27. Maddox

Despite holding Ryan in my arms all night, I barely got any sleep. That fucking reporter had me on edge. In LA, I had security set up for that sort of shit. But here? Here we were basically sitting ducks. There was nothing to keep the hordes at bay, and it was only a matter of time before they swarmed us.

And I had no doubt who made the call letting them know where I was. Of all the guys in the band, I had to be the most careful with the media. I was a wreck for a lot of my career, which to them, meant a great story. So, they followed me around the most relentlessly trying to get any hint of a potential fuck up.

But I wasn’t ready to share this part of my life with the world. Them finding my childhood home meant digging into my past, and there was plenty of shit buried deep, deep down that I didn’t want anyone finding out about.

Staring down at the beautiful woman still asleep in my bed, her head resting on my chest and her dark, wild curls scattered across the sheets, I watched her sleep. Soft breaths left her lips in a steady rhythm, every worry erased momentarily off of her face, so she looked peaceful and relaxed.

As much as I wanted to lay here all day, I couldn’t. I was restless as fuck, and I wouldn’t wait around for whatever was going to happen next. Fuck that. I needed to take control of this situation, and then I needed to get Ryan, Quinn, and I the fuck out of Texas.

Gently moving my body out from under Ryan, I slid slowly across the sheets to be sure I wasn’t going to wake her up. She hadn’t been sleeping well, and I didn’t want to interrupt what must’ve been a completely exhausted rest.

Finally, I froze, standing perfectly still beside the bed, watching to see if she was going to wake. When she didn’t, I turned and grabbed some black joggers, pulling them up before stepping out of the room in search of coffee and my phone. It was still early, but Ryan was, for sure, going to be late to help Quinn this morning.

I left my phone on the ottoman last night, but before I bent to grab it, a flash of light caught my eye. I moved toward the big window in the living room, brushing the curtains back to look out through a tiny slit.

Fuck.

At least a dozen photographers were crowding around my short driveway, and I cursed Russell for building this place so goddamn close to the road. I could keep them off of my property with one call to the local Sheriff, but I couldn’t do shit about them camping on the public highway that ran right in front of my house.

Letting the curtains flutter closed, I reached for my phone, intending to call Connor. Instead, it vibrated in my hand with an incoming call from Harrison. I fucking hated talking on the phone, and because of that, I only got calls when shit was really fucking bad.

Bracing myself, I answered the call. “What’s wrong, Harry?”

A long sigh greeted me on the other end. “I’ve fucking told you lot a thousand. Fucking. Times, ” he gritted out. “My name is Harrison. And to think I was calling to do you a bloody favor,” he grumbled.

I bit back a laugh. It was too easy to get under my publicist’s skin, and all the guys in Shadow Phoenix did it. “Fine. Harrison. What nightmare awaits me on the other end of this call?”

“I got a disturbing email this morning from my contact over at CNT. Let me start by saying you must have some luck on your side that he was the one that got it, and I convinced him to kill it,” Harrison shared.

“What email? Who sent it?” I asked, lowering myself to the couch and not liking the churning starting to happen in my gut.

“Hold on,” he muttered, clicking sounds crawling their way through the phone. “I just sent it to you.”

Lowering my phone away from my ear, I put him on speaker. “Let me pull it up.”

Tapping into the new message notification, I quickly scanned the body of the email, my muscles bunching, and tensing the further I read. “What the fuck is this?” I snarled into the phone, unable to keep my anger in check.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, mate. I’m here to help you, remember?” Harrison reminded me firmly, his voice full of a whole lot of don’t fuck with me that helped me calm down a little. Breathing in deeply, I filled my lungs with so much air they ached before exhaling loudly.

“Someone was trying to sell this to the media?” I asked in a somewhat calmer voice.

“Unfortunately, yes. Is any of it true?” he asked me casually, as if it didn’t matter to him either way. But I knew better.

“Did I sexually assault anyone? Are you serious right now?” I fumed. By now, he should fucking know me better than that.

“Look. I know you had a few years where things might be a bit hazy. I just need to know if there could possibly be any validity to this rubbish so I can figure out how to deal with it,” he clarified.

“No, it’s not fucking true. Not even one sentence of this goddamn thing is true. But I bet I know where it came from. I’m going to fucking kill him,” I vowed, feeling like my heart was trying to launch itself out of my chest with how hard it was pounding.

“Good,” Harrison agreed. “CNT is the biggest outlet, and they’re not running with it. Even if they did, you could sue them for slander since there’s no evidence to back up their claims. Still, whoever did this isn’t trying to do you any favors.”

“Just let me know if you come across anything else. I’ll handle this,” I decided, ending the call without waiting to hear his response. Was it a dick move? Maybe. I had bigger shit to worry about right now.

Yates was trying to fuck me over in a big way. Lifting my phone back up, I tapped out a message to Sebastian, forwarding him the email Harrison had sent. Tossing my phone down and trying to ignore the growing crowd at the end of my driveway, I stalked down the hall to the shower. I wasn’t used to playing from behind, and Yates was about to learn what kind of man I was deep down. It was time I took the fight to him.

Stepping out of the shower, I walked into my room to find Ryan securing the last couple of buttons on her shirt. Her eyes drank me in hungrily as they raked over my bare chest, water droplets still dripping down my skin. “Going somewhere?” I asked, moving across the room and watching as her mouth dropped open a little, her tongue teasing her bottom lip.

“I…” she started before swallowing hard and forcing her eyes back up to my face. I chuckled darkly, thinking of everything I wanted to do to her. I’d start by laying her out on my bed and peeling every piece of fabric off of her. Then I’d-

“I have to get back. Quinn texted, and he needs help,” her words broke through my dirty fantasies. Fucking Quinn.

Running a frustrated hand through my hair, I went into the closet and quickly pulled on some jeans and a black t-shirt. “You’re going to have to sneak back home, Freckles,” I called out so she’d hear me outside of the closet.

She poked her head in as I was sliding my watch onto my wrist. “Why?”

“Because there’s a fuck ton of reporters at the end of my driveway thanks to your ex-fiance. If they see you leaving, you’re going to be all over the internet within the hour,” I warned, pulling her into my arms and brushing her hair off her face, letting my fingers linger on the soft skin of her cheek. “Trust me on this, please. Go back to the barn, take Hex, and ride home. I’ll come to get him later this afternoon.”

“Can I at least get some coffee before you kick me out?” she teased, flashing me a fake glare.

I pointed toward the bedside table where I left her a travel mug before I got into the shower. “I’d have cooked you breakfast, but we both know Quinn will have something better waiting for you at home.”

“Facts,” she said, laughing. I leaned down, peppering her face with as many kisses as I could while she wrinkled her nose and giggled, trying to squirm out of my arms. Finally, I released her, and she grabbed the mug, taking a healthy sip before I followed her out to the barn. I watched as she stroked Hex’s nose lovingly, cooing at him and he turned into a puddle of mush at her feet. Ryan just had that way about her. Men of all species worshiped at her feet, and she didn’t even have to try.

Once she climbed up on the black stallion, I looked up at her, in awe of how she looked like a fiery goddess, the sun blazing behind her creating a glow that surrounded her body. “Text me when you get home,” I demanded, leaving no room for her to question or argue in my tone.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel special, Romeo,” she teased with a grin.

“Blow Quinn off, and I’ll show you exactly how special you are to me, Freckles,” I called her bluff.

“Can’t, but raincheck.” With a sexy as fuck wink, she turned and sauntered off on the back of my horse, taking my whole heart with her as I stood there like an idiot watching her go.

Stepping out of the car, the sun beat down on the black fabric of my t-shirt like a goddamn magnet. I slammed the door closed, already feeling the rush of adrenaline tearing through my veins. I didn’t want to tip my hand just yet, but I couldn’t let this motherfucker get away with the shit he was trying to pull.

If I didn’t have a rock-solid and loyal team surrounding me, I’d be dealing with a whole shitstorm that would distract me from what Yates is really doing. But I was focused as fuck, and nothing would divert me from my goal.

Dismantling Yates’s entire goddamn life.

I hadn’t planned to confront him so soon, but I couldn’t let what he did slide. Accusing me of hurting women? I wasn’t that kind of guy. In fact, I’d let the darker side of me come out and taken care of more than one guy who’d done that type of shit to women I knew in the past. I wasn’t just against it, I took fucking action.

I met Ryan because I couldn’t stand the little shits bullying her. I was a protector at heart, always had been. To think I’d hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it was fucking gross and that Yates tried to make me into something so far from what I actually was made me want to remove his head from his body. With my bare hands.

Yanking open the door to the bank, I strode inside straight to the first desk I saw. “Where’s Yates Rutherford’s office?” I asked through clenched teeth.

The teller looked up with wide eyes, pointing to a set of heavy wooden doors in the middle of the building. Turning, I stalked off toward them as she called out after me, but I didn’t give a shit about whatever she had to say. She wouldn’t be able to stop me.

Grabbing the handle of the door, I threw it open. Yates jerked upright from where he was leaning back in his chair, some chick kneeling between his knees. He jumped up from his seat, shoving his dick back into his pants. I rolled my eyes, holding the door open for the girl who was wiping her mouth while she scurried out of the room. She’d barely crossed the threshold when I slammed the door shut behind her.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he raged, his skin flushing as his hands bunched into fists. Blue balls were a real bitch.

Stepping closer to him, I got within punching distance before shoving the file I carried in with me into his chest with more force than necessary. He stumbled as he grabbed for the papers starting to fall out of it. “I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m warning you not to push me. Keep this shit up, and not only will I destroy you in court for slander, but I’ll start digging. And I won’t stop until I fucking destroy everything in your pathetic little life. This is your one and only warning. I suggest you heed it.” Barely-controlled fury laced my voice.

Not waiting on his response, I turned and stalked from the room and out of the bank feeling an odd sort of satisfaction wash over me. Thank fuck Ryan hadn’t married that douche. And soon, he was going to be out of our lives for good, even if I had to end him myself.

“Freckles?” I called out, my voice carrying throughout the Knight barn. I had to come back for Hex, and I needed to talk to my girl.

“Over here,” her answering voice sounded from the other side of the barn where my horse blocked my view of her. When I stepped into the stable, I watched as she used a curry comb to brush over his body in long strokes. Was it possible to be jealous of a horse?

“Hi,” I whispered, leaning into her body and wrapping my arm around her waist, splaying my hand across her stomach. I pressed a kiss to her neck, letting my lips linger, and tasted salt on her skin.

“Mmm, I missed you today,” she murmured, her body sinking into mine and her hand dropping from Hex’s side. He snorted impatiently, and we both laughed.

“Hex doesn’t appreciate being cheated out of his brushing,” I noted, stepping back and grabbing the brush off the ground before lifting it to the smooth black fur and running it through. I finished brushing my horse while Ryan’s gaze burned into my back, the heavy heat of it sending sparks of electricity shooting through my body.

Setting the tools down, I turned around and faced Ryan. As much as I wanted to pin her up against the stable wall and fuck her into next week, we needed to have a conversation about what went down today. There was some shit from the past I hoped would stay buried but now had a very real chance of coming out.

And I wouldn’t let her hear it from anyone but me.

“Can we go home? We need to talk about what happened today,” I stated, stepping outside the stall and waiting for her to follow.

Her eyebrows raised as she stepped past me. “What happened today?”

I captured her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I went to Dallas. To the bank.”

She inhaled sharply. “Why would you go see Yates?” she asked hesitantly.

“C’mon. We’ll sneak in the back way. The walk isn’t that long, and I could use the exercise.”

When we finally walked through the back door of my house, I could tell she’d spent the entire walk coming up with every worst-case scenario to the point where she was wound so tightly, she was on the verge of snapping. Her body was tense as I coaxed her down into the couch. I followed and sat facing her.

“This morning, I got a call from my publicist, Harrison. One of his contacts at CNT let him know someone sent in an anonymous tip about me,” I began, trying to keep my voice even.

“What kind of tip?” she asked, leaning against me.

“The kind that accused me of some fucked up shit I’d never do.”

“Okay, well, why’d you go to Dallas?”

“Because Sebastian traced the email and that asshole Yates sent it,” I explained, getting angry all over again at the motherfucker’s audacity.

“Why would he do that? He’s already taken the ranch,” she mused, absently stroking my arm.

“He lost, Freckles. That’s why. You hurt his pride, and then I came along and shoved it in his face. Now he wants to make us pay. The problem with that is he has no idea what I’m capable of.”

“And what exactly are you capable of?” she wondered.

“I’m the guy that handles shit. The guy who doesn’t let anyone hurt the people I care about. And I’m also the guy willing to do whatever it takes to keep those people safe.”

“I know all of this. It’s one of the things I love about you the most.” She looked up at me with wonder in her eyes that I wasn’t sure I deserved.

“Well, you don’t know everything that I’ve done. And I don’t know how far Yates will go to try and break me or break us apart.”

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what he does. He’ll never break us apart because I know the kind of man you are in here,” she proclaimed, laying her palm flat against my chest over my heart.

“Not everything I’ve done has been good. Or legal,” I added, covering her palm with my hand.

“Did the people you take care of deserve it?” she asked, her expressive coffee-colored eyes staring into mine.

I nodded slowly. “Every single one.”

“Then I don’t need to know. I trust you, and I know you’d never hurt anyone unless you had to.”

Tugging on the hand she had resting on my chest, I pulled until she fell against me, leaning back until she lay sprawled out on top of me. Wrapping her in my arms, I stroked the skin just underneath the hem of her shirt. “How the fuck did I get so lucky to get to call you mine?”

“You’re the only one who proved himself worthy of me,” she whispered, her lips moving against my chest, which warmed at her words.

And I’d never stop doing everything I could to continue proving to her how deserving of her I was.