst wanted her dead, he would have just done it.”
“You think he was keeping her alive for some reason?” Dane’s eyes squinted in speculation.
“I think there’s more to it than what we know so far.”
“Hmm.” He hummed and then started walking toward the door. “Thanks for getting to her so quickly.”
“Yeah.” I replied, because there wasn’t anything else for me to do. He effectively dismissed me. There was no reason for me to be involved further.
Except—.
He left, and I walked over to the window, looking over the private parking lot behind my building, and caught Peyton leading Olivia to their waiting car.
The two sisters looked so alike except for Olivia’s hair being a darker auburn color. Peyton never attracted me, but, damn, I found her sister beautiful.
Right before Olivia climbed into the car, it was almost like she could feel my eyes on her and she looked up at the tall building, finding me in the darkness.
Her green eyes glowed through the dark night and my body reacted the same way it did when they first fluttered open as she laid in my bed. Warmth spread through my limbs followed by some sort of tingling to other parts, and then she looked away, getting into the car, severing the connection.
I silently watched as Dane got in the front seat and drove away, taking his wife and sister-in-law to the secluded Hartington Estate where they’d be safe.
Leaving me with nothing but silence and time. So, I did what I did best.
I went to work.
Hunting.
I was going to figure out exactly what happened between Damon Kirst and Olivia Everett. I was going to avenge every single scar that now marred her perfect skin.