Going Mad For Maddox

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

MADDOX

I SHOVE MY front door open, the wood slamming against the wall, and storm inside, my breath ragged and uneven. I could feel, Ryat, right behind me, his presence steady but wordless, knowing better than to try to calm me down. My hands were trembling, and my jaw was locked so tight it felt like my teeth might crack.

I was barely holding it together. Barely.

I need to find Kodi and I need to do it quick. If the Widow has her I don't know how much time she might have left.

The dim light of the living room hits me, Demetri and Isabella, sitting on the couch waiting for something—anything. Their heads snap up as soon as I enter, tension hanging heavy in the air. Demetri has that worried look in his eyes, like he wanted to ask something but wasn't sure if he should. Isabella, tried to play it cool, leaning back like this was just another night. But I could see it in the way her foot tapped against the floor.

They were waiting for answers. Answers I barely had.

"Well?" My cousin was the first to break the silence. "Did you get anything out of Gio or Seamus?"

I threw my hoodie onto the arm of the couch and started pacing, the anger bubbling up, threatening to spill over. "A name," I said finally, my voice rough. "I got a damn name."

Demetri leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, eyes locked on me. "That's good right? What name?"

The room went still for a second. Dem straightened in his chair, while Isabella raised an eyebrow, her expression caught somewhere between curiosity and skepticism.

I hesitated, the weight of the name lingering in my throat. "The Widow," I tell them, my voice low but firm.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint hum of the AC. Then, Isabella froze. Completely. Her shoulders stiffened, her face went pale, and her hand gripped the edge of the arm rest so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"The Widow?" Isabella whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded. "Yeah. Do you know about her?"

Isabella didn't respond immediately. She sat there, staring at some invisible point on the wall, her jaw tightening. Ryat, sensing the shift in energy, leans back, watching her carefully while Demetri moved closer to her, gripping the back of her neck gently, almost as if he's trying stabilize her senses.

"Isabella," I pressed, my voice sharper now. "Do you know her or not?"

She finally looked up at me, her eyes dark with something I couldn't quite place. Fear? Dread? "Yeah," she said slowly. "I know her. Everyone in my circle knows her—or knows of her."

"What are you talking about?" Ryat cuts in. "Who exactly is she?"

She let out a shaky breath, leaning closer to my cousin's side. "The Widow isn't just some woman. She's powerful. Dangerous. Runs in circles that make most criminals look like amateurs. If her name is tied to this, then we're dealing with someone who doesn't just break the rules—she rewrites them."

The room went still.

"So what?" I express, my voice hard. "I know she's dangerous. Fine. That doesn't change anything. She has Kodi, and I'm not stopping until I get to her."

Isabella shook her head. "You don't get it. the Widow doesn't play fair, and she doesn't forgive. If you go after her, you better be prepared for a war."

"I'm not scared of her." Far from it actually. She has someone who belongs to me, if anything she should be terrified for what's about to come her way.