Page 39 of Every Sunset

“Enough,” Madd growled as he moved his arm from around me and gently cupped my cheek in his huge palm. “I don’t want to hear this crap, Anna, and neither will Logan. You guys are our family now, and that means we will do whatever we need to do to always keep you both safe.”

“But…”

“No, baby. No but’s, and no arguing. You know what you mean to Logan and I. We want you to be ours, and that means we want Max to be ours too. We love you both. Whoever this guy is, whatever is going on, we’ll handle it together.”

“What does that mean? Are you guys…is it serious now?” Max asked as he took a step back and looked to Maddox with confusion. “Mom?” He turned his look on me and I had no idea what to say.

“Later, kid. We can talk about everything once we get home. For now let’s just sit down and wait for Logan to get here. Your mom’s pretty shaken up,” he pointed out, and I was grateful that he chose not to mention the fact Max looked just as shaken as I did.

Max took a deep breath as he swiped at his eyes, then he took my hand and led me over to sit in one of the leatherette booths near the window.

Maddox followed us over and settled his hand on my thigh as he slid into the seat beside me.

The heat of his skin on mine make me feel a comfort I needed desperately in that moment, and I found myself leaning to the side and against his warm body.

Max slid into the seat opposite us. Madd had told me that he and Logan loved me and my son.

Maybe that should have scared me, but it didn’t because I could feel it too, even if I dare not fully admit it yet.

I could feel the strength of my trust in those two men, and the intensity of my feelings for the both of them every time they were near.

I knew the feeling I got when they touched me – that complete sensation of safety and comfort – had to be love.

Nothing else could feel so strong and unbreakable.

LOGAN

I knew my driving was reckless as I sped through town and came to a screeching halt outside of the diner, but I didn’t have it in me to care about that, or about anything other than seeing for myself that Anna and Max were safe.

Even the text from my brother assuring me he had the both of them, hadn’t settled my racing heart, or stopped my hands from sweating against the wheel of my truck as panic and fear filled me.

It had only been a matter of weeks that Anna, Max, Madd, and I had known each other, but those weeks had been enough to convince me that Anna and Max were meant to be with Madd and I.

I had no doubts about that. I was in love with Anna, which was such a crazy thing for me to admit to myself when I had ony ever loved my brother in my entire life, but Anna – she was just special.

It was like she was made for me – for Madd and I.

She made me feel an inner peace and contentment I had never known before when I held her close and was surrounded by everything she was.

Knowing she had been in danger, and Max too, had made every macho, alpha instinct that I had within me, come roaring to life, and all I wanted was to get to the both of them and know they were protected and whole.

The first thing I saw as I all but threw myself through the door of the diner, was Max.

He was sitting in a booth opposite my brother.

He was pale…too fucking pale, and his eyes were red and puffy.

I was sure the way he was biting his bottom lip was his attempt not to cry any further and it ripped me apart to see him hurting and afraid.

He was just a kid – sure he seemed smart, and wise beyond his years, but he was only fifteen really – and I couldn’t stand to see him looking so afraid.

“Max,” I gasped as I rushed over to him. I couldn’t see Anna, but I knew she was there somewhere because Maddox had told me so.

I was relieved when Max got to his feet and allowed me to embrace him as I felt I needed to. His body was shaking as I wrapped my arm around the top of his back and pulled him close.

“It’s gonna be alright, bud. I promise you,” I tried to reassure him.

“I know,” he agreed as he pulled back from my hold and swiped at his eyes with some unnecessary embarrassment.

I patted him on the shoulder as he furiously swiped at more tears in his eyes. He was obviously badly shaken up, and I wondered what, or who, could have him so terrified.

As Max backed away and slid back into the seat he’d been in before, I noticed Anna for the first time.

She was sitting on the seat opposite her son, her knees pulled up to her chest and making herself so small I hadn’t been able to see her around Maddox when I walked in.

She was pale too, and I could see her entire body trembling even from where I stood.

She looked up at me, and the fear I saw reflected at me from her red, puffy eyes hit me like a physical punch.

She was trying to hide the fact she was terrified for the sake of her son, but she wasn’t doing a very successful job of it.

“Jesus, sweetheart,” I gasped as I moved closer and leaned over the table to get closer to her. “What happened?”

“I’m okay,” she squeaked tearfully, then she dropped her head to her knees, hiding from me.

“Is she hurt?” I demanded as I looked to Madd.

“I don’t think so, but we should get them both home,” he told me quietly.

“Home?” Max gasped. “We can’t! Tell them, mom! We can’t go back there. He’ll know…he’s been watching us and he has to know where we live, right mom?”

“I..I don’t know,” Anna floundered as she lifted her head and looked between Madd and I, almost as though she were a little dazed.

I wondered if she were in some kind of shock.

She’d almost been hit by a car, swept violently from the road by Tate, and seen a ghost from her past. It made sense she’d be struggling.

“Our house is the safest place you guys can be right now,” Maddox told her as he turned in the seat so he faced her a little more. He took her hand in his and rubbed it between his own like she was cold.

“No. We should go. We have to run, mom. If that fucker came this far to follow us, it’s bad. It’s really, really bad. He’ll hurt you again. We have to get away from here and from him,” Max panicked as he struggled to his feet again and looked poised to flee.

“How about we just get back to our place for now? Your mom’s in no condition to do anything but rest right now, Max,” I pointed out as calmly as I could.

“Madd’s right. Our place is very secure.

We’ll know the second anyone tries to break in, and we can handle this guy, whoever he is.

We can and will protect you and your mom. ”

“He’s right, Max. Us running off alone right now seems like a bad plan. As much as I hate dragging the guys into my mess, I think they’re the only ones who can protect us right now,” Anna spoke up, her words sounding exhausted and shaky.

“We could go to the cops,” Max suggested, but Anna just shook her head vigorously.

“I won’t risk your future, honey. The cops aren’t an option,” she told her son as she looked up to him and forced a smile. “Just try to trust me, okay? I made this mess. I’ll find a way to fix it.”

After thanking Tate and Cat for all of their help, and telling Tate to keep the bar closed and take a much needed night off after what he did to save Anna earlier, we all left the diner.

Max was exhausted and terrified, and Anna was in such a state I ended up scooping her up and carrying her out to Madd’s car, which we all decided to ride in together.

I’d get my truck later. Right then, when Madd and I really weren’t sure who or what we were dealing with, staying together was the best option we had.

Both Maddox and I were resolute in our need to keep Anna and Max safe, and the second we left that diner and set off home, we were both in protector mode, our heads on a swivel the entire drive back.

We had meant the words we had said – there was nothing we wouldn’t do to protect the both of them.

It would just be a whole lot easier to do that if we knew who we were protecting them from.