29. Maddison
Maddison
I’m waiting for the pain, the explosion, the mayhem.
It doesn’t come.
A part of me knew this was going to happen, that this…whatever this is, would end in smoke and flames. It just burns too hot to be sustainable.
And right now, standing here facing the Devil himself, my eyes closed waiting for my end to come, all I can think, is I don’t want it.
I want more time.
With him.
A warm tear tracks down my cheek as I wait for him to pull the trigger. I deserve it, just from the look in his eyes when I denied knowing him.
Why did I do that?
And for what? For the man who should love me unconditionally, but doesn’t? I’ve known it for as long as I can remember; that my own parents do not love me. They love what I can do for them. But that isn’t love. Not even close.
Love isn’t using your daughter’s body as a bargaining chip, slowly withering away her soul until she fears she might never be able to feel anymore.
My father doesn’t deserve that kind of loyalty, and I’ve realised it too late.
The man with his finger on the trigger of a gun that’s pointed at me deserves it.
He’s the one who saw all my ugliness and damage and still looked at me as if I were the angel that he claimed me to be. Ash was the one who encouraged me to be unapologetically me, unlike the man who pushed me into a box, padlocked it closed and threw away the key.
The way Ash’s eyes flickered with anguish and his hopeful face dropped, will follow me into the afterlife. The man who runs the cities underworld with a grin, hurt by me. Hurt by my shame and fear.
Like I said, I deserve this.
But I don’t hear the sound of a gunshot. I don’t feel the pain that obviously comes from a bullet. All I hear is whimpering shrieks of fear, people yelling for security. Chaos has ensued, all behind the other side of my eyelids. I can pretty much smell the fear radiating off my coworkers.
But I’m not afraid. I’m sad.
Prying open my damp lashes, I blink towards the doorway…but it’s empty. He’s gone.
A sob has my chest heaving, as my legs move on their own accord, running after the man who brought me back to life.
“Maddison,” my father’s voice booms. I turn, my vision blurring with tears. “Stay right the hell where you are!”
My knuckles crack from how hard I’m squeezing my fists, as I take one step towards him.
“Fuck you,” I hiss. His face morphs into one of shock and outrage, and if my heart wasn’t cracking down the centre I would be laughing. I’ve never seen such a look on the deadened face of my Father. “Fuck you! You don’t tell me what to do anymore, Dad.”
“You take one more step towards that thug, and I’ll ruin you,” he grits out, rage permeating of his body.
In this moment, I can’t believe how unaffected I am by his words. Words that minutes ago would have had my entire identity crumbling, now give me the strongest feeling of relief.
Like shackles that I didn’t know were wrapped around my wrists, falling to the floor.
“Thank fuck for that,” I whisper, not caring if he heard me or not.
I just need to see Ash. To beg and apologise on my hands and knees until that look is wiped off his face for good.
My heels echo in the hallway of the building that I’ll never step foot in again, slipping into the elevator.
I don’t know where he has gone, but if I can get to my car and speed to the club, I might have a hope of finding my man.
My man.
I’m out of the elevator before the doors even finish opening and fly towards my car, only stopping to study the riderless Harley parked next to my car, as per usual.
The unusual thing is that Kai isn’t straddling it or leaning against it with a cigarette in his mouth.
My head twists around the dark garage searching for him, unease stirring in my gut. But he isn’t here.
I shake my head softly; Kai will have to wait. I need to see Ash, and hopefully he will know where Kai is. Unlocking my car, I rip the driver’s side door open, my heart pulsing a million miles per hour.
But I don’t make it into the seat before a hand circles around my forearm, slamming me against the white exterior of my car. I cry out; the air whooshing out of my lungs.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry, Miss Dally?” A raspy voice drawls.
My eyes widen in shock, zeroing in on Zeke, his dark eyes glinting with cruelty as he grips my arm. His suit is barely ruffled even as he grapples with my flailing arms.
There is no pretense of professionalism. No pretending he is anything other than ruthless. Dark eyes hold nothing but cruelty.
Over his shoulder, I look for Kai. If he were anywhere near, this man would already be dead.
“Looking for Kai?” Zeke murmurs, his warm breath dusting my face. “Don’t bother… he’s a little preoccupied at the moment.”
I struggle against his hold, my stomach dropping as I make the realisation, but he’s too strong. He chuckles a sultry laugh, his other hand rising to brush his knuckles over my cheek.
It makes me feral, ripping and bucking, trying to get out of his grip, screaming for anyone who might hear.
Screaming for Ash.
His name is the last thing to fall from my lips when a needle slides into my neck, the pain falling away as everything turns black.
A bitter taste coats my mouth, my eyes struggling to pry open. I groan as everything spins and my head lolls to the side before it jolts up. Pained throbs make my head feel kilos heavier, and my tongue feels dry in my mouth.
As I go to rub my eyes, my arm doesn’t budge. Harsh ropes are wrapped tightly around my wrists. My ankles are secured to the chair legs, and even my neck has rope secured around it.
“What the h…,” I gasp, panic clawing its way up my throat, my memory slamming into me like a freight train. The car park… Zeke...
My limbs try to kick free, but I’m secured too tightly. The scent of mould and rust assaults my nose as coldness seeps in. My eyes flick around, taking in the dark, musty room, water running down chipping concrete bricks.
A groan has my head whipping to the right, and a sob of despair rips from my chest.
“Oh, Kai,” I whimper. Shackled, he tips his head up, his arms tightly bound high above his head. His booted feet are up on their toes, and blood trickles from his wrists.
His face looks worse for wear, his eye swollen shut and his nose obviously broken. The one black eye I can see is already on me as he takes in slow, steady breaths.
Fear claws itself up my throat, the vision of Kai strung up and hurt blurring into a dark mess.
His voice is raspy when he finally speaks. “I’m…I’m sorry, Maddison.”
My head shakes, at a loss for words. “Kai, what’s going on?” Tears pour down my face as I drop my head in despair.
My mind is spinning, a mix of defeated thoughts and drugs swirling around. The sedative is making it nearly impossible to zero in on any thoughts, although I know it’s bad.
“Ash... Where’s Ash?” I ask into the darkness, not expecting an answer. “I need Ash.” My voice cracks into a heaving sob, my heart cracking right down the middle.
Drops of water hitting the concrete floor echo in my mind as I fall apart, my mind still playing Ash’s hurt face on a loop.
“Kai...” I murmur, refusing to look at him while I ask this question. “Why was Zeke working with my father?”
I hear a pained, shallow breath, but as usual, he doesn’t speak. The worst thoughts spiral on repeat. My body trembles as I replay the moment I ran into Zeke at my childhood home, coming out of my father’s office.
“Kai!” I grit my teeth, finally turning to look at him over my shoulder, pain erupting in my skull. “Is Zeke a Wraith?”
He doesn’t need to answer though. His usually emotionless face looks back at me; pity etched into his catlike features. My head shakes slowly.
“No,” I sigh on a broken breath. “No, no, no...”
The thought settles on my shoulders like a ton of bricks. I turned away Ash for a man who works for the Wraiths. The gang that works in the flesh trade. I don’t need to know any more details to know that I royally screwed everything up.
If I could sell everything I own, give every cent in my bank, to replay that moment, I would.
But as it turns out, I can have all the money in the world, and it still means absolutely nothing if I don’t have Ash. He’s... everything to me. Everything I want. Everything I need...
A ragged scream tears from my throat as I try again to free myself from my bonds, but they don’t budge. Cold seeps into my skin, like dread seeps into my mind.
My body flinches when I hear the metal scrape of a door opening behind me, but I can’t see no matter how far I twist my head.
All I can see is the way Kai’s eyes burn dark with a death promise.
He looks outright terrifying as he glares at whoever has entered the room.
If you could even call this a room. It’s more like a rotten concrete cell, with a rusty chair as the only decoration.
Not even a single window. Dim light from the hallway casts an eerie shadow over the dirty ground, as steady footsteps echo in the small cell.
I lift my chin, mustering all the confidence that I don’t have, ready to meet whoever it is head-on.
His dark eyes find me first, an amused smile on his face. He’s dressed in a suit again, dark and completely out of place in this vile place.
“You,” I grit out, fury zipping through my system at his smug face.
Zeke slides his hands casually into his pockets, tilting his head as he looks down on me.
“Yes, me,” he taunts, clicking his tongue.
I begin the futile battle of trying to free my arms from the ropes, instinct begging me to get free, and he just continues smiling down at me until I give up with a frustrated cry.
The ropes burn against my skin as I thrash uselessly, the metal chair scraping across the concrete floor with a shriek that echoes off the walls. My breath tears in and out of me, but his smile doesn’t falter. If anything, it widens...like he’s savouring my panic, feeding off it.