“Too fucking long,” Max growls.
I glance toward him with disdain then back toward Everleigh. “Max mentioned you insisted on saving for school, so I left you the rest of what he said you needed.”
Max steps toward her. “I went after him to give it back, but he was gone before I made it to the end of the block. I got spooked by a few guys near the bar and I ran. I paid cash for a hotel that night and opened the safe deposit box the next morning. I figured you’d read the note and be set for life.”
I deride. “Except he’s too dumb to think about how you wouldn’t be able to spend any of it without the fucking mob chasing you down.”
He shoots me a look of contempt. “I thought she’d run, like I told her to. I thought she’d figure where I was, and we would be together.”
“How was I supposed to figure that out, Max? You didn’t mail the envelope. It sat in storage for three years. Even then, it didn’t tell me where you were.”
“I figured my mail was being watched, so I hid the envelope inside the frame of the couch. You’re the only one on earth who flips a couch backwards to clean. Underneath were two envelopes. One with the key, the other with the coordinates.”
Everleigh laughs caustically, gripping hold of her stomach as she bends forward. “Do you know how messed up I was? I couldn’t even go back to that apartment. I had someone else pack everything up and take it to storage. Hell, I didn’t even look to see what we were missing after the robbery.” She pauses. “If that was even a robbery. Maybe it was just the mob flipping my place for their money.”
Max steps toward her, his gaze lowered on hers. He wants to reach out. I see the pain in his eyes.
Everleigh’s jaw sets and her arms fold over top her shoulders. “I think I need a break.” She turns away from us and walks toward the store, pulling open the glass door, a sign for slushies on the front for ninety-nine cents.
“Where are you going?” I growl.
“To the bathroom if that’s alright with your majesty. Or do you prefer underboss? That’s what they call you, right? The second in command. The one with dirty hands?”
“You can call me whatever the fuck you want, but you can’t walk away. It’s dangerous.”
She shakes her head and narrows her gaze before twisting around, her short sundress moving in a wave as she heads through the door. I can’t lose her.
A few minutes go by as we stand outside and wait, talking about how to make things better for Everleigh, and what we’re going to do when we finally get to the cabin. Sure, I have a few people I can call, but this is all one big giant fucking mess. And if you ask me, we all have Max to thank.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Everleigh
The bathroom is clean with four stalls and the scent of some kind of fake flower in the air. Truthfully, I could be in a pit of mud right now and I’m not sure I’d notice. The only thing I know is, I want out.
My heart races as I dial Lucy’s number and wait for her to pick up. She does on the first ring.
“Can you come get me?”
“Come get you? You aren’t supposed to be telling me where you are. Plus, I’m on my way out of the country with some giant guy.” She lowers her voice. “He’s hung like you wouldn’t believe. Thank God for gray sweatpants.”
“What? You sound happy? Shouldn’t you be stressed?”
“What’s there to be stressed about? You only live once, babe, and we’re all going back to the dirt sooner or later. Might as well have some fun with it.” She drops her tone. “Seriously though, they’re not hurting you, right?”
I sigh. “Emotionally or physically?”
“I’d say physically, but I’m curious what this emotional trauma is.”
“None of them would ever hurt me. They’re trying to protect me. I know that. But at this point, the betrayal is about six miles deep. They’re all so… so…”
“Let it out,” she says. “Scream.”
“I’m in a public bathroom.”
“Look, you’re over thinking this. You have two hot guys that want to do crazy things to you while protecting you from life-or-death danger. I think you should lean into it,” she laughs.
I remember now, she doesn’t know about Max’s triumphant return. I don’t get into it. She’s got her own drama.
