Liar (Madison Kate #2)(3)

Bree made a thoughtful sound. "So, you have a doorstep, then? Interesting."

I laughed again. "Idiot. You know I'm staying in a hotel, and it wouldn't be hard for you to check your credit card statement."

"I know," she replied, "but I won't. You trusted me when you had no one else to ask, and I won't let you down again, MK. You're my bitch."

"Stop it," I muttered. "You're making me blush with all this emotional crap."

"Jesus, you've got the emotional range of a damn cucumber sometimes, girl. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that they're on your trail. Want me to throw down any false leads?" Bree sounded far too into that idea, and I didn't have the heart to tell her it was pointless.

"Go for it," I replied instead. "I've got to go; I'm about to meet with an old family friend. I'll call you later, okay?"

"You better," she grumbled, "and I want to know which of those three bastards you're fucking because guys don't act all caveman possessive like they just did when there's no penetration involved. Fact."

I had nothing to say back to that, so I just ended the call and slipped the phone back into my pocket. Her words had stirred up a whole pile of conflicting emotions, though.

I'd slept with Steele, and it had been incredible.

I'd made out with both Kody and Archer...

But was that enough for them to go "caveman possessive" like Bree said? She was likely exaggerating.

Then again, why did I care? A week ago, I’d thought they'd tried to kill me.

I still kind of believed they had, despite the evidence to the contrary.

Shoving those thoughts aside, I focused on the task at hand. My freshly colored pink hair was up in a messy bun, but loose tendrils tickled my face as I made my way across the parking lot. Motorcycles dominated the lot, but there were plenty of old beaters there, too. I was certainly a long way from home.

I pushed through the main door and hesitated only a second before making my way to the bar. Every damn eye in there seemed to follow me as I picked my way across the room, but I kept my shoulders back and my head high.

"You lost, girl?" the middle-aged woman behind the bar asked me. Her brow held a crease of concern, but I shook my head.

"I'm looking to speak with someone," I told her with hard iron threaded into my tone. "I was told I might find him here at this time of day."

The bartender cocked a brow at me, clearly curious. "Oh yeah? Who's that, then?"

"Zane D'Ath," I replied. "Tell him Deb's daughter is here."





I waited for only a few minutes before the bartender ushered me through the kitchen and into a large back room filled with rough, tattooed guys and a handful of girls. Apparently the public side of the bar was exactly that. Public. This side was all Reapers.

"Your funeral, girlie," the bartender muttered, closing the door again once I was inside. Shutting me in with the hungry wolves.

Shit. Maybe this was dumb.

Still, I couldn't back out now. So I hardened my expression and crossed the room to where a familiar face stared back at me.

"Madison Kate Danvers," Zane purred, raking his gaze over me and making a sound of appreciation. "You grew up."

I tucked my hands into my back pockets and gave him an unimpressed stare. "No shit. That's what time generally does to a person. The last time you saw me when I wasn't running away would have been, what, eight years ago? Seven?"

A cold smile curved his lips, tugging at the tattoos below his right eye. "Something like that." He stared back at me for a long, tense moment. There wasn't a lot of familial resemblance between him and Archer. For one thing, Zane was a fraction of Archer's size and all slim, wiry muscles where his little brother was bulk and hardened brawn. But it was there in his eyes, those same ice-blue eyes that seemed to cut like daggers.

"Why'd you come here, Madison Kate?" he asked when it became clear I wasn't going to say anything first. It was his kingdom, after all. "Seems like a real stupid move for a girl with your... connections." His lips twitched over that last word, like he was making fun of something.

I scowled. "If you mean the fact that your brother is living in my house, I have no control over that matter. I tried to get rid of him; he wouldn't go."

"Your house?" Zane repeated, that mocking smile pulling at his lips.

My glare flattened. "My father's house. Whatever."

He said nothing, his cold blue eyes not leaving my face for even a second, but then he nodded. "Look, I'm going to cut you the benefit of the doubt here, kid--seeing as you're clearly so deep in the dark you couldn't find your own cunt. Ask whatever burning questions made you put your life on the line, then get the fuck out of my bar."

A vaguely familiar guy with neck tatts made a sound of protest, pushing the girl in his lap to the floor and slamming his beer glass down on the table.

"Boss," he started, but Zane shut him up with a sharp look.

"Actually, Skunk," Zane said, and the pieces clicked into place. Skunk. This was the guy Kody and Steele had beaten the shit out of a month ago at Bree's party. "You can serve as a visual example to Madison Kate of what happens when we wander into territory uninvited." Zane got up from his chair, dropping his own beer onto a table, and slouched his way over to Skunk. He kicked the table in front of Skunk out of the way, revealing two long plaster casts covering his legs from knee to ankle.