Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(37)

“Will do.” Madisyn headed down the many hallways, shouting out her goodbyes to people. Her cell began to ring just as she pushed open the front door. Strolling down the path, she dug the phone out of her pocket. Her stomach fluttered when she saw that it was Bracken.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hey, baby. Chinese or pizza?”

“Huh?”

“I’m on my way to your place. I want to bring food. So Chinese or pizza?”

“I don’t really have a preference. You choose. I’m just leaving the shelter now, so—” Her attention was snagged by the three burly males lingering near her Fiat. One of them bore a shocking resemblance to Charity.

“Madisyn? What’s wrong?” asked Bracken.

“Nothing, except that I currently feel like Goldilocks.”

He swore, obviously understanding. “Go back inside.”

“Too late.” She wouldn’t show weakness by retreating. Couldn’t afford to. After ending the call, she came to a stop just a few feet away from her car, eyes on the male who was emitting alpha vibes. Tall and dark, he was good-looking. His smile was all charm, but his brutally cold eyes put her cat on edge. The feline uncurled, watching him carefully.

Ignoring the ringing of her cell—and she had no doubt that the caller was Bracken—she subtly took in the strangers’ scents. All three were bears, just as she’d figured they were.

The guy she strongly suspected was the Maverick Alpha cocked his head, eyes narrowing slightly. “You don’t look quite as threatening as I thought you would. But then, that’s rather typical of your breed, isn’t it?”

Madisyn just stared at him.

“In all the years I’ve known Charity, I’ve never seen anyone put so much as a scratch on her. I kind of wish I’d seen you in action. Forgive me—I haven’t introduced myself, have I? My name’s Archer. I’m Alpha of the Maverick Clan.”

“And I’m busy, so . . .”

His smile widened. “I had a feeling I was going to like you.” He glanced at the other bears. “These are my enforcers. Copper is on my left, and Ink is on my right.”

Neither enforcer greeted her. Like Archer, they were both tall and dark. But whereas Archer tried to come across as polite and approachable, the other two glowered at her and clenched their fists, making every attempt to be intimidating.

“We were sorry to hear about the unpleasant incident that occurred in Enigma,” said Archer, brows dipping. “Particularly Copper. He’s Charity’s older brother. It was hard for him to see her body and pride wounded. But the girls were not sent there to harm you. They were instructed to speak with you, nothing more.”

That was a lie if ever she’d heard one. Then again, he wasn’t aiming to sound sincere. His mocking tone said he didn’t really give a rat’s ass what she thought of him. He was just playing with her.

“I realize that you don’t hold our clan in great esteem after what happened. It’s understandable. The girls were simply . . . frustrated at being so close to finding our Daisy and yet still so far. We’ve been looking for her for a long while now.”

Madisyn pursed her lips. “You know what? That doesn’t sound like my problem.”

Copper growled low. “We’ll make it your problem.”

Archer held up a hand, quieting him. “Now, now, Copper, we don’t need to resort to threats. It’s only natural that Madisyn wouldn’t be so pleased to see us. We’re not the enemy,” the Alpha assured her. “We simply want Daisy. Where is she, Madisyn? Where do we find her?”

“You know I won’t tell you,” she said.

“You may think you won’t. People have held out on me before. They all folded. But see, I don’t want to hurt you. I respect the kind of strength you showed. It would be a shame to crush it, Madisyn. A real shame. Don’t make me do it.”

She snorted. “If you think you’re the first person to show up here, demanding to know where an old resident is, you’re very much mistaken. It’s happened countless times. You all say the same shit—you don’t want to hurt me, but you will if I don’t give you what you want. Hell, I even once had a gun put to my head. I’ll tell you exactly what I told them—nothing.”

Archer’s face hardened to stone. “Fucking with me would be a grave mistake.”

“I’ll pencil in some time to dwell on it tomorrow.” She took a step toward her car, and Copper took a step toward her. Her cat hissed and slashed her claws at the bastard.

“I think it would be a good idea for you to come with us so we can talk a little more,” said Archer, voice sharp.

Madisyn’s mouth curved into a smile that she’d often been told made a man’s balls want to crawl up into his stomach. “Touch me just once, and I’ll fuck your shit up so bad, you’ll be spitting out teeth for a week. That is no idle threat.”

Just then, a familiar SUV smoothly pulled into the lot and whipped into a free space. Casual as anything, Bracken slid out of the vehicle. His eyes swept over the Mavericks but showed no emotion, effectively dismissing them as no threat. Pace nice and easy, he stalked toward her, his gaze locked with hers. Someone else might have eyed the bears carefully—even if only as an “I’m watching you” gesture. By sparing them no attention, he shared not only that he did not fear them, but also that he found them unworthy of his notice.