Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
He tossed it in the backseat as I closed the door.
Lucia still stood on the sidewalk, her jaw on the floor.
I flashed her a grin.
“Hey, man.”
What? I turned at the sound of a voice.
I had missed it, but as I was taking my time getting in Max’s truck, Caleb Cieran had gotten out of his and walked over to stand on the other side of Max’s door.
I frowned, not sure how I felt about this. Max was mine. He didn’t need to know people. Then again, everyone loved Max. If you knew him, you loved him. The universe deemed it a rule when Max was born. I hadn’t met someone who didn’t think Max hung the moon.
“What’s up?” Max asked.
Cieran looked over to me.
I glared at him.
He started laughing. “Your girl’s not happy.”
Max frowned at me, but he didn’t respond. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a party out on Bombshell this Friday.”
“That abandoned building?”
“Yeah. Wanted to see if you’re in.” He wagged his eyebrows up and down. “I know you’re a killer in that arena. You want in?”
Max’s eyebrows pinched together. “Are you setting it up?”
I had no idea what they were talking about. As if Max could sense my frustration, he cut me a look. We’d discuss this once we had some privacy.
“Nah. It’s sanctioned by the same people who organize the other fighting ring.”
“Why the different location?”
Cieran shrugged, propping his arm on Max’s door. “Who knows? But it works out for you, doesn’t it? Word’s out that you got banned from the last place.”
A fighting ring.
The Red Demons.
This kid was asking Max if he wanted to fight, and I was officially pissed off. Max had shit out a Hulk-sized dump because he went to the fighting ring last Friday and lost his marbles. Now Cieran was asking if he wanted to fight?
As if sensing my anger, Max reached over. His hand went to my leg.
My hand covered his, and I began digging my nails in. I wanted to break skin, motherfucker.
He hissed, glaring at me before extracting his hand. Or he tried because I wouldn’t let him. I kept digging in.
“Ouch! Fuck, Maddy.” He pulled his hand away.
Cieran frowned.
“You know what?” Max flashed Cieran a hard smile. “When’s the party again?”
“This Friday.” Cieran’s smile was wide and filled with sinister promise.
I didn’t like him. I looked over at his car where Stevie was pressed in the backseat between another guy and a girl. I also decided she was too good for this guy. Too good to be his friend. Too good for anything else.
I wasn’t going to allow it.
Max let out a soft sigh and shook his head. “Sounds good. Let me know the details and rules. I’ll be there.”
“Yeah?” Cieran’s eyebrows shot up. He stepped back from the truck and held up a fist. “Right on. This will be awesome.”
Max’s mouth pressed in a firm line, but he hit Cieran’s fist with one of his own. As the guy strolled back over to his car and got in, I seethed.
Max turned to me. “Do—” Knock! Knock!
Max stopped talking as someone pounded on my window.
This time it was Beltraine. I rolled it down. Axel and Steele had also come over. They were looking in the direction Cieran had driven.
Traine lifted his chin up. “What was that about?”
“Nothing.” Max’s tone was cool.
He didn’t like these guys. Well, I didn’t like Cieran and his group. So there.
I smiled. “Max just got invited to fight again, except this time it’s at a different location. And guess what? He’s going to do it. This will be so much fun.” I kept my face blank, looking back at Max.
He rolled his eyes, reaching forward and starting his engine. “Can you be more dramatic?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head.
Steele stepped closer to the truck. “You’re fighting?” His words were for Max.
“I said I would.” Max’s eyebrows drew together. He didn’t know Steele.
Steele stepped back, sharing a look with Traine and Axel.
Max looked at me, and I shrugged. “I’m not on their telepathic mind wave. You, yes. Them, no.”
He closed his eyes, his jaw going rigid. “Do you have to say everything you think?”
“No, and I don’t. There’s a lot you have no idea I think about.”
Example number one, I was back to being certain I was a sociopath. Or I had sociopathic tendencies. I didn’t plan enough to be a psychopath. And I functioned a little more normally than a psychopath. I wasn’t acting. I just didn’t have fear or emotions about a lot of people.
I turned back to Traine. “We done here? Monroe and I need to go fight, and afterward, I’m going to climb on his lap. The longer you take, the less likely I’ll get the happy ending I’m hoping for.”
The guys started laughing.
“Fuck, Maddy,” came Max’s voice behind me.
Exactly.
I gave Traine a meaningful look, and still laughing, he held his hands up, taking a dramatic step away. “Not holding you back. Let’s catch up later, Kade. Yeah?”