Chapter Six

 

Maddox

 

Holy shit!

Why did it take me this long to see what Audrey is doing?

She’s been playing me from the start, just like she played her professor, a police officer, and her fucking landlord!

The only difference is, she’s played me for the long game because she didn’t want to leave her apartment.

I get that her fear is serious, and I understand that it comes from a very shitty past where she lost her parents. But like I told her, if she had just explained all of that to me from the beginning, instead of lying about who she was and fucking me, then I would’ve let her stay here.

Probably.

Maybe?

Okay, so I’m not sure if I would’ve done that, or just grabbed her and ran out into the storm to get her inland. Guess now we’ll never know.

The lights suddenly flicker back on in the bedroom, as if my epiphany was responsible for the surge.

“Yay! We have power!” Audrey says.

“Yay,” I repeat, without any of her enthusiasm.

If the power is back on, then the conditions outside must have improved, which means I no longer need to stay here.

Moving off of Audrey, I find my boxer briefs I lost days ago, and start putting them on.

“What are you doing?” Audrey asks, when I reach for my jeans to pull them up my legs.

“Getting dressed,” I reply, as if it’s obvious. “If the power is on, then that means the storm is over and the roads are clear.”

Going over to the window, I lift one of the blinds to peek outside over the top of her dresser. I have to squint because the sun is so bright. Tree limbs, leaves, and debris are scattered around the roads, yards, and on the vehicles, but the water has receded.

“You’re leaving?” Audrey asks.

“Yeah,” I respond.

Why am I dreading that so much? I should be angry at her for using me like every other man she comes across in life who doesn’t automatically bend to her will. Instead, there’s just this ache in my chest that wishes the power would’ve stayed off a little longer…

“I should get back and see how bad a shape the island is in,” I tell her. “You want to call War and tell him we’re ‘back’?” I ask, using finger quotes around the last word since we were supposed to be in Raleigh.

“Okay,” Audrey agrees. “I’ll tell him that my roommate called and said the power was back on.”

“Right,” I agree, thinking she’s pretty damn good at lying. I wonder how many other lies she’s told her brother.

“Thanks for staying with me,” she says.

“No problem,” I reply as I slip on my T-shirt and then move the sleeping yellow kitten from my cut to put it on. After I’m dressed, I stand there and look at Audrey, still naked in bed, hair tussled from all the fun we had. But that’s all it was—fun. Is that why I’m dreading leaving her? Because I’ll miss the sex? That’s probably all there is to it. I got attached because she was my first and second and third, and however many times we fucked in three days. It’ll be impossible to forget her now, no matter how hard I try.

Even if she wasn’t just sleeping with me to get her way and pass the time, it’s not like I could keep coming to see her. Not without War finding out and then doing what he threatened—taking my cut and kicking my ass.

Now that it’s time to leave, though, I can’t figure out how to say goodbye. “See ya later” doesn’t work because I won’t be seeing her later, or ever again, since War makes a point of keeping his family separate from the MC. So instead, I just tell Audrey, “Thanks for everything.”

“No, thank you, Maddox,” she says before she jumps out of bed and then comes over to throw her arms around my neck, still completely naked. It’s like she’s trying her best to tempt me into tearing off my clothes and throwing her back in bed.

But I can’t. Not this time.

So, I give her a brief hug and then push her away. “See ya.” I say the stupid words, even though we both know they’re bullshit.

“See ya, Maddox,” Audrey replies, and then I make myself walk away from her.

 

…

 

Audrey

 

Once I hear the door close behind Maddox, I pick up Stella and cuddle her to my bare chest, then go into the living room to lock the door. When I turn back to the empty apartment, a weight sinks into my gut, a hollow aching that I know well. I put my cat down and go to the bathroom to start the shower, hoping that I’ll be able to get some hot water.

As I sit on the edge of the tub, waiting for the freezing spray to pass, I feel a hot tear trickle down my cheek. I look around before swiping it away, irrationally worried that Maddox might burst back in and see it. I’m not upset about him leaving, and I didn’t think that these last few days were turning into…something!

“Ugh, what the fuck!” I groan as I feel the water. I’m not sure if I’m referring to the fact that the shower is still freezing, or to the jumble of emotions whirling around inside me in a nauseating spin.

Giving up on the shower, I go back to my room to find my pajamas, then spend a few minutes cleaning up the apartment. Maddox and I spent most of the last few days in my room, but I do need to dispose of the wine bottles and cake pan, evidence of the little bit of looting he engaged in during the storm.

I break into a smile as I swipe a finger through the last bit of frosting still clinging to the pan and suck it off of my finger, remembering all the things that Maddox and I did together. Just the memories of him ease the ache in my guts, and I decide then and there that what we had was more than just a “nice time.” I don’t know what it is between the two of us yet, but I’m almost certain it wasn’t one-sided. Now, I just have to figure out this whole “Savage Kings” business between my brother and Maddox, and if there is some way we can navigate it to find an honest future for all of us.