I was also trying hard to be a better girlfriend. This was hard sometimes, because J still refused to tell me much about club business. And it still pissed me off. Mostly though, I managed to keep my mouth shut and not argue with him about it. I was still hopeful that over time, he would come around.
Crystal was doing okay. J and I spent a lot of time with her and Brooke, and I was surprised at how well we were all getting along. We helped Brooke out, often looking after Crystal so that she could have some time to herself. I think we were all still in shock that Bec was gone, and navigating our way through the grief tied us all together.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, about two months after I returned to Brisbane, that my bubble burst. I was at work, at O’s, the little boutique dress shop that I loved coming to every day, when another fucking blast from my past waltzed in and blew shit all over my life.
“Mandy.” I sucked in a breath, and fear sliced through me. The crazy look in her eyes scared the shit out of me, and my hand automatically reached for the phone to ring J.
As far as I knew, Mandy had disappeared and the club no longer considered her a threat. How fucking wrong they had been about that.
“Don’t!” she screamed. I dropped my hand. My heart rate picked up, and my legs felt shaky. The room began to close in on me as I waited for her next move.
She stalked to where I was, not stopping until she was in my personal space. Her nostrils flared and I could see the veins popping in her neck. She jabbed a finger at my chest, and the force of it made me momentarily lose my balance. “Nix’s death is fucking on you, bitch! The day he met you, his death warrant was signed, and I’m going to FUCKING make you pay!” She screeched her warning.
It’s not often in life that I am left speechless. This, however, was one of those times. My immediate reaction was to fight her, but I quickly moved through scenarios of how that could play out, and decided against it. Assessing her, I thought that she was probably high, and that was not a good thing to go up against. Mandy was erratic at the best of times, so I hated to think what she was capable of when she was on drugs.
I didn’t have to wait long to see what she would do next, because as quick as she came in, she left. She glared at me for awhile, daggers in her look. Then she shoved me backwards, and turned and strode to the door.
Before she closed the door, she shot one last threat at me, “You better watch your back, cunt. You’ve got no fucking idea!” And then she left.
I almost collapsed, my legs were so weak. My breathing was all over the place, and I struggled to get that under control while I rummaged under the counter for the front door keys. My agenda only had two things on it now; lock the door and call J.
“Babe, I’m kinda busy right now,” he answered with that impatient tone he sometimes used on me. And that just served to piss me off.
“Yeah, well, babe, I think you might want to fucking stop what you’re doing and listen the fuck up.”
Yeah, fear had left and anger had walked right on in, and settled itself in.
“What the fuck, Madison?” Now it was J’s turn to get shitty. Well, weren’t we a happy fucking couple today.
“I’ve just had a visit from Mandy,” I threw it out there, and waited for it to wrap itself around his head.
“FUCK!” he bellowed, and I had to hold the phone away from my ear for a moment. “Are you okay?” Even though his voice was still angry, I could hear the softness for me in there, and that melted some of my anger away.
“Yeah, honey, but I need you. Can you come now?”
“I’m already on my way,” he said, and the relief hit me like a gush of wind.
“Thank you,” I breathed out.
We ended the call and I waited for him. My mind was racing; crazy thoughts threaded with fear.
And then it hit me.
Fuck.
I needed a drink.
Chapter 22
Jason
Fuck! Scott, Griff and I had arrived at Madison’s work within half an hour of receiving her call, and she was nowhere to be fucking found. The shop was locked and she didn’t answer the door, so Scott had broken the lock. She wasn’t there. And she wasn’t answering her god damn phone.
I raked my fingers through my hair. Where the fuck could she be?
And then Griff voiced what we were all thinking. “Do we think Mandy came back for her?”
“I’ll fucking kill that cunt if she touches Madison!” I roared, and turned to leave the empty shop.
“Brother, I’ll kill her even if she doesn’t,” Scott promised me, and I nodded at him in silent agreement.
Scott pulled out his phone and called Marcus to break the bad news to him. They came up with a plan of attack and we began our search for Madison.
Two hours later we still hadn’t located either of them. I was starting to feel desperate. Scott was beyond a state of rage. I don’t think he loved anyone as much as he loved his sister.