{18+ COMPLETE} For the past three years, Bren Hadaway has been preparing to die.
When he was sixteen, he watched his dad murder his mom. And ever since, he's been counting down the days until it was his turn to be at the end of a gun. And Bren has...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When we got home, I let Caroline help Madie inside while I hung back.
I really fucking wished that Madie had mentioned the whole ex-boyfriend's dad teaming up with my dad thing before we left the hospital. Now we were back at Caroline's place, and I couldn't help but feel like danger once again loomed on the horizon.
Devon Reid says hi.
He'd said hi, alright. But Devon clearly wanted more than to just make his presence known. He'd wanted Madie dead.
A shiver worked its way up my spine.
With an anxious sigh, I called Officer James and left a voicemail when he didn't pick up. Not satisfied, I then dialed the non-emergency number for the Fresno PD. A nasally sounding detective named Hopkins assured me that Officer James was out on a call and would get back to me soon.
Shit, he better. I wasn't going to waste any goddamn time getting to the bottom of this.
Turning on my heel, I strode into the house and took over for Caroline, making sure Madie didn't fall on her way up the narrow steps. Car retreated to the kitchen, yelling that she would whip up some lasagna—her go-to comfort food.
"Bren," Madie sighed as I wrapped my arms around her.
I kissed the side of her head in reply. "Hey, you. Let's get you into bed, huh?"
"I wanna shower first," she whined. "I feel gross."
"Alright. But I'm coming with."
Dr. Webber said that Madie could shower and everything as usual when she got home. But Madie just seemed so out of it. Exhaustion must have set it, and the last thing I needed was for her to slip and fall or some shit. Was I acting over-cautious? Probably. Didn't fucking care, though.
Luckily, Madie grinned warmly.
"I wouldn't want it any other way," she said.
Despite the bit of dread that lingered inside me, I smiled back at her. How could I not?
Five minutes later, Madie and I were pressed together in the shower. Hot water rained down from above, and we melted into each other. Madie let me wrap an arm around her middle from behind. Her back was to my front, and she leaned into the embrace.
My other hand moved in steady circles over her skin, using a washcloth to clean away the last few days.
"I can do it, you know," she said with a heavy note of exasperation.
"Let me," I muttered. "Please."
She didn't argue further. But I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke. "You don't need an excuse to touch me, Bren. You know that, right?"
I laughed. Madie's bit of attitude brought me so much joy.
Dramatically, I let the washcloth drop to the floor. It hit the ground with a loud smack as I used my now-available hands to cup her breasts, tugging her tighter to my chest. Madie gasped.
