“Madeleine?” Michael’s anger hit her in the solar plexus. It was subtle, but she was so conditioned to feel it, to understand it. She dug her fingernails into her palms and took a short step backwards, her body trembling in instant rejection of the possessive way he looked at her. Her skin was crawling with disgust.
“You know each other?” Nico’s surprise was obvious. Maddie dragged her gaze to his face, her mouth open, but completely unable to form words. As if sensing her panic, dear, loyal Dante came to her side, nuzzling her hand so she reflexively opened her palm and patted between his eyes.
“You could say that.” Michael took a step towards Maddie and a gurgling noise escaped her throat. So much for being different! She was just the same as she’d been in their relationship.
Afraid. Weak.
But no! She wouldn’t be. She wouldn’t. She’d grown since then, she’d changed.
“Michael?” Nico’s voice held a warning. If Maddie could have seen herself, she would have recognised that she was as white as a sheet, her eyes huge, her fear obvious, even from halfway across the room.
“What the hell?” Michael moved away from Nico, towards Maddie, so Dante’s ears pricked and he adopted a different stance. “Is this where you’ve been?”
Finally, she found her voice. “Where I’ve been isn’t your concern.”
“What did you say?” She flinched as though he’d hit her. Dante moved in front of her, blocking her from Michael. “How the hell did you meet Nico?”
“Would someone mind telling me what’s going on?” Nico was moving closer too, his worry obvious, his raised tone aimed
at Michael.
“I…”
But she couldn’t speak. In that moment, all she could wish was that she’d told Nico the truth. He didn’t deserve this – to have it explode around him. She should have explained before now, she should have chosen the right moment and confessed.
“Up until a few months ago, Madeleine was my fiancé. Then I come home from work one day and she’s gone, without a trace. That’s what the hell is going on.” Michael’s fury was appreciable. Spittle formed in the corners of his lips. He stared at her in that vile way of his, and panic and adrenalin flooded through her. Dante barked: loud, shrieking barks that pierced the silence so Maddie didn’t see Nico move sideways a little, to the wall, where he pressed a discreet button just beneath a light switch. All her attention was focussed on the barking dog. Michael’s reaction to the noise was instant.
He lifted one leg, a powerful, strong leg, crushing it into Dante’s side.
“My God, Michael, No!” An impossible panic burst through her. Seeing Dante hurt was too much to bear. She crouched down, hugging the whimpering dog to her frame, glaring at Michael with disbelief and rage. But Nico was there, his hand on Michael’s shoulder, spinning him around to look at him, his own body radiating tension.
“This is him?” The question was obviously meant for Maddie, and he softened his voice accordingly, his attempt at speaking gently appreciated by Maddie even when she was acting on autopilot alone.
“Him who?” Michael demanded, pulling out of Nico’s grip, turning back to Maddie. She was vulnerable like this, but she wouldn’t let go of Dante. He needed her. She held him close, tears falling down her cheeks, her hand stroking the dog’s dark fur, trying to calm him when she was a riot of nerves.
“This is the guy?” Nico repeated.
She nodded, her eyes beseeching, her words stammered. “I should have told you. I didn’t know when we first met…”
“What the hell?” Michael, once more. “Was this some kind of sick plan to get back at me? You come to Italy and what? Screw one of my oldest friends?”
“It wasn’t like that,” but she was talking to Nico, needing him to understand. Fear and pain lanced her. Survival instincts but also a desperate need for Nico to know she hadn’t planned any of this.
“You little bitch. I have been looking everywhere for you. Do you know how worried I’ve been?”
At that, she drew her gaze back to Michael, the idea he’d been worried filling her with scorn. “I was safe the minute I walked away from you.”
“What the hell did you just say to me?” Michael moved closer, his expression menacing, and Maddie flinched, but she didn’t back down.
Nico’s voice was like ice. “Quiet. Do not say another word.”
Michael’s response intensified. “You think you can tell me what I can and can’t do, Montebello?” Michael reached down, grabbing Maddie’s hair and pulling at it, so Dante barked furiously and Maddie yelped. She lifted a hand to his wrist, scratching his skin and he brought the other hand down on her face.
The pain was familiar. A bright sensation behind one eye, and a dull ache in her cheekbone. But then Michael was being wrenched away, Nico’s response immediate. Size wise, they were comparable though – she couldn’t say who was stronger. Maddie screamed, her nightmares becoming reality as Michael lifted his fist once more and crashed it against Nico’s right cheek before swiftly bringing it to his chest. She saw Nico lurch backwards before he regained his footing and reached for Michael, grabbing his fist and twisting it behind his back.
“You dare punch a woman?” He demanded, twisting the arm harder so Michael winced. “You dare kick a dog?”
“I’ll kick you if you let go of me.”