Captured (Castile Family 1)

“Oh Christ,” Cullen says, reaching for his cuffs at the same time the unknown female launches herself, claws out, at me.

11

Luna

I scream from behind Maddox, who is between June and me. Cullen grabs June before she can reach Maddox. I stand there in shock that June went to attack Maddox. Okay, maybe that’s not so shocking. At one point when I was sitting at the table with her I thought she was going to come across the table and hit me.

I quit. There was no choice. She didn’t agree with me at first but then somehow she turned it into her firing me. Quit, fired, I didn’t care. I just wanted to wipe my hands clean of her because after that kiss I knew I couldn’t tell her anything about Maddox. I couldn’t even bring myself to give her the document he’d given me with all of his financial information on it. I didn’t care that he’d said it was public record. It still felt wrong. I didn’t want to betray his trust and handing that paper over felt as if I were doing so. Her actions over lunch have me feeling grateful that I didn’t give her anything she could use against Maddox. She is crazier than all of us. I think.

Or maybe I am in shock that Maddox said he and I are getting married this Saturday. It clicks into place that this party I am planning is our wedding. I shove that crazy thought down because there is no way that I’m organizing my own wedding. The event I am organizing is this very weekend. I’m not even dating Maddox.

Who gets married without doing certain things first? You know, like the whole dating thing, getting engaged and most of all, with the future bride maybe having an idea that she’s going to get hitched. I’m starting to feel like I really am on one of the reality shows MJ loves so much.

“I want a restraining order. She is never to go near my darling girl again.” Maddox wraps an arm around me, pulling me close. June is in handcuffs, going nowhere. Cullen has a firm hold on her but Maddox acts like she could come at me at any moment.

“Darling girl?” June screeches so loud my ears hurt. I want to correct her and say wife but that would make me crazy too because I’m not his wife. My name isn’t Luna Castile no matter how many times I doodled it. “She’s your stalker is what she is! Did she tell you she’s been watching you for weeks? That I’m paying her?”

June lets all the cats out of the bag. Might as well get it all out there. This is what MJ would call a shit show. Which she would love. Maybe not if we are roped into it but from afar she would be enjoying this. To be honest, since I’m smack in the middle of all this I’m not sure how she will respond when I tell her everything. If she was here June would be worse off than she is now with cuffs on her. There is no way that MJ would stand for someone acting in a threatening manner toward me. Although I wish she were here to comfort me, I’m glad she’s not for June’s sake.

“I did wonder who was paying her. It’s a little disappointing to hear that she wasn’t stalking me of her own volition but I’ll forgive it,” Maddox replies.

Cullen shakes his head. He’s clearly the only sane person here. I look up at Maddox. His face is completely serious.

“You knew?” I ask.

His eyes lower to meet mine. “It brought you to me.”

My heart flutters. Without June I wouldn’t have met Maddox. Never would have had that kiss that turned my world upside down. Now it’s being flipped again and I don’t know what’s up or down. Who is right or wrong here. Most importantly, I didn’t know who was crazy and who was sane at this point.

“I have to go.” I try and pull from Maddox, but he doesn’t let me go.

“Where do you want to go?” He searches my face for something. If he finds something he should let me know because I don’t even understand what I’m feeling right now. I just know I need to get out of here. I can never think straight when I’m this close to Maddox. Because what I want to say is to our cake tasting.

“Home.”

I feel his body stiffen.

“Let her go, Maddox. She’s freaked out,” Cullen advises. June keeps jabbering on. I’m not listening.

“Let me take you?” He lets his arm around me drop away but he doesn’t move from my side. Two uniformed cops walk in, taking June from Cullen.

“You sucked as a private investigator,” June yells as she’s escorted out. The events of today are overwhelming and I just want to get home to MJ at this point. June’s last words struck that chord deep inside me that my mom cemented there. I am never going to be good at anything. Maddox deserves better than that. I’ll mess up being a wife too. I know what kind of family he came from. It’s pretty and shiny. I’ve gotten glimpses of them all from my digging and they are all established, having these grand lives. Each one of them is accomplished in their careers.