Maddox let out a groan. Some of the water had hit him in the face as well. His eyes shot open and he rolled over then pushed up on his elbows. He shook his head, very dog-like before he glanced around. His gaze zeroed in on the dog trying to tear down the bars between him and me.
“Wesson, down!” he ordered in a voice as sharp as a whip. “Down!”
The beast actually listened and sank down on his belly, his pink tongue lolling about lazily. Except for Satan, I hadn’t really connected with any of the other dogs.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
Maddox rubbed his head, grimacing, and pushed to his feet. He swayed slightly as he walked over to me. “Only a motherfucker of a headache.”
“Your uncle was really angry at you.”
“He’s pissed. He thinks I chose you over the club.”
I didn’t say anything. “He said something about a special surprise for me today.”
Maddox sighed. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to get you out of here.”
“What is it?”
“My uncle wants to tattoo something on your back.”
My blood turned cold. “I don’t suppose it’ll be something I’ll like,” I said, trying to sound blasé but failing. “What is it?”
Maddox shook his head.
“Tell me.”
He gripped the bars tightly, his eyes fierce. “I honestly don’t know. They don’t share things with me anymore.”
I nodded. My fingers touched the Band-Aid over my ruined ear. “I suppose I can count myself lucky they don’t choose my forehead for the tattoo. Maybe next time?”
“I can’t protect you anymore,” Maddox said quietly. “That’s why I contacted your father and told him about our whereabouts.”
My eyes widened and I pressed closer, my fingers closing over his. “You told my father?” Despite his hatred for my father—considering what he’d witnessed as a young child I could understand his reasoning even if I didn’t share it—he contacted him to save me.
“He can save you. He’s got the necessary manpower. He’s probably already on his way. With a little luck, you’ll be back home tonight.”
My heart beat faster. “What about you? After that betrayal, your uncle won’t forgive you.”
“He won’t. He’ll kill me after he’s done with you. He wants me to watch you getting hurt because he knows what it does to me. But I doubt he’ll survive your father’s attack, nor will I.”
Dad would torture and kill them all, as they deserved. Unless I begged Dad to spare Maddox. That had never been the plan. I’d originally sought Maddox’s trust and closeness to save myself in case Dad didn’t find me in time. But things had changed even if I never meant for them to do so. I didn’t want Maddox to die. My chest tightened painfully at the mere thought of his death. He wasn’t innocent, far from it. He was guilty of kidnapping me, of delivering me to the hands of his uncle in the first place. Of course, his uncle would just have sent someone else if Maddox hadn’t agreed but that wasn’t the point. “My father won’t kill you if I ask him to spare you.”
Maddox leaned his forehead against the bars. “Why should you do something like that?”
“Because I want you to live,” I said merely. There was more to it—nothing I wanted to consider or voice at this point.
“But at what cost? What will your father ask of me, if he listens to you at all,” Maddox asked quietly.
“He’ll ask you to burn your cut, to cut any ties to other bikers, and to swear loyalty—at the very least.” And for that to happen, a near-miracle was necessary. Dad’s hatred for bikers was limitless at this point, no doubt, and Maddox would be at the very top of his hate list.
Maddox shook his head slowly, his lips twisting with disgust, as if the mere thought of doing any of those things was impossible to him. “What’s between us is one thing, but my feelings toward your father haven’t changed.”
“Then you have to put them to rest. It’s your only chance if you want my father to spare you.”
“It’s better to die standing up than to live on your knees, Snow White. I’ll die before I fall to my knees before your father and ask for mercy.”
I rolled my eyes. “Things are always black or white for men, especially alphas. But life is full of gray areas. You can still be free and keep your precious pride if you swear loyalty to my father.”
“Snow White, I’ll say it a thousand times until it goes into your pretty head. Your father won’t ever trust me, nor will I trust him. He and I have a past that can’t be ignored. Even your charm and our feelings for you won’t change that.”
I pressed my forehead to his with the bars between us. “What feelings?”