Page 90 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

“No.” I pushed her away and tried to get up, adrenaline pouring through my veins as I fought the dizziness. “He’ll kill you, Riley.”

“Maddox, wait. Calm down.” She tried to grab my shoulders. The man behind her stepped forward to help. “McKenna isn’t here.”

I paused, my eyebrows furrowing.

“It’s just us. You’re safe,” Riley said, grabbing my bandaged hand again. “We’re both safe.”

“No.” I shook my head, causing a painful pressure at the back of my skull. “If he finds you here—”

“He won’t. Listen to me, Maddox. Sean McKenna isn’t here. He thinks you’re dead.”

I didn’t understand. My head spun. I squeezed my eyes shut as a wave of nausea washed over me.

“He’s confused. This is normal after a head injury like his,” the doctor said, wrapping something around my arm to check my blood pressure. I snatched my hand away from him, baring my teeth.

“You!”

He stumbled back, eyes wide, when he saw the hatred in mine.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me. I know exactly who you are! If McKenna’s not here, why are you?”

He swallowed and pressed his back against the wall. That’s when I looked down and noticed the metal cuff around his ankle, secured to a fixture. He didn’t look as neat and professional as he normally did, with messy hair and dark circles under his eyes.

“Doctor Lee is here by force. To save your life.”

My gaze snapped to the man who had spoken. His name slammed into me like a hammer. Nolan.

I grabbed Riley roughly and pulled her closer to me, nostrils flaring as I glared at him. This was another of McKenna’s twisted games. These men worked for him. Did he really believe I’d fall for this and let my guard down just so he could kill my sister in front of me? Fear and pure panic were taking over, making it harder to breathe. I had to get her away from them.

“Maddox, hey, it’s okay,” Riley soothed, but I wasn’t listening. I forced myself out of bed, every muscle stiff and burning with the effort. I was only wearing a pair of boxers, but bandages covered my torso, hands and head. What the hell had happened to me? It didn’t matter right now. I needed to get Riley away from them.

“Monster—” Nolan stepped forward as I pushed Riley behind me towards the open window. His hands flew up in front of his face. “I know you don’t trust this, but she’s tellin’ the truth. I’m on your side. Just hear me out.”

“Come any fuckin’ closer to her, and I’ll rip your throat out before you say another word.”

“Maddox, please,” Riley begged from behind me, her hands gripping my biceps. “Nolan helped me save you. He’s been protecting me from Sean for months, since before Connor died.”

Every muscle in my body seized up at her words. My heart thundered uncontrollably. She slowly stepped around me as I stared at her, the world spinning. “What?”

She searched my eyes, her lips parting slowly. “You don’t remember?”

I couldn’t breathe. There wasn’t enough air. “What?”

She glanced at Nolan, her lips trembling. Nolan rubbed a hand over his bearded jaw and glared at Doctor Lee. “Why doesn’t he remember?”

“He—he may be experiencing retrograde amnesia because of the head injury or as a consequence of the higher dosage of Raw Mercy.”

I wasn’t listening. Blood pulsed in my ears. I stared at Riley. “Connor died?”

She nodded slowly, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. My knees buckled, and I fell to them. She sank down with me, cradling my face in her hands. “He tried to save you. He was desperate to get you away from Sean. But…”

“Tell me,” I growled, fury pounding through me. “Tell me what happened.”

“We will,” she said, nodding. “But a lot has happened. What’s the last thing you remember, Maddox?”

I pressed my back against the wall, bending my knees and clutching my head in my hands. My brother was dead. I had no memory of it. Roisin was dead, too. I remembered that. That happened a while ago. Years ago? Memories flickered through my mind, some sharper than others. I’d been in the bunker. I’d been fighting. Killing men on McKenna’s orders. Never asking questions. The doctor. Raw Mercy. Lying in the bunker alone, recovering from fight after fight. Refusing to speak. Tortures. Watching men die. Always looking them in the eyes as I took their lives. Who was the last man I killed? Layers of fog surrounded my more recent memories as I tried to find the last thing I remembered.

“An Irishman. He was put down in the bunker with me. McKenna told me to kill him.”