Chapter 35
Maddox
“We could just kill him,” I say, slamming my glass of OJ down so hard the contents slosh over the side. We’re at my place, where Ellie’s stayed since her piece of shit, bastard, disgusting fuck of a father turned up on her doorstep. I’m not letting her out of my sight.
Given that he knows everything about my past and the things I’m capable of, I called Nathan first. I’m meeting the rest of the family at dad’s later so we can talk about what happened last night, but for now, it’s just Nathan, Ellie, and me.
Nathan stays as cool as ever, glancing at Ellie.
She’s huddled up on the chair, wearing one of my old hoodies, her hair in a ponytail and her eyes worried.
“She knows,” I tell him. “She knows about what happened in Chicago.”
“Good,” Nathan replies. “Then I can speak my mind freely. This fucker isn’t worth killing, Mad.”
Ellie nods her agreement. “See. I told you he’d say that.
He’s really not worth it at all, Maddox.
You know I didn’t judge what you did back then.
But this is different. You’re not a grieving kid, and there are other ways to handle this.
And more importantly, I wouldn’t forgive myself if you got into trouble because of me.
If you went to prison…” She swallows, not wanting to finish that sentence.
“I hate that I’ve brought this shitstorm down on all of you. ”
Her plump lower lip trembles. She’s on the verge of tears. I’m over there in a flash, scooping her up and taking her back to the couch with me. I don’t give a fuck if Nathan’s here. She needs to be on my lap, in my arms, where she’s safe.
He doesn’t even flicker.
“This is not trouble that you’ve brought to our door, Ellie,” Nathan says firmly, using his completely convincing lawyer voice.
“Please don’t blame yourself at all. You’re a part of this family, and Maddox loves you.
Which means we all love you. This man…I hesitate to call him your father, because he hasn’t earned the fucking privilege of that title—this walking piece of shit in human form, is playing a con.
He thinks he can threaten you, threaten us, and walk away with cash. He cannot.”
The tears finally spill from Ellie’s eyes. “But he might go to the press.”
“He won’t. And even if he does, we will not be blackmailed.
We don’t play those games, and we never will.
As soon as Maddox called me, I had the DA do some digging.
Your father was released early because of overcrowding.
But he’s on parole, and I’m working on getting him locked up for parole violations again as fast as possible.
There seems to have been an administrative fuck-up with his release, and you weren’t informed or given the chance to object.
Believe me, that situation is being addressed. Drake is handling that right now.”
I smile at the ice in his voice. Someone, at the very least, is getting fired. At worst, the governor of the whole fucking state of Illinois is getting sued. That kind of thing is right up Drake’s alley, and he will skewer whatever asshole let Frank Fallon walk out of jail early.
I kiss her shoulder and hold her close.
“But what do we do if he does go to the press? I know him, Nathan, and he’s exactly the kind of man who would spin this somehow to get someone’s pity,” she asks, her voice small. I know she’s worried about bad PR, which is understandable given her job title.
“Let me assure you, we do not give one single fuck about what he says to the press. I’ve spoken to everyone on the way here, and we are all in absolute agreement on this—we don’t care about bad publicity. Compared to you, it means nothing at all.”
She sucks in a shaky breath. “Thank you. That…that means so much to me. You’re so kind, all of you.”
“That said, if you want us to pay him off so that you don’t have to deal with any of that on a personal level, then we will. But I’d strongly recommend against it. You know better than us the kind of man he is. He’ll only keep coming back, and you’ll never be rid of him.”
She thinks about it, chewing her lip so hard it bleeds. I hate what that man has already done to her. She was so brave when she faced up to him last night, but since then she’s shrunken in on herself. It’s like he’s wormed his way under her skin, and for that alone I’ll tear him limb from limb.
Frank Fallon might not be worth going to prison for, but she sure as hell is.
“You’re right. If we pay him off, he’ll never leave this alone. I’ll always be his meal ticket, especially while I’m connected to Maddox and your family.”
Which will be forever, because you’ll always be mine, Ellie Madison. Wisely, I keep that thought to myself.
“Have you spoken with your family? What’s their take on all this? I can’t imagine they were thrilled.”
“I spoke to Keres and my dads. They took the news of Frank’s reappearance as well as can be expected, I suppose. You know, all calm on the surface, but with that kind of menacing undertone they’re all so good at.”
Nathan smiles like he knows exactly what she means. “I’m sure Keres and the rest of the Moretti clan have put a target on his back already. I’d be surprised if he lives long enough to be picked up for a parole violation.”
“But if he does?” I ask, not wanting to leave anything to chance where this sick fuck is concerned.
“What if the Morettis don’t find him? What if the cops do get to him first?
So he goes back and serves another few months or even years of his sentence.
And then he’s out again. Free and clear.
What if I’m not fucking there to stop him, Nate?
” Rage bubbles up inside me, creeping into my voice.
Nathan smiles, and man, it is fucking terrifying. “Well, then we make sure he gets sent away for life this time, don’t we?”
“But how?” Ellie asks.
He shrugs. “I have some ideas. Maybe I’ll ask Lorenzo or Keres for a little help. But really, the less you know the better. Then you can deny all knowledge and not lie. Will you trust me with this, Ellie?”
She looks between us, and my heart breaks at the pain in those beautiful blue eyes of hers.
I kiss the tip of her nose, hold her face in my hands.
“We will play this however you want to, baby. Pay him off. Shoot him in the head. Push him off a skyscraper. Frame him for domestic terrorism. Or if you just want to run away to Morocco with me until your family have dealt with him, we can do that too.”
That gets me a smile. “As delightful as that sounds, I love our life here. And we don’t run away from our problems, Maddox, because they follow us anyway.”
She turns back to Nathan. “I trust you to handle it whatever way you think is best.”
Nathan stands up and smooths down his pant leg.
“Not to sound like a patronizing asshole, which Mel tells me I’m often in danger of being, but you’re handling this incredibly well, Ellie.
I’m glad you and Mad have each other, because you’ve made my baby brother happier than I ever thought possible. Know you’re not alone in any of this.”
She nods and climbs to unsteady feet. Then she hugs my big brother so hard I’m almost jealous.
“Thank you Nathan. And everyone else—Drake for what he’s doing.
Mason and Elijah sent us a huge breakfast from my favorite bakery this morning, and Amber called.
Mel and Amelia sent me a lovely message each, and… well, you’ve all been so good to me.”
“Like I said, you’re family now, and we look after our own.”
My girl beams. Despite the shitty situation, it makes me realize I’m the luckiest man on this whole fucking earth.
I have the best family, always have, and now I have the best partner, friend, and lover all wrapped up in one smart, sexy, funny, wonderful package.
She is family, and the sooner I make that official, the better.