the infuriating girl who’d walked into our lives a year ago and set off a fucking pipe bomb.
Archer was right. She wasn't coming home. Not if she had any choice in the matter.
So... we'd simply have to take her choice away.
After all, we could do that.
Or Archer could.
2
Madison Kate
It'd been three days since I'd discharged myself from Shadow Grove General Hospital. Three days since I'd taken Bree's offer of help... and her credit card.
Now I was doing something that could possibly be my stupidest decision to date. Or hell, who knows? Maybe it'd be the best thing I'd ever done for myself.
My Uber pulled away from the curb, leaving me standing out in front of a rough kind of bar, deep within what used to be West Shadow Grove. It looked identical to how I'd seen it just a few weeks earlier, when some deeply repressed memories had resurfaced.
My new phone vibrated in the pocket of my jeans, and I pulled it out to answer, all while stalling what I'd been on my way to do.
"Hey girl," I said, shivering despite the warmth of my leather jacket. "What's up?"
Bree was the only one with my new number. I'd have happily not had a phone at all, but she’d talked me into it from a safety perspective.
"Your boys were just over here," she replied, and my stomach lurched. I’d known they'd work it out sooner or later—that I'd discharged myself and wasn't coming home. But that'd been quicker than I'd given them credit for. "Don't worry," she continued in a rush. "I didn't tell them anything. I didn't even lie because I don't know where you are. Why won't you tell me, again?"
I snickered a laugh. "For that exact reason. They'd get it out of you, somehow. Fuck, they've probably already worked out I'm using your credit card, and I'll find them on my doorstep when I get back."
Bree made a thoughtful sound. "So, you have a doorstep, then? Interesting."
I laughed again. "Idiot. You know I'm staying in a hotel, and it wouldn't be hard for you to check your credit card statement."
"I know," she replied, "but I won't. You trusted me when you had no one else to ask, and I won't let you down again, MK. You're my bitch."
"Stop it," I muttered. "You're making me blush with all this emotional crap."
"Jesus, you've got the emotional range of a damn cucumber sometimes, girl. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that they're on your trail. Want me to throw down any false leads?" Bree sounded far too into that idea, and I didn't have the heart to tell her it was pointless.
"Go for it," I replied instead. "I've got to go; I'm about to meet with an old family friend. I'll call you later, okay?"
"You better," she grumbled, "and I want to know which of those three bastards you're fucking because guys don't act all caveman possessive like they just did when there's no penetration involved. Fact."
I had nothing to say back to that, so I just ended the call and slipped the phone back into my pocket. Her words had stirred up a whole pile of conflicting emotions, though.
I'd slept with Steele, and it had been incredible.
I'd made out with both Kody and Archer...
But was that enough for them to go "caveman possessive" like Bree said? She was likely exaggerating.
Then again, why did I care? A week ago, I’d thought they'd tried to kill me.
I still kind of believed they had, despite the evidence to the contrary.
Shoving those thoughts aside, I focused on the task at hand. My freshly colored pink hair was up in a messy bun, but loose tendrils tickled my face as I made my way across the parking lot. Motorcycles dominated the lot, but there were plenty of old beaters there, too. I was certainly a long way from home.
I pushed through the main door and hesitated only a second before making my way to the bar. Every damn eye in there seemed to follow me as I picked my way across the room, but I kept my shoulders back and my head high.
"You lost, girl?" the middle-aged woman behind the bar asked me. Her brow held a crease of concern, but I shook my head.
"I'm looking to speak with someone," I told her with hard iron threaded into my tone. "I was told I might find him here at this time of day."
The bartender cocked a brow at me, clearly curious. "Oh yeah? Who's