He scanned the area, but I was hidden from his sight. A girl came walking out of the back entrance of the club he was currently at, wearing red stiletto heels and a dress that barely covered her snatch. The fake tits were only covered by a thin strip down the middle of each one, just barely keeping the nipples from view.

  “Dayum,” Gage’s voice drawled through the piece in my ear.

  He was across the lot in his own spot, as were Levi and Huck. We had the area surrounded to keep our asses covered.

  Liam slid his hand up the back of her dress, and she squealed. He then slapped her ass and crossed his arms over his chest again. They were moving here, to Ocala. The Devil’s Lair had been sold, and from the intel I’d gotten on it, Liam Walsh had bought it in cash.

  He was coming closer because of Madeline. I was fucking sure of it. My hands fisted, and I inhaled sharply. I could put a bullet in his head from here. This shit would end. Madeline wouldn’t have any more hell in her life.

  But if she ever found out I’d killed her real father, would she forgive that? FUCK! How was I supposed to protect her if I couldn’t kill the motherfuckers who could hurt her?

  “Not the right time.” Huck’s voice came through the earpiece. He always knew what I was thinking.

  He was right. I had to know more. Right now, I wasn’t one hundred percent positive that he had been behind Madeline’s abduction. From what I’d learned, the fucker was well liked. He had made important connections by selling high-end pussy to powerful men. That was why they liked him.

  He smiled then at something one of the other men had said. My gut clenched. There was something about it that looked like Madeline’s smile. God, I hated this. Not knowing and needing to keep her safe.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see an alert that Madeline was moving. She was driving. Where the fuck was she going? It was lunchtime. She shouldn’t be leaving the ranch yet.

  “Pull back for now,” I said to the others, then headed back to the truck.

  Something was off. As soon as I was back inside the truck, I dialed her number, but she didn’t answer. Slamming my hand on the steering wheel, I backed out and looked at the tracker to see where she was heading. Huck would need to ride back with Gage and Levi. I had to go make sure Madeline was safe.

  Eighteen

  Madeline

  The test was tucked in my purse as I pulled back onto the road and headed back to the ranch. I had successfully gotten in and out of the pharmacy in less than five minutes. No one would notice my absence. Turning onto the road that led down past Moses Mile and then to the Hughes Farm, I finally relaxed.

  Blaise had called me when I was leaving the pharmacy and I’d ignored it. I could just tell him I’d left my phone in the office and had to go get lunch at the house.

  I hated the idea of lying to him, but right now, there was no other option. Except to tell him the truth, and that idea made me sick. He was the one who had gotten me on the shot. He didn’t want to chance getting me pregnant. If I was though and the shot hadn’t protected me from it, then what? I would have no choice but to tell him.

  “Please let it be negative,” I whispered.

  I didn’t know who I was talking to because I’d given up praying to God when I was a kid. He had never answered my prayers, and eventually, I tired of it. I had grown up.

  The big, arched entrance to Hughes Farm greeted me as I pulled in and went to park exactly where I had this morning. Grabbing my purse, I headed for the office, glancing around only for a moment to make sure I hadn’t been seen. I needed to take this test before I went back to the house today. I didn’t want to toss it in the trash there, where it could be found. If I’d had time, I would have taken it at the pharmacy and tossed it away there, but I’d been in a hurry.

  My office door was open, and thankfully, the room was empty when I rushed inside and closed the door behind me. I needed a moment to calm down again. My adrenaline was pumping. There was a bathroom attached to the office, and I knew I’d have my privacy. Plus, I had several more hours of work. Plenty of time.

  Sinking down into the black leather chair, I looked down at the paperwork in front of me just as the door to the office swung open. Blaise came walking inside, his gaze locked on me. He looked like a man on a mission, as if he knew I was keeping something from him and he intended to figure out exactly what it was.

  “Blaise,” I said breathlessly. He’d startled me.

  He cocked one eyebrow, but said nothing.

  I waited, and silence remained as he studied me.

  Finally uncomfortable with his not speaking, I cleared my throat. “Uh, are you here for a reason?” I asked.

  He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. He continued to look at me as if he could find the answers to his questions on my face. That was when I realized he knew I’d been gone.

  Had he come here before I returned and parked somewhere I couldn’t see his truck? Oh crap, had he called me when he arrived and I was gone?

  “I called you,” he said slowly.

  I swallowed nervously. “Oh, you did?” I reached for my phone in my pocket. “It must be on silent.”

  I’d decided not to lie and say I’d gone to lunch. He knew something. I just wasn’t sure how much he knew.

  Blaise walked around the desk until he was on my side. Our eyes locked.

  “Madeline, do you honestly think that I’d give you a vehicle to drive and not put a tracking device on it after someone took you from me once already?”

  I felt as the blood drained from my face. There was a tracker on my car. I had known that, but I’d assumed he wouldn’t be checking that constantly since he knew I was at work.

  “My phone has a tracker already,” I pointed out. I did know that.

  “Yes, but it’s different. It doesn’t send me alerts when your car is moving.”

  Well, shit. I let out a sigh and crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly annoyed. Did I have no privacy at all? It felt like every move I made was watched closely. It was a miracle I could go to the toilet alone.

  “Tell me, Blaise, why do you need alerts when the car you claim is mine—but isn’t mine at all—starts moving? How is that keeping me safe? Do you think a kidnapper is going to use that car to take me? No. They wouldn’t be that dumb. The tracker on my car must only be so that you know what I’m doing and where I am at all times. You have a trust issue.”

  Blaise put his hands on the armrests of my chair, caging me in. “I need to know you are safe when you’re driving alone. You’re mine, and because of that, you’re a fucking target.”

  That excuse made me angry. He used it too much. Whenever he wanted me to understand his reasoning behind things. Always my safety and me being a target.

  “I was unaware I needed permission to go buy aspirin for a headache. I’ve been alerted now, and I will be sure it doesn’t happen again!” I shouted in his face.

  “Jimmie would have given you aspirin when you went to get lunch. She has all the pain meds you need. What is hurting you?” he replied.

  I shoved him back, using both my hands, and stood up. I didn’t like feeling as if he had all the control. I might be keeping something from him, but I still had a point. He didn’t own me. I should have my freedom.

  “Why can’t I go to a store if I want to? Why must I ask permission? I’m not a child. You aren’t my daddy.”

  Blaise smirked then, and my hand suddenly itched to slap his gorgeous face.

  “I’m about to put you over my lap and spank your ass,” he warned in a low voice.

  I pointed at the cameras. “Uh, no,” I replied and went to walk away from him.

  His hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back against his chest. He was quicker than I was. Damn him. I could feel his erection against my back.

  “That bathroom doesn’t have cameras. You keep pushing me with that smart mouth, and we will forgo the spanking. I’ll shove my cock in that mouth.”

  I closed my eyes tightly, angry that his words turned me on. I needed help. I was as crazy as he was, and it just seemed to be getting worse. He had tracked me and come here to grill me about where I had been. That was not okay. I had to remember that.

  “I have work to do, Blaise,” I said through clenched teeth.

  I would not think about his dick. I would not. I would not.

  He ran his hands down my arms, then let me go. “Okay. Work then,” he said and stepped back. “But please let me know when you’re going somewhere alone. I don’t know who is watching you. My guys haven’t seen anything recently, but that’s just been since you left town. Word is going to get out that you’re back now because of the gala.”

  The gentle pleading in his voice got to me. He was worried about me. Apparently, he had good reason to be.

  If he didn’t care about me, then I’d be alone. As much as I loved Blaise, I knew I needed him too. He was all I had in this world.

  Nineteen

  Madeline

  The two blue lines were said to change your life. How much more could mine be changed? Yet here I was, about to have it all change again. With paper towels, I wrapped up the proof that my nausea was a pregnancy symptom, then tucked it under other garbage in the can.

  I couldn’t go to the pharmacy alone for safety reasons, and I was bringing a child into this world. This was not a life you raised a child in, and Blaise was not a father figure. What kind of mom would I be when I barely remembered mine? I had no model to follow. I’d had no mother to teach me how to do it right. I couldn’t do this to a child. It wasn’t about not being ready. It was about the life it would be given. With a mother who had no clue how to be a mother.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  Saxon’s voice startled me, and I lifted my head from my hands and looked up at him. He was standing just inside my office door with concern on his face. Once, I’d thought I could talk to him, but I knew I couldn’t now. He was loyal to the family. To Blaise. I was beginning to understand that, but it still felt as if I had no real friends. They were all conditional on Blaise.

  “Yeah, just tired.” I managed to smile.

  Saxon didn’t look convinced. He walked farther into the room. “You sure?”

  I wanted to laugh. Even if I wanted to tell him my problem, there were cameras all around this room.

  I nodded. “Positive. How’s life at Moses Mile? I heard y’all bought a new thoroughbred that’s already being talked about in the racing world. That’s exciting.”

  The closer we got to fall, the more the world of racing was on everyone’s mind and in their conversations. Garrett had seemed concerned about Moses Mile’s newest addition. He didn’t like to lose, but then what man did? It was odd to me the way they competed in racing horses. The Houstons’ seemed to always do what Garrett told them to do. Maybe it was part of the racing world that I didn’t understand.

  “Yeah, he cost more than Dad wanted to spend, but I think he’ll pay off in the long run. How’re the riding lessons going?”

  There had been no riding lessons lately. Blaise seemed preoccupied with family business.

  I shrugged. “They’re not. No time,” I replied.

  Saxon continued to study me, and it made me uncomfortable. I knew he couldn’t look at my face and tell that I was pregnant, but I still didn’t want him looking at me so closely.

  Standing up, I reached for my purse. “It’s about time I head back to the house,” I told him, although I wasn’t leaving without letting Blaise know. Fighting with him over my driving was not something I wanted to do again today.

  “I saw your wheels out there.” He looked guilty then.

  Yes, Saxon, you lied to me.

  I raised my eyebrows and nodded.

  He pressed his lips together, then looked off with a small chuckle. “Sorry about all that,” he said as his gaze shifted back to me. “You know I only did what I thought was best for you. I wanted you safe too.”

  And you are scared of Blaise. I didn’t add that though. I kept it silent. We both knew that was the underlying truth.

  I shrugged. “It’s fine. I get it,” I assured him.

  He looked like he was about to say more when Blaise walked up behind him. My eyes lifted to meet his over Saxon’s shoulder. He looked at Saxon, then to me.

  “Sax,” he said simply, and Saxon turned around to face Blaise.

  “Hey, Blaise,” he replied.

  Blaise looked past him toward me. “You ready?”

  I turned off the computer and stepped around the desk. Seeing him made me feel better even if I was keeping a secret that I didn’t know how to tell him. It always felt like he could fix everything.

  “You headed up to the house?” Blaise asked Saxon.

  He nodded. “Yeah, going to the springs with Trev and others.”

  Blaise pulled something out of his back pocket and handed it to him. “Give this to Garrett.”

  Saxon took it, and all I could see was a white envelope. He nodded, then turned back to me. “Bye, Maddy,” he said.

  “Bye,” I replied and watched him go.

  Blaise held out his hand to me. “Let’s go home.”

  Home. He felt like home, but his house did not. It was a strange situation. Again, another thing that wasn’t good for a baby. How would I bring a baby into that house? Angel wouldn’t handle it well. Her screams and tantrums would get worse.

  “I’m not driving you if that is why you’re frowning. I’m following you. That’s all,” he said to me as he took my hand and pulled me close to him.

  I managed to smile. “Okay.”

  Blaise lowered his head and pressed a kiss to my lips. “You look tired,” he whispered as his mouth hovered over mine.

  I nodded.

  The sound of his phone ringing ended his close study of me. He straightened and pulled it out of his pocket. “Yeah,” he replied, not caring that he sounded annoyed.

  He stilled a moment before looking back at me. The frown line between his brows was never a good sign. He didn’t say anything else but continued to listen, then ended the call. His steady gaze on me made me nervous. I felt like he was reading all my thoughts.

  Finally, he slipped his phone back into his pocket, and his fingers threaded through mine before he began walking to the exit of the stables. The silence was not comforting. With Blaise, it never was. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears; it was thumping so hard. I wished he would say something. Anything.

  When we stepped out into the sunlight, he headed to his truck, not letting go of my hand. My SUV was in the other direction. I started to say something, but his body language made me stay silent.

  Once we were at his truck, he opened the passenger door, and then, without an explanation, he picked me up and sat me in the seat before closing the door and walking over to the driver’s side. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I shouldn’t let him get to me like this. It wasn’t like he was going to hurt me. The man had never hurt me. He wouldn’t even let me go do small errands alone, for fear someone else would hurt me.

  Blaise opened his door and climbed in, not looking at me as he started the engine. I didn’t want to continue this entire ride in silence.

  “Are you going to tell me why I’m in your truck and not driving my own home?” I asked him.

  He glanced at me then, and his eyes dropped to my stomach, then lifted to meet my gaze. “Are you going to tell me what you really bought at the pharmacy today?” he replied.

  Shit. He knew. How did he know? Did they have cameras there he could get ahold of too?

  My hands fisted in my lap, and I looked away from him.

  “It wasn’t motherfucking aspirin,” he told me.

  “No, it wasn’t. But you already know, don’t you, Blaise? So, why ask me?” I said angrily.

  This was not how I’d wanted to tell him. I’d needed time to deal with it myself. But he had eyes everywhere. It was as frustrating as it was infuriating.

  He pulled over just as we drove out of the entrance and put the truck in park.

  “Why wouldn’t you tell me the truth, Madeline?” he asked me.

  I felt his eyes on me as I sat there, staring down at my fisted hands.

  “I was scared. I am scared,” I admitted.

  “Look at me,” he ordered.

  I lifted my head and turned my gaze to him.

  “Scared of me?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No. Scared of the reality. What it would mean,” I choked out, feeling emotion clogging my throat.

  “You’re mine,” he said.

  “For now,” I whispered.

  He narrowed his gaze. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  The lump in my throat was making it hard to swallow. I had to force it down. I didn’t want to cry. Not now.

  “What happens when you don’t want me anymore? What happens when it’s not just me and there is … there’s a baby? Then, we can’t have sex anywhere and anytime we want. We will have diapers to change and a baby who needs attention. I will be a mother. I won’t be so easily accessible, and I’ll have someone else who needs me.”

  “Fuck!” Blaise growled out, then swung open his door and got out.

  I blinked back the tears, feeling as if I might shatter into a million pieces. Taking several deep breaths, I watched as he walked around the front of the truck until he was jerking my door open.

  “What—” I started to ask him, but he was picking me up and getting me out before I could finish my question.

  Blaise put my feet on the ground in front of him, then let go of my waist to cup my face instead. “I’m going to make something real fucking clear, Madeline. I thought I already had, but I guess it wasn’t clear enough,” he said as he looked down at me. “I’d never loved anyone. It wasn’t something I was raised to do. I didn’t need love. I thought it made a man weak. But I fell in love with YOU.