Games 023

Games 023
Maddox POV

The sitting room was quiet after she went upstairs.

I stayed on the couch, scrolling through reports but not really reading them. I was already exhausted.

My phone buzzed on the table. Ryan’s name flashed on the screen.

“Yeah?” I answered.

“Boss, we’ve got another client. Senator’s son, he wants protection for a few weeks.”

“Tell him we’ll pick out a few guards for selection,” I said calmly, leaning back.

There was a pause before Ryan added, “And about miss Winnie…”

My jaw flexed slightly. “What about her?”

“She said she’s coming back by tomorrow or next. She wants to choose her guards personally.”

I sighed at the thought, of course Winnie would do this. She always wanted to be in control, even when we were friends, she would stick up to me, clinging to me like a perfume that refuses to leave.

“Tell the other clients their guards are ready,” I said, deliberately ignoring the bait.

“Uh, you might want to hear this part,” Ryan said, sounding half amused. “She said you are picking with her, so you must be present.”

I exhaled through my nose, slow. “She really was something else.”

“You want me to tell her anything specific?”

“Yeah,” I said, standing up and stretching my neck. “Tell her alright.”

Ryan chuckled under his breath. “Copy that.”

The call ended. I dropped the phone on the table and leaned back on the couch, exhaling through my nose. “Of course she did.”

Some people never learned boundaries, especially when money and entitlement were involved.

My jaw tightened as I reached for my cigarette case. I hadn’t smoked in a week, but tonight was one of those nights. The first drag burned the back of my throat, grounding me.

I sat there for a long moment, the smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling, before muttering,
“She really was something else.”

Tomorrow would be messy.

\~~~~~

It was already morning. The clock hit 7:20 when I stepped out of my room, already dressed in black slacks and a dark shirt, sleeves rolled once. My gun was holstered under the jacket— a habit I had grown accustomed to.

The house was dead silent. No signs of Maddie not Eva. Of course she was still asleep.

I moved through the corridor without sound, but the moment I reached the stairs, I paused.

I checked my watch again. 7:21. She was supposed to be ready by six-thirty.

A dry chuckle escaped me. “Unbelievable.”

I poured myself a coffee from the machine, the bitter scent filling the air. I didn’t drink it for the taste—just the burn that reminded me I was still functioning.

Ryan’s voice came through the Bluetooth earpiece. “Boss, cars are ready. You leaving soon?”

“When my new recruit decides to wake up,” I said flatly.

There was a pause. “Miss Maddie?”

I didn’t bother replying, silence was answer enough.

Ryan chuckled softly. “You sure about bringing her into this line of work?”

“I don’t do ‘sure,’ Ryan. I do results,” I said, my tone cutting clean.

“Right. I’ll wait at the garage.”

The line clicked off.

I set the coffee down, eyes narrowing at the ceiling. “Sleeping beauty better get her ass downstairs in sixty seconds.”

When the seconds passed with nothing but silence, I climbed the stairs, slow and steady, counting each step I took.

I stopped in front of her door. Knocked once.

No answer.

Knocked again, harder this time. “Maddie.”

Still nothing.

I gripped the handle. “If you don’t open this door in ten seconds, I’ll make sure your first day ends before it even starts.”

There was a faint groan. “Five more minutes.”

My jaw flexed.

“Five more minutes,” I repeated under my breath, the words rolling slow like a threat. “We’ll see about that.”

I turned, walking back downstairs. I could already hear her footsteps rushing after a few seconds, panic, confusion, half wake.

By the time she appeared at the bottom of the stairs, breathless, hair a tangled mess, I was standing by the door, watch on my wrist, coat in hand.

“You’ve got thirty seconds,” I said without looking at her.

She froze. “Thirty seconds for what?”

“To look human.”

Her mouth parted. “You’re—”

“—Counting.”

The word landed like a gun click.

She scowled and rushed off, mumbling curses under her breath. I smirked at her retreating figure. "Who plays around with a gun. Are you a criminal?" I could hear her scream before bouncing her door locked.

I sat on the couch, resting my elbows on my knees, placing the coffee still steaming on the table. I checked the time again. 7:38. I gave her until forty. No more.

The house was quiet again, except for the ticking clock on the wall and the faint hum of the espresso machine. I leaned back on the coach.

The sound of her foam slippers making squishy noises across the tiles pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned my head slowly.

She came rushing down the stairs, hair slightly damp from a half done shower, blouse buttoned wrongly, jacket barely hanging off her shoulder, and a bag that looked like she packed it in the dark.

I arched a brow. “You’re late.”

“I’m early, technically,” she shot back, brushing past me to grab her shoes. “Since you didn’t give me an exact time.”

I watched her struggle with the strap, amused. “You were supposed to be ready at six-thirty.”

Her head snapped up. “You never said that!”

“I did.”

“When?”

I sipped my coffee. “In my head. You were supposed to read it.”

She glared at me, tying her shoe tighter than necessary. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re slow,” I replied evenly, setting my cup down. “Let’s go.”

“Go where? You still haven’t told me where exactly I’m working.”

I slipped my watch into place and grabbed my coat. “You’ll see.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Didn’t say it was.”

She followed me out to the car, muttering things under her breath that I pretended not to hear. Ryan was already waiting by the black Limousine, his sunglasses on and a wide grin.

“Morning, boss. Morning, Miss Maddie,” he said with that teasing lilt that always made people want to punch him.

Maddie forced a small smile. “Hi.”

Ryan opened the door for her, still grinning. “You ready for your first day?”

She glanced between him and me, suspicious. “I guess?”

I slid into the seat beside her, shutting the door behind us. The engine purred to life.

As the car rolled out of the driveway, Maddie looked out the window, frowning slightly. “This doesn’t look like the route to any office building.”

“It isn’t,” I said simply.

“Then where—”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

She sighed, crossing her arms. “You love keeping people in the dark, don’t you?”

“It keeps them from asking stupid questions,” I said, eyes still fixed ahead.

Ryan chuckled from the front seat. “You’ll get used to it, Miss Maddie. Or not.”

She glared at him through the rearview mirror. “Not helping.”

He raised a brow, smirking. “Just saying.”

I ignored their back and forth, glancing out the tinted window. The city shifted as we drove, the neat streets fading into my guards training ground.

Maddie’s voice softened slightly. “You… really run a bodyguard company?”

“Among other things,” I said, tone unreadable.

“What ‘other things’?”

Ryan laughed quietly, cutting her a glance through the mirror. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Her brows furrowed. “That sounds like something criminals say right before kidnapping someone.”

Ryan grinned wider. “Depends who’s asking.”

I shot him a look that made him instantly shut up.

She didn’t notice, her attention was on the massive metal gates up ahead. Two guards in black approached, weapons slung casually by their sides. One tapped the window; I lowered it halfway.

“Morning, boss,” the guard greeted.

I gave a curt nod. The system picked in the sound of my car and unlocked the gates. Rows of cars, men sparring, gunfire echoing faintly in the distance.

Maddie’s eyes widened. “What the—”

I leaned back, watching her expression change from confusion to disbelief. “Welcome to your workplace.”

She turned to me sharply. “This is… a mafia base!”

“Security firm,” I corrected smoothly.

“Security firm, my ass!” she snapped. “Those men are holding rifles!”

“Efficiently,” I added.

Her jaw dropped. “You tricked me!”

“No,” I said calmly, stepping out of the car. “You accepted the job.”

She gaped at me, still frozen in her seat.

I turned slightly, glancing back at her. “You coming, or do you plan on staying there till someone mistakes you for a hostage?”

Her glare could’ve killed a man. I smirked faintly.

Yeah.
This was going to be fun.