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After leaving Rixon in his office, I went to my room, noting the absence of Lucifer. Knowing he was with Alex while I was away had eased some of the feelings I couldn’t name that were growing in my gut. The woman was a means to get my revenge, but the more time I spent with her, the more I got to know her and the more difficult it was going to be to make that sacrifice.
After shucking my jacket, I reached behind my head and pulled the neck of my t-shirt up and off. I was covered in road dust and sweat from the ride that I wanted to rinse off before I saw Alex. I fed the button through the hole in the top of myjeans, then drew down the zipper and kicked everything off. I walked into the bathroom wearing just my brother’s dog tags and started the shower before stepping under the spray. After quickly washing the dirt and grime from my body, I snapped a towel around my waist, then got dressed.
As I stepped into a clean pair of jeans, the hairs on the back of my neck started to rise. Pausing, I tried to brush off the sensation, but I’d felt it before—the same day Gunnar had come and told me about my brother’s death. Was it intuition? Fucked if I knew, but it made me pull on a clean shirt, grab my Glock, and rushed out the clubhouse door.
Chapter 22
Alex
He’d come for me.
That was all I could think as I jerked up from my bed, the sticky,violentfeel of Maddox crawling all over my skin. My heart pounded out a staccato rhythm, rattling against my ribs as it tried to squeeze between the bone cage. Blinking into the darkened room, I tried to reconcile the fear with my reality—to tamp it down and snuff it out.
I was in my bed.
My apartment door was locked.
My garage was secure.
The weight of Lucifer’s body was near the foot of my bed—comforting in its simplicity.
Blowing out an unsteady breath, I pushed at the hair that had come loose from my bun. With fingertips brushing against my sweat-damp skin, I willed my heart to stop racing. Breathing slowly.
In and out.
In…
And out.
I shoved the blankets from my body, letting them pool at my knees.
Squinting, I tried to see past the darkness cloaking the room, but with my block-out drapes fully drawn, very little light came through the open bedroom door. My gaze skimmed over the room again, my hindbrain was suddenly screaming at me to notice something.
Or someone.
A feeling of phantom fingers trailing over my skin, and I knew.
I was not alone.
Not taking my eyes off the dark spot at the bottom of the mattress, I reached over to click on the lamp on my nightstand.
Maddox was perched on the end of my bed, his back to me. I worked hard to stifle the gasp that was working its way up my throat, swallowing it down when he turned to look at me over his shoulder.
“You always were a light sleeper,” he drawled, dark eyes pinning me in place. “I always liked watching you sleep, though. Wondering when you were going to wake up. Wondering how much I could do to you before you did.” His eyes dragged down my torso, to the tiny sleep shorts I wore to bed. “Before you realized I was contemplating sticking my dick in places you always stopped me from exploring.”
An involuntary shiver rolled down my spine at the threat in his words.
“Where’s Lucifer?” I demanded with false bravado.
Maddox’s gaze dipped down—to a small patch of bright red on the white comforter.
Blood. That was blood. Anger surged at the thought of an innocent animal being hurt. “What did you do?”
My own personal nightmare cocked his head to the side, studying me with cool, callous eyes. “Removed an obstacle.” Reaching out, he touched my leg under the blankets, a smirk pulling on his cruel lips. “Don’t worry. I only gave himsomething to make him sleep a little while longer. I don’t want to have any interruptions.”
I opened my mouth to demand he explain, then Maddox moved. He was quick. Faster than my sleep-addled brain could track. Within a half a breath, he was straddling my torso, his thick fingers wrapped around my neck. Instinctively, I fought against his grip. Slapping at his hands, I desperately tried to get him to loosen them—to get them off me—but he was too strong. Too big. Too determined.
“Fight me, baby,” Maddox said. “Claw my fucking eyes out. You know I like it when you fight before I impale you with my dick.”
