Her Titans by Genevieve Jasper
Maxton
28
“You’re back in my house and you’ve got nothing?”
Causus sits opposite us in the office looking thoroughly bored. We got back from the beach house earlier this afternoon and Atlas had wanted an update as soon as possible.
“I didn’t ask to be here. Don’t you think if I knew something I’d have reached out?”
“Not really, no.”
“Have you found your rat yet?” he asks pointedly.
“No.” I was reluctant to admit it, but we had no inkling of who our rat might be. We couldn’t think of anyone who was the least bit suspicious. Our guys had been hand-picked over the last few years and we knew and trusted every one.
“Are you still covering Lia?” I ask him.
“Yeah. My guy was a bit surprised when he trailed her straight over to the Titans, that’s for sure.”
“Who did you send? That place is supposed to be secure.”
“Don’t worry, my brother went. He couldn’t care less about gang politics, his only loyalty is to me.”
“Don’t you think it’s about time we made this truce official?” Quince asks us. We all turn and look at him like he’s crazy. “What? The whole mutual destruction shit is working for both sides right now. Why not roll that out further?”
“It would mean I don’t risk getting killed every time I sneak into here,” Causus agrees. “I’ll think about it. If my grilling is over now, I’d like to get out of here.”
He walks over to the panelled door and pushes it open, leaving through the conference room and garage. He’s not in danger of being spotted that way as all the guys are out on the hunt. The hunt that is turning up absolutely fuck-all at the moment.
“Quinn, what are you thinking?” Atlas asks him once Causus has gone.
“Exactly what I just said.”
“It makes sense,” I say. “We’d have one less thing hanging over our heads. We’d probably have to come to some agreements with our businesses, but we could work it out. We never wanted to rule the world, our slice of Ironhaven will do just fine.”
Atlas shrugs. “It’s your call, but on your head be it. What’s Madelaine up to?”
The weather had turned, so we decided to cut our last day at the beach short and we’d come straight back to the office to get caught up.
“She was getting in the shower when Causus arrived,” I tell him.
“Do we know what her plans for the weekend are? I’ve got a ton of meetings in the city in the morning to make up for our week off,” Quince explains.
“I’ll come in with you. I’ve got some things to do before our afternoon ones. Madelaine’s car shopping tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I was supposed to go with her to Audi, but I don't think I can now,” Atlas says. “I’ve got some calls to make from home, then I’ll meet you both in the city in the afternoon.”
“Alright, Jeremy will go with her. I’ll brief him after.”
“I don’t even know why she needs a car. Jeremy can drive her anywhere if we’re busy.”
I roll my eyes at Atlas; he asked the same question he’s already asked Madelaine a thousand times.
“You know she wants more independence. You can’t stifle her, it never works out well. We’ll put her in a convoy if need be, but she wants her own car.”
“Whatever, I’m going to go and find her. I can be very persuasive when I put my mind to it,” he says, standing.
“Somehow I don’t think it’s your brain you’re going to use to persuade her,” Quince jokes. “Bets on Lai doing exactly what she’s wanted this whole time, anyway?”
“I’d never bet against that,” I say with a laugh.
I walk into the kitchen the next morning and greet Madelaine with a kiss.
“You sure you don’t mind going by yourself, belle?” Atlas’s persuasion had gone as well as Quince and I had thought.
“You do know I got by in life perfectly fine before you three showed up?” she asks with an arch of her brow. “I’ll be fine. And we both know I’m never actually alone, Jeremy will be with me.”
“Okay, are you test driving?”
“Not sure, I want to see my top three picks in real-life first. I’m not massively fussed, as long as it gets me from A to B.”
“Do you want me to make you some breakfast?” I offer. Lucy was off for the whole week, seeing as we were away Monday to Friday, anyway.
“What exactly can you make?” Madelaine asks suspiciously, having never seen me cook before.
“Cereal is probably pushing it.”
“I’m good, thanks,” she says with a laugh. “Quincy brought me something earlier.”
Speak of the devil and he appears.
“I think that means I’m currently winning,” he gloats, and Madelaine rolls her eyes at his competitiveness. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, sure.”
We both give Madelaine a kiss and head into the city.
The morning speeds by with meeting after meeting. We’re getting ready to open three places within the next month, so we’re kept plenty busy with all of the business decisions that need to be made. Our last morning meeting finishes a little early and Quince and I have some time before we’re due to meet Atlas. We’re further out than Madelaine is at the dealership but decide to see if she’s still out and wants to grab lunch with us. Quince tries her phone, but there’s no answer.
“She might still be in there, I’ll call Jeremy.”
“Hey, Max. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just trying to get hold of Madelaine.”
“She left her phone in this car, she’s driving hers home now.”
“She picked one already?”
“Yeah, and they had it in stock.”
“Okay, can you have her call us when you’re back?”
A beep of the horn and some choice words from Jeremy stop him from replying.
“What happened?” I ask him.
“Some wanker just cut me up at the crossways.”
There’s more beeping as Jeremy presumably goes around the other driver.
“You’ve got eyes on Madelaine though, right?”
“Her car’s right in front of me.”
“Where are you?”
“Milver Way.”
“That’s not on the way home.”
“Guess she’s enjoying the new ride.”
I remind him to get Madelaine to call when they’re home and hang up.
“Atlas is just leaving, said he’d meet us here,” Quince says, looking up from his phone.
I fill in the gaps of the conversation with Jeremy and then attempt to focus back on work, trying to be productive, seeing as our girl isn’t around for a break. I’ve successfully stared at the same page for fifteen minutes when Jeremy calls back.
“What’s going on?” I answer, putting him on speaker so I don’t have to repeat everything to Quince again.
“Nothing really, but we’re on the I50 and Madelaine’s definitely not heading home.”
“What’s out that way?” I ask, mainly to myself.
“Not a lot for quite a while,” Quince supplies.
“Do you want me to pull her over?”
“No, I don’t want you to surprise her at that speed, just keep your eyes on her.”
Jeremy hangs up with an affirmative.
“I just got the weirdest text from Atlas,” Quince says, showing me the phone. I read the text and run through the first phone call with Jeremy in my head.
“Something’s not right. Can you ring him?” He doesn’t answer. Quince and I are both tense, everything feels off. Madelaine was in no way under our control but she wouldn’t take Jeremy on a wild goose chase without letting him know, she was way too fond of him for that. I call Jeremy back.
“Try to get in line with her without alarming her,” I instruct. We wait in stressed silence while he does what I’ve asked.
“She’s speeding up,” he replies in a confused tone. “She won’t let me get in line with her.”
“Put your foot down, Jeremy.”
“But-”
“Just do it.”
We hear the roar of his engine as he speeds up.
“Shit, it’s not her.” All the blood in my head roars in my ears. “Miss Lai isn’t driving the car,” he confirms.
Quince asks what I’m thinking. “Then where the fuck is she?”