by Unger, Erin;
Maddie let the phone fall into her purse and gulped. What now? Raised voices traveled up the stairs. She fished out a new business card. “Here. Could you call me if you see RoRo again? I’m in a real bind. I need to talk to him.”
Again, the raised voice. She turned toward it. There was something familiar. She peered down the stairwell and then gave a fake smile to Beth. “Gotta go. Thanks again.”
“Sure.” Beth put the card down her shirt.
Joze? No. Way.
He popped his head around the turn in the stair. “Madeline Clare. Come here—please.”
Should she be exuberant he was there to help her get past the pervert at the front door?
Beth let her go. “Watch the one step. It’s weak on the far side.”
What side would that be? Maddie took the center the whole way down.
Joze looked like a bull ready to charge a red flag. Steam seemed to pour out his nostrils. “Come on.”
He tried to help her out of the house but she balked. “Hey. Stop.”
It took him a second to let her move of her own accord. Then he plowed down the walk until they were at her car. “Get in.” He eyed the neighboring houses. “Now, please.”
At least he hadn’t forgotten his manners. Maddie hit unlock on the key fob and climbed in.
“Follow me.”
Where’d he come from? She looked around. An ambulance idled three houses down. His ambulance?
As fast as she could, she flipped a U-turn and got back on Route 84 right behind the ambulance.
The further they went, the more her blood boiled. What choice did he think she had? She had to investigate, or the stalking—or worse—would never end.
Was he on his lunch break? How else could he drive out of his jurisdiction?
As they crossed a bridge, trees lined the sidewalk at the other end. The buildings glowed cleaner and whiter.
Joze pulled into a strip mall and flew out of the driver seat.
Her car was barely in park when he yanked her door open. “Are you OK?” He checked her arm. “Did he hurt you?” His wide eyes grazed over her face. “No wounds?”
How could she still be mad at him?
14
Of all the crazy schemes, why’d Maddie have to pick the most dangerous one of all? Joze slammed the car door behind Maddie. Good thing he’d noticed her message right after his last emergency call a couple miles down one of the highways nearby. Because of the sheer number of victims, ambulances had been called in from the county on a three-car accident with multiple critically injured persons. And his buddies were willing to go along with him to follow her since they were all starving and ready for a quick bite to eat. “What’re you doing out here?” He grabbed his head with both hands. “That place houses gang members?”
She braced against her car, hands up and close enough to touch his abdomen. “Wait a minute.”
He breathed, skin tingling even though she hadn’t laid a hand on him. Maddie drove him crazy in more ways than one. He managed to muster some control. “Look, let’s go sit down and talk.”
“I…have a pizza in my car.”
“I’m paying. Come on.” Before he killed her in public.
His two friends and co-workers ogled her from the front seat of the ambulance as they walked. Then they got out of the vehicle. “Hey.”
He stopped. “Maddie, you remember Jim? That’s Tom.”
She kept walking but glanced back. “Hi.”
He waved them on and caught up to her. The other EMTs found a booth of their own but continued to watch Joze as he let her pick the booth she wanted. He mouthed, “Stop,” but they only smirked and stared more. He’d have to talk to them later.
She was smart enough to take a seat at the rear, knowing he was about to start yelling at her.
Joze prayed hard. “Please God, let me keep my cool.” He pulled off a neutral tone even though he wanted to yell through the rafters. “Can you tell me why you were out there?”
She rested her head against the back wall. “I found some addresses in the journal. There’s no difference between sitting at home waiting for the bad man to get me and doing a little investigating.” Then she folded her arms. “So don’t even think you’re going to stop me.”
Calm down. “And you went to one of them to do what?”
“To see if they knew my aunt.” She huffed.
“Listen. You’re acting crazy—” He closed his eyes a moment and then enunciated each word. “Sorry. You’re taking unnecessary risks.”
Maddie crumbled a little. “Yeah,” She pinched her face tight, “It wasn’t very smart to go it alone.”
His heart melted a little more. She wasn’t the same unreasonable Maddie he knew from their college days. He crossed his own arms. But she had kicked him out earlier. “I’m not going away.”
“Even if I paid you?” She couldn’t hide a smirk.
He snorted. “No matter what.”
She stopped and quirked her mouth. “Well, you did leave when I kicked you out.”
He sat forward. “I needed a break.”
Maddie lowered her gaze. “You won’t run off again even if you don’t believe me about Todd?”
She had him there. “You said even your mom didn’t believe you. But let’s stay in the present.”
She forced her way off the seat and pushed her blond hair out of her face. “I can’t believe—”
“I’m sorry.” He reached for her hand before she could pass. He had a way with words like a bull in a china shop. God help him, please. “That was not fair.”
She stopped, her lips one thin line.
He lowered his voice. “Please sit down. I won’t mention it again.”
She actually sat. His stomach slowed its churning.
They ordered drinks and sandwiches.
Joze steepled his hands. “You got a chance to read some of the journal. Did you find a name for your stalker? Because that was my biggest fear…when I saw you going into downtown Hartford.”
“No. Only the addresses, like I said before.”
Oh, yeah. “Your aunt didn’t let on that she was afraid of any particular person?”
She played with her sleeve. “Only someone she called K.”
“Like the woman’s name Kay?”
“No. The letter K. I don’t know if it’s a woman or a man.”
He sipped his drink as they sat in silence. Then he glanced back at his buddies. They were happy with the sandwiches in front of them and not staring down Joze and Maddie anymore.
He turned back. Was she holding back information? They had to call a truce. Now. And it had to involve dropping the past. “I want to start all over, Maddie. We need each other.”
She gaped at him.
He held up a hand. “Wait. Hear me out. I have the connections. You have the journal. Let’s do this together.” Lord help him. “Please. If you want to go to the rough side of town, wait for me. I know some of the people out there.” He caught her eye. “Church ministry. Enough said.”
“Fine, but I’m making the decisions.”
Could he agree to that term? “As long as it doesn’t involve gang members.”
She gave a short laugh. Good, the mood was lightening. “Do you know who RoRo is?”
He was back to full alert. “What does he have to do with this? I’ve heard of him. Stay away from him. He’s part of a gang, and he’s suspected of human trafficking.”
“Well, I’ll get myself a gun. No worries.”
He squeezed his plastic cup hard enough to make the tips of his fingers turn white. Was she serious? “Your pretty face is exactly what he’s looking for. And a little gun won’t stop a whole gang if they come after you. I’m not kidding when I say don’t ever talk to him.”
She grimaced and narrowed her eyes but for once didn’t respond.
Why try to fix the things flying out of his mouth? It was no use.
She took a bite of her sandwich. She did seem different—more…something
. And she’d grown more beautiful in the passing years than he thought possible. With all his promises and deals, did he think he’d manage to keep his distance and move on when the situation was resolved?
Not likely. Even if he wanted to.
15
The restaurant served a steady flow of customers as Joze and Maddie sat in the silence of a truce. Maddie fished the pickle off her plate and took a bite. Tangy. Kind of like Joze. No, no. Don’t fall for his charms. She’d work with him but only because she couldn’t be alone right now. And he had a point. Connections made things easier.
She finished off the pickle, watching Joze the whole time. She’d never known him to stay silent so long.
“I have…some things to do.” She’d better tell him and hope he didn’t get upset all over again. “—Like two more addresses to check. I’m sure you have to get back to work, but…”
He wiped his mouth and eyed her. “I was off for the day, but the crew needed a little support. . So I thought I’d tag along and help the guys. And they were kind enough to drive me on a nice, high-speed chase to find you in return.”
“Hey.” She threw her napkin across the table. “You shouldn’t speed.”
He laughed, picked up the napkin, and dropped it on his empty plate. “Right. If you don’t mind giving me a ride to my car, I can let the guys head back to Anby, and I’ll go with you.”
The waitress dropped their check on the table. Joze pulled out his wallet.
Maddie grabbed the thin paper. “I’ve got this.”
“I said I’d buy you lunch, remember?”
She slowly relinquished it.
She glanced to the other EMTs. “Um, sure.”
He narrowed his eyes and set some bills on top of the check. “Now what’s the plan?”
She dropped her shoulders and looked to the ceiling. “The security place isn’t due to the house until two, so we have enough time to check the second address. It’s here in Hartford.” He opened his mouth wide to say something, but she stopped him. “Cool it. It’s not on the bad side of town—well, not really—I don’t think.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
She rolled her eyes in mock agitation. “If you must.”
He moved out of the booth and held his index finger up to ask her to wait. After talking to his buddies, they waved at her and ambled out of the restaurant.
Joze took slow steps back to her. “Can I see the address?”
She pursed her lips. Then she gave up and took out the journal. Maddie opened it and riffled through until she found the right page. “Here.”
He took it and read it out loud. “I think I know where that is.”
“GPS knows where everything is.” Scooting out, she took the book from him. “Come on.”
On the road, they got back on the highway and headed south.
Joze pressed his arm against the side of the door frame. “What do you think your aunt had to do with RoRo? He’s not the kind of guy innocent old ladies look up.”
“Don’t know.” Maddie wished she could even take a guess. It became more and more obvious that she didn’t know Aunt Lonna at all anymore. Or was it more that the grown-up aunt was really always a different person?
“You never knew of any drug abuse or anything of that nature?”
Maddie wanted to smack him. She gulped in a breath. “Of course not.” There weren’t any signs of such a thing. “Look, RoRo is a surprise to me as much as you, but drugs wouldn’t have anything to do with Aunt Lonna. She was a naturalist through and through. She’d never put that stuff in her body.”
He shrugged. “Well, why else would she be seeking a gang leader? And what do you know about this other address? Did you find anything in the diary to give some clues?”
“Nope.”
They pulled up to a brick six-story building fifteen minutes later. Maddie glanced out the window. “Looks like some type of business park.”
They both got out and stopped in front of the car.
Joze crossed his arms. “The hospital’s right down the street a block. This looks like doctors’ offices.”
Maddie shielded her eyes from the sun. “It does. Come on. let’s go check them out.”
How long would it take to go office to office?
Joze put a hand to her arm. “You know you can’t go flashing around a picture of your aunt. Patient confidentiality. No one’ll talk to you.”
It was worth a try. Maddie headed to the main entrance. But Joze would know. He worked in the medical field. “Fine, but we can take a look.”
The posh gray marble floors and mahogany doors that reached to the ceiling gave the bottom floor an air of opulence and light. Joze guided her to a plaque on the wall. “Take a picture with your phone. Then we can refer back to it later.”
Good thinking. She pulled it out and snapped a few. Cardiologists, ENTs, a pediatrician or two, and a general surgeon’s office covered every floor. Maddie frowned as she ran her finger down the list. Had Aunt Lonna been sick? Why would that be on the list of places to check?
Nothing made any sense. “I don’t get it.”
“You want to go to each floor?”
“Might as well, since we’re here.” She marched from one end of the hall to the other.
At the elevators, they went up to each floor. All identical to the bottom one. She threw up her hands. “This isn’t doing any good. Not when we have no clue what this building meant to my aunt.”
Joze pressed the button to head back down to the first level. They stepped in, the only other occupant a man in a white coat.
Maddie nodded a hello to him. He gave a tight-lipped response and pushed the button to the fifth floor. When the elevator trembled to a stop and the doors opened, he glanced back at them and walked away at a brisk pace.
Typical. “Doctors.”
Joze pressed the button to close the door. He moved closer to her. She eyed him. All the funny little quirky things about him played through her mind. How she’d loved his sense of humor. And the way he’d always looked out for her at college—kind of like he did now—made her want to stop pushing him away. The elevator dropped, sending her stomach into a spin. She braced herself against his arm, and he reached out and steadied her. Why did her heart want to jump back into the old rhythm of desire for him? She forced down the familiar tingle of his closeness. Don’t love him again. He’d never fit into her world again. Not if he couldn’t believe her. And letting the past go wasn’t the same thing as believing her.
Maddie moved a few inches away until her shoulder bumped the black marble wall.
The elevator jerked to a stop. Her arms flailed, of their own accord, out to Joze. Why couldn’t she get her body to agree with her mind? He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as the lights flickered out. “What’s going on?”
“Hold still. It’s only a hiccup in the system, I’m sure.”
She couldn’t stop from moving into his embrace. A shiver traveled through her. Too many heart-pumping, sheer-terror moments of the last twenty-four hours passed through her mind.
When the lights didn’t come on and the machine didn’t start to descend in a normal everyday way, Maddie fought to take a breath and urged her heart to keep its normal rhythm. “Joze…”
He dropped one of his hands. “It’s fine. This happens now and then. Let me get to the buttons.”
As he released her, Maddie forced her arms to her side. Stop being ridiculous. Stop letting fear work into every muscle. Who even knew they were there?
Then a screech and a crack sent the elevator plummeting down.
Maddie couldn’t keep her balance. She fell to the floor with a yelp.
Joze’s arms were back around her, hoisting her up. He pulled her to the button panel. With a thump, he hit the emergency button. In a split second, the elevator jolted to a stop.
Maddie screamed and squeezed her eyes closed.
The lights came back on.
The doors opened as if nothing had happened.
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The flesh of Joze’s skin under her nails dimpled, and red marks popped up. She released him so fast she almost fell out of the elevator. Get out. Get out. “Sorry.”
Her shoes smacked onto the marble tiles, safe on the first floor.
Joze rewrapped his arms around her, his breath coming out in ragged bursts.
They both sagged against the wall to catch their breath. Maddie twisted her head side to side at the people heading down the hall. “What just happened? That could’ve been a fluke event, right?”
A couple moved to the elevator. Maddie and Joze both yelled, “Stop.”
The couple pulled back and frowned.
With his hand blocking their entrance, Joze stood up straight. “It’s broken. We almost went through the basement floor.”
The man took three steps back and frowned. “Maybe we’ll take the stairs.”
Joze nodded and caught his breath as they hurried away. “I can’t let anyone fall in that elevator. I just can’t. I promise I’ll be right back.. I better get someone to put up an ‘out of service’ sign. You stay here and keep anyone from getting on it.”
No, no, no. Don’t leave me here. Maddie watched him disappear. It could not be a coincidence that the elevator had almost killed them. That meant the stalker could be here. She pressed her back to the wall, hands splayed on the cool surface of the wall.
Three separate people tried to climb on.
“No. This one is out of service.” She wasn’t about to tell them they almost died like Joze had told the first couple. Who knew what shape the other elevator was in either? “You might want to take the stairs.”
Most of them took her advice except one gray-haired man who waved off her comment. She watched the numbers change in a slow ascent. It stopped as it should.
She breathed a sigh. It was only their elevator that was malfunctioning.
She scanned the people coming and going. No familiar faces.
The working elevator dinged beside her, making her jump and yelp.
Someone slid out when the doors opened. A woman in a navy business suit, with a wheeled bag trailing behind her.