CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
MADDOX
Everything hurts. Before she stormed into the room, I felt half dead. But her doll-like face and her sultry voice and all the ways she’s devoted herself to us revive me.
“Yes,” she whispers with a shuddering breath. “As soon as you can dance.”
Her promise to grant me forever is so worth a bullet to the chest.
My mouth is tired, but that doesn’t prevent a smile from blasting into my cheeks.
A chorus of groans and grumbles behind her disrupts our blissful bubble. I peek around her at my family, sifting through their wallets and throwing money at Jax.
“Three fucking minutes.” He holds the bills up in victory. “They all thought I was crazy. Who knows shit now?”
That’s about right.
Cash notes Tessa’s furrowed brow. “We took bets on how long it would take for a deathbed proposal.”
Mercy hangs her head, passes money to Jax, and then scurries toward us, hugging Tessa’s back. “Congratulations.” Her eyes brim with a blend of elation and anguish. “Making this official is one hell of a way to join us. It’s been a long couple of days.”
The rest of them crowd around us with more congratulatory sentiments and faces drawn in expressions of the agony they’ve endured. Pacing in the waiting room is arguably worse than being the one unconscious, so I get it.
I drift in and out for a while, but more poking and prodding from the doctor and boisterous discussion from my family have me alert again.
Liam and Gage strut in with conspiratorial grins, and as much as I like the idea of knowing what’s going on with the motherfuckers who strapped me to this bed, all I want is to kick everyone out and go back to sleep with Tessa in my arms.
She’s glued to me, her fingers entwined with mine, her pina colada fragrance a welcome vacation from the dizzying pain.
The physical aches are nothing compared to the anvil of anguish weighing on my chest. I know she went through hell without me, which is a certain kind of torment.
She mentioned it flippantly, but the image of her screaming is haunting, even if I once suggested it as a method to rid some of her ire.
On the flip side, I can’t help but celebrate how her walls seem to have crumbled.
“Hey, man.” Liam smirks. “Sittin’ this one out, huh?”
I wish I could string two words together without being wiped out, but since I can’t, any speech is reserved for my girl—my fucking fiancée—so I settle on the middle finger.
He laughs, along with the rest of the room.
“I brought beignets.” Gage holds up a party-size white bag of pastries as he glances at Axel, gesturing to the waiting area. “We want to get back to Ty, Rena, the babies, and the rest of the fam. Thought I’d update you, but … you want to take this out there?”
Axel considers that for a beat, but when he peers at me, I shake my head.
I want to sleep and spend time with Tessa, but I need to know what’s going on.
She won’t be safe unless both the Lunds and the Makarovs are gone, which is a terrifying thought since breathing is currently excruciating.
I hate not being able to protect her myself.
“You can speak here,” Axel tells him, but then he eyes Dr. Landry and his nurse. “You need to leave for this. Is he good for a few minutes?”
Dr. Landry huffs a humorless chuckle. “Not that any of you will listen to me, but he should not have all these people in here or be agitated. He needs to rest.”
“Understood,” Axel returns, respectfully dismissing his expert opinion. “We’ll call you if we need you.”
The good doctor and his nurse leave, Cash and Jax cart some extra chairs into the room, and Gage utilizes that time to pass out his treats, get himself a cup of coffee, and help himself to a couple of the beignets.
“The Big Guy always brings snacks.” Liam chuckles, but he makes himself comfortable with his own pastry.
And I get a bare-bones briefing on where we stand.
They start by updating me on Hunter’s motivations, which explains a lot.
I still hate the guy for disrespecting Tessa when they were together and making her second-guess her choices, but I admire his commitment to protecting her and Violet.
I’m sure there was quite a bit of self-preservation mixed in there too.
“Earlier”—Tessa turns to Gage—“Jax asked about why Shane didn’t tell the Makarovs I’d killed Niko, if he knew, but we never got to the answer.”
“He was in too deep with the money laundering,” Gage fills in for her.
“Dimitri Makarov had spent two years searching for Niko when he decided someone was going to fucking pay. By that time, if Shane had given you up, he’d have looked too guilty.
He’d laundered the money and lied when initially questioned about the last time he’d seen Niko.
It was too late. Once things heated up, he steered his grandfather toward you guys. ”
“When we had our heart-to-heart with Shane,” Liam starts, coffee in hand and his gaze set on me, “he informed us that his grandfather wasn’t convinced of your guilt, but when you and Cash showed up at Hunter’s house, Shane knew you were close to uncovering his part in it.
He came somewhat clean with his grandfather, specifically describing you and a girl matching Tessa’s description. ”
That’s why those contract enforcers—Lund’s men—chased us down the morning of July Fourth. Damage control. When he wasn’t successful at eliminating us, he must have figured he needed Dimitri Makarov to back him up, which was what we heard on that tapped phone call.
“Hunter squealed?” I croak out.
“Nah.” Cash blows that off. “Shane had been nervous and watching Hunter’s every move. Hunter’s lucky he’s still alive though. They would’ve gone after him eventually.”
Tessa strokes her forehead, struggling with something. “I’m still a little confused. Shane recognized me through the window that night?”
“He said he’d seen you earlier that day, and when Niko asked where he could blow off some steam, he pointed him in your direction.
” Gage tears off a piece of his beignet.
“He claimed he didn’t know what Niko would do, which might have some fucking merit, but anyone who knew who that fucker was knew what he was capable of.
When Niko didn’t return, Shane snuck down there, saw what had happened, and celebrated being a million dollars richer. ”
Tessa shakes her head, riled up like a firecracker. “It still doesn’t make sense. I guess Shane knew who I was, but that was when I was fifteen. I looked different. And even at that, he’d never seen me up close. Was this some sort of revenge because I’d stolen his car all those years ago?”
The thought of that, of Violet suffering because of it, is probably killing her.
Axel takes that one. “The reason he recognized you was because of his association with Hunter in college. They’d been frat buddies, so he connected your name with pictures Hunter had.
But you hadn’t stolen Shane’s car. The reason the DA kept trying to get you to turn in your accomplices was because they thought you were part of a car theft ring.
The teacher hadn’t called the cops. He actually came clean about what he’d done, though it was never exposed because Eden was an adult and he resigned. ”
Tessa straightens, her face stony. “Who called the police then?”
“No one.” Axel slants his head, silently instructing her not to jump to conclusions.
“The department was on high alert for certain vehicles, including the one you took. That’s why you were caught so quickly.
The DA mentioned Shane’s name to you to gauge your reaction.
But after a while, it was clear you were just a kid who’d stolen a car for a stupid reason, which is why they went a bit lighter. ”
“Shane was bitter about that.” Liam sips his coffee, relaxed with his ankle resting on his knee as he elaborates.
“You stealing that car caused a ripple effect. The police force seized the rest of the vehicles from that warehouse and cracked down on the area, so his grandfather had to shut down that operation. It was the first job Shane had been given, and because his grandfather faulted him, it was also the last one. Until he was asked to deliver the money to Niko. Seeing you that day was an unfortunate coincidence, one he decided to cash in on.”
Fumes waft from my girl. “What happened to Shane?”
“Neutralized,” Gage says, swilling his coffee.
Tessa exhales and snuggles up to me. She’s fully immersed in our world now. Ryker studies Mercy, but it seems his wife is good with that outcome too.
Moving on, they show me the decimation of Lund headquarters. They hit them during a strategy meeting, so the entire hierarchy of that organization is gone.
Liam stands, plainly ready to get back to his family.
“As planned, the Makarovs heard the story about the hit and know we’re coming for them.
What they don’t know is that their safe house is wired to explode”—he glances at his phone—“in about an hour. Dimitri, his executive staff, and his prominent foot soldiers have already fled. They are due to arrive in twenty minutes, so it’s just about done. ”
“And the family members?” Mercy asks, and Tessa’s ears perk up too.
He smiles, probably used to fielding these inquiries with his own wife.
“They have a separate safe house used for loved ones and their guard detail. That is in part for this exact scenario, but also because the Makarovs don’t allow their wives in any part of the business.
Anywhere dealings could be discussed is off-limits.
We have eyes on the house though. No innocents will be harmed. ”
Gage rises to join him, hovering in the doorway. “The only question left is, how much ownership do you want over it?”
“All of it.” Axel stands, too, eager to wrap things up.
“We’ll call a mandatory assembly of all members.
Violence was brought upon us with insufficient evidence.
Our response should be understood.” He peers at my girl, a proud smile blooming on his face.
“And while she’s already been claimed, it’s a good opportunity for us to announce Tessa as the newest Noire queen. ”
“Solid decisions,” I commend them. “Now get the fuck out so I can grope my fiancée in peace.”
The room erupts with smart-ass barbs, boisterous laughs, the squeaks of chairs, and muffled conversations, but all I see and hear and feel is her.
Fuck, she’s pretty.
She shimmies onto the edge of the bed, lying with me, so careful not to cause me any discomfort. I want her to slather herself on top of me like a wetsuit, submerging me in her ocean intoxication, but my body would likely protest that.
Instead, since she’s banged up herself, I check in with her. “How’s your head?”
She bats her lashes, alerting me to her impending snark. “Better than your chest.”
I chuckle, then moan because laughing sucks. “Not a competition, baby girl.”
“If it were, I’d win.” She beams before her face falls, her lip wobbling and uncharacteristic tears sliding down her cheeks. “I would have done anything to switch places. By the time I got you here, you looked …”
“I’m okay,” I assure her, wishing I could reach up and touch her cheek, but I settle on scratching her leg instead because moving is still laborious. “Have you talked to your family?”
The muscle in her jaw pulses, her teeth clenched. “I don’t want to discuss them.”
I’ll need to dig into that later, but right now, I can barely keep my eyes open, so I don’t want to squander our time with forcing a topic she’s opposed to. She’s stuck, but I wait her out, knowing she appreciates the quiet, and she finally shares.
“I went a little crazy when I thought …” She glances away, maybe embarrassed. “I lost my mind, Maddox.”
My chest aches with a pain that far surpasses the bullet wound or surgical scars. She’s obviously tortured, and I feel helpless to take that away. But maybe like the discussion about her family, we need to table the agony and bask in being together.
“You’re not going to try to use an insanity plea to get out of marrying me, are you?”
She laughs, wiping her eyes. “Not a chance. I’m so in love with you. You’ll make an amazing Mr. Tessa.”
“Can’t wait,” I assure her.
She burrows in closer, whispering, “All I could think yesterday was how proud I was of you, how proud I was to be yours.”
I’m not sure she could fathom how much those words heal me, how the simplest of accolades from her reshapes melted vinyl into salvaged albums, soot into fertile soil, and a ringing phone into an eternity of new beginnings.
“That’s the biggest accomplishment of my life,” I manage, though I feel myself fading. “Most people see me as a villain, but all I want is to be your hero.”
“You are, Maddox.” She kisses my cheek and lays her head on my shoulder. “And I guess since most of this chaos was my fault, I’m succeeding at being your nightmare.”
“My beautiful Nightmare, Tess, the haunting that refuses to let go of me, the one that transforms the darkness into breathtaking shadows.” That was pretty poetic for a guy who nearly died yesterday.
Must be the morphine. I close my eyes, content that she’s in my arms. “Love you. I’m so tired, baby girl. ”
I’m not sure if she says anything else, but she lulls me to sleep with the perfect response.
Music.
She seeks silence, but she’s become my symphony.