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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

MADALYN

I am lost in my head, the cursor on my work computer screen blinking at me, moving for the last few minutes, hours, I am not really sure.

My body is a swirling pit of unease and uncertainty.

I have not seen Kohen in four days. The odd text has come through about things at the club have been crazy and the same with the garage. I get it, he is a busy man, but I can’t help the thoughts that drift into my head.

He has not touched me, or come to see, me since we had our moment with Rogue.

I cannot help but think that he doesn’t want anything to do with me now since I let his brother touch me.

“Shit.” I bury my head in my hands, sighing.

Why do I do this to myself?

He probably is not thinking these things and is most likely just busy like he said.

This is a ‘me’ problem, and I know it. That is why I have not reached out to him constantly for him to soothe my stupid feelings that are spinning me out.

Since when did I become such a needy woman? I never used to be like this, but I see how both men and women look at him.

I am not a ten, like he is. Hell, I am lucky if I am a seven, but the girls around the club are a freaking ten.

“Shit. No. Stop it. Get a grip; he will come to see you when he has the time. You are not his top priority.”

The second I say those words, my body deflates.

I am not his top priority.

Before anyone, the twins are his number one, as it should be, and I will never get in the way of that.

Then there is the club, and then Ruth. Fuck me, I am even after his ex-wife, who I know is a big part of his life.

Then there is me, if I factor into his life anymore.

I hate that I feel this way, but after the past I have had with men, there is no stopping the doubt from creeping in.

Men have used me, thrown me away. Target was supposed to be different, but I feel the cold distance between us, even though the rational side of my brain is fighting, screaming, saying that everything is okay and that he is just busy.

Pushing back from my desk, I stand and walk to the back room where Darian and I have our lunch. I need a freaking drink; I am sure that my bestie has some vodka hidden some place.

I start pulling open drawers, cupboards, looking until I find a bottle in the back of the freezer.

“Good old Darian.”

I reach for a glass that is on the side, clean and ready to be used again, a bit like me really. I get used, I clean myself off, and then get used again.

Fuck me, what a messed up metaphor.

Not caring to use a glass, I drink straight from the bottle. I cough and splutter, not used to drinking it straight. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, wincing, I take another mouthful.

Big mistake.

Huge.

I choke and cough. My breath is stolen by the expensive vodka.

Placing the bottle down on the counter, I pull open the fridge door, taking out a container that is filled with pasta, chicken, and vegetables from the diner across the street. Darian got it for me before she left the office to show a couple around a venue for their wedding.

The business has been booming, clients booking us for all kinds of events and it makes me proud and happy that I made the move here.

Also, I love being close to Grandpa Pete and having Aria in a better environment.

“Hello, anyone here?” I hear a female voice call out.

“Be right there,” I reply, putting my food back into the fridge.

Checking myself in the mirror, making sure that I look presentable, I walk back out front to see who has just come in.

My steps falter when I see that it is Ruth, Kohen’s ex-wife, the mother of his kids.

My heart goes into overdrive, my palms sweat and I plaster on a fake cheery smile, while on the inside I am running around like a headless chicken.

Drying my hands off on my pants, I step closer. She is freaking stunning, all long blonde hair, big boobs, and a tiny waist. How did she give birth to twins and then another kid?

“Madalyn, right?” I nod to her. “I am Ruth, Kohen’s ex-wife, but I imagine from the look on your face right now, you already know that.” Her smile is sweet, gentle, and I do not get a sense of hostility from her.

“Y-yeah.” I clear my throat. “Yes, I know who you are and yes, I am Madalyn.”

Inching closer, she holds her hand out for me to shake and it suddenly hits me as to why she is here. Fear fills my stomach. And I blurt out…

“Is Kohen okay? Is he hurt? The twins?”

She rushes forward, closing the extra inches between us, her hands settling on my shoulders.

“Oh god no, they are fine. The twins are on a play date and Kohen is busy at the garage or doing some other club business that us women are not privy to.” She winks.

My shoulders sag in relief, but then I wonder why she is really here.

“Come and sit.” She leads me over to the two chairs and sofa that we use when speaking to clients. They add a little homey feel when discussing business.

She looks at me with a warm smile, putting some of my unease at bay.

“I can see why Kohen likes you.”

“Oh,” is what I manage to squeak out.

“That is a good thing, Madalyn. The twins talk about you all the time and it is so nice to see them excited that their father has found someone he really likes.”

“He is pretty great himself, and I adore your twins. you have done a great job with them. So polite and willing to help; it is good to see in children their ages, since most care too much about their iPads and tablets these days to care about helping anyone.”

“iPad generation, right?” We laugh. “Thank you for saying that, it was sweet of you. Both Kohen and I have prided ourselves on making sure that our kids are well mannered, and respectful. Between mine and Andrey’s —my husband— influence they have Kohen and the club’s influence, too, so yeah, they have a broad worldview on things. ” She winks.

“I am glad that they have that,” I reply quietly, because Aria and I did not have that kind of loving support from our parents.

“We do not know each other well, but I would like to change that, Madalyn. My kids think the world of you, and so does my ex-husband. So it would be good if we got to know each other, maybe a coffee date, or maybe, even dump the kids with the men and we can go for a cocktail or twenty. What do you say?” she says, winking.

My body feels lighter hearing her say that she wants to spend time with me. I mean, why wouldn’t she? If things work out with Kohen and me, then I will be around her children and she will want to get to know me more, to see if I am good enough.

Sitting forward, I grin. “I would like that.”

“I know that Kohen being in the club can be difficult. Hell, we have had many times when he has had to bring the kids back to me because of club business but that is just the way it goes with the club. Kohen is a great father and I will never stop him from seeing his children. He would die before he let them get hurt.”

“I can see that about him. Seeing him with them shows that he loves them so much.”

“He does.” She looks at me for a second, before speaking again.

“Peter is a big part of their lives, right now, and I would hope that if, and I mean if, at any point you and Kohen do not work out, I would like to think that you would not stop my kids from spending time with him. They would be heartbroken.”

My heart stutters in my chest, not only at her saying that the kids would be heartbroken if they could not see Grandpa Pete again, but also at the idea that me and Kohen will not work out.

“I really like Kohen and I want this to go somewhere between us. If we do not work out, I promise you that I would never stop between the twins relationship with my grandfather.”

Her shoulders sag a fraction, and she grins.

“Then it is settled. We will get a drink and gossip about men, and maybe get our nails done. It has been a while since I have done any girly things.” She hands me her phone. “Add in your number and we will set it up.”

I do as she says, then send a text to my phone so I have her number too.

We get to our feet and I walk her to the door.

“it was nice having this face to face, Madalyn, I know we will be good friends. Hell, we have to since you are fucking my ex-husband.” She winks.

I gasp, my eyes widening in shock at her words, which makes her laugh loudly. Tears fill her eyes, and I relax seeing that it was in good humor.

“Your face. A freaking picture.” She swipes her finger under her eyes, drying the skin. “You will have to get used to this banter, sweets, because we are always like this, my husband included. Both men are like frat boys when they start drinking and sex gets brought up.”

I blow out a breath, smiling. “I will try. I am not used to such an open friendship, it has always been Darian in my life besides my sister and grandfather and we banter so I know what to expect to a degree.”

Ruth pulls me in for a hug and I hug her back, feeling comfortable enough to do so.

This is my boyfriend’s ex-wife and I need to feel relaxed and open around her, or things will get messy and I do not want that for me, or Kohen, or even the twins.

“I will send a text soon, okay? Bye.”

“Bye.”

I watch her climb into a white SUV, waving at me as she pulls away. A grateful sigh leaves my body as thoughts of Kohen being done with me fade away. My mind always runs away with me and I need to get a handle on that, before it causes something big to happen that I cannot fix.

Closing the door, I walk back toward the kitchen to eat my food, before my next client comes in to discuss her wedding. I love weddings; they make me so happy and filled with hope of having something the bride and groom have.

But oh, I have so many disastrous wedding stories I could write a book about them.

Putting the plastic Tupperware box into the microwave I heat it up, finding a cold drink to go with it.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as an unexpected chill runs down my spine. My stomach fills with dread, my skin becoming alert to the fear that runs through me.

A bang sounds out front, and I spin around to see what caused it. Gripping my phone in my hand, I ready myself to call 911, or Kohen.

Fear is an emotion that cannot be controlled; it can happen when you least expect it. Everyone fears something.

When I hear nothing else, I shake off the uneasy feeling but keep my phone in hand. Deciding to go and check out what the bang was, going against all the screaming in my head not to, I inch closer to the door, and peek out.

I would be the one to die first in a horror movie because curiosity would get the better of me.

Scanning the room, and seeing nothing out of place, I realize no one is here with me.

The microwave beeps, causing my heart to jump from my body, run around the block and climb back into my chest, beating a million miles a second.

“Freaking hell. I am too young to die of a heart attack,” I mutter to myself.

“But not too young to die,” a voice comes from behind me, a voice that I loathe and fear deep in my bones.

Turning slowly, I see Crypt leaning against the doorframe of the side access door. His arms are crossed over his chest, and his black leather cut sits on his upper body over a white T-shirt.

My eyes scan him, and seeing the Vice President patch on his chest makes my fear amp up. He now has no one to stop him from doing what he wants. He answers to no one, his President may be above him, but he is no worse than the man smiling at me.

The smirk on his lips makes my skin crawl. A look that I once found sexy, now it makes me sick to my stomach.

I glance down at my phone, trying to pull up Kohen’s contact number but Crypt lunges for me. A scream echoes from my lips, my heart hammering in my chest. My feet go from underneath me, and then we are on the floor, his big body on top of mine.

My body trembles as Crypt's cold grip tightens around my wrist, his intentions evident in the way he sneers down at me.

He has always had this cold dead look in his eyes since he came back from the night that started the downward spiral for us.

The fear that had settled like a stone in my chest now propels me into action.

I twist and turn, attempting to break free of his hold, trying to bring my knee up to get him where I know will hurt but he anticipates my moves.

“Nice try, baby, but we both know that you love my cock too much to hurt it.” He licks the side of my face, making me gag in disgust.

With every ounce of strength, I push against him, only to be met with a slap to the face. I cry out, the skin across my cheek stinging. Tears fill my eyes, and a sob breaks free, making excitement fill his eyes.

“Oh, I am going to have fun breaking you in again. You have let that prick into your body when it belongs to me, Madalyn.”

“I belong to Target, not you,” I say through gritted teeth, making anger flash in his eyes.

His palm connects with my face again, but this time I bite back the cry. He likes it when I cry out and I will not give him the satisfaction.

“He is weak. All of the Rugged Skulls are weak. Pussies. And we plan on taking them all out.” He laughs. “Pres wants Phoenix and he will take it.”

I turn my face away from him, closing my eyes, thinking of Kohen and the twins. Tears build behind my eyelids at the thought of not seeing them again.

Crypt grips my jaw painfully, pulling my face back to meet his gaze.

“You will always be mine, baby.”

“Why? I left years ago, Eddie.” I use his birth name, and something flickers behind in his eyes but it is gone in a flash.

“It is Crypt, baby, and that is how you will fucking address me.” His jaw ticks as his fingers tighten around my jaw.

I fight against him again, a menacing smile slipping cross his face.

One of my hands gets free and I bring it up, attempting to slap him across the face but I scratch at his skin as he shifts us just in time.

He growls deep in his throat, then I feel the pain of his fist hitting my jaw seconds before everything goes black.