Where to Belong

by W.J. Smith

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The Call

  The morning came easily to Madison. Chase slept in a little later than usual. She maintained quiet activities so as not to bother him. She noticed in passing that the box with the cat collar was gone. Skyler had once again come and gone without her being aware of it.

  The early shower lasted longer than necessary. She savored the relaxing heat in the multi-headed shower stall. The fragrance of the strawberry shampoo and body wash always mixed well in the steamy atmosphere.

  It must have been the smell of coffee that finally called Chase from his room. It hadn't been brewing long when he made his trace-like walk into the kitchen and straight for his coffee mug. Madison put a few bagels in the toaster for breakfast for the two of them.

  "So," Chase started right off, "you and Skyler? I'd like to say I saw it coming, but you two are hard to read."

  She forced a laugh to keep from blushing. "I don't know. He has a lot going right now. It's a little early to tell."

  He shook his head as he took the carton of cream cheese from her. "He doesn't have anything going. Are you kidding? I don't know where he works, and I bet you don't either. That's because he doesn't work. I think he is some kind of noble born rebel type who is running around as a vigilante. He's only pretending to be swamped with work."

  The sheer creativity of his claim tickled her. Madison managed to swallow the urge to laugh. The look on his face told that he had put quite a bit of thought into it. He was being serious. She gave a shrug and nodded as if she was following his meaning. "That would explain the G-Wagon," she said with a sincere smile.

  "Well, maybe. I was aiming more so at the random hours and the strange phone calls. He is too secretive for it to be the average business deal, and he is too relaxed for it to be anything truly dangerous."

  "Isn't vigilante work dangerous?"

  "It is if you don't know what you're doing. My guess is that he trained with serious agents of some sort. He couldn't tolerate all the red tape and protocol. Thus he went on his own." Chase bowed his head as he concluded, marking the end of his long debated theory.

  She watched him as he turned his attention back to his bagel. He had spent too much time working on his own stories for his graphic novel, and it was bleeding into the reality around him. But still, he wasn't completely off. Skyler could pass as a double agent working both for and against Morgan. It was more dangerous than he was letting on. She could see it in his eyes when he would mention his plan to escape Morgan.

  "Do you two have anything going for tonight that I should be aware of?" Chase bounced his brows.

  "Only watching a movie. You're more than welcome to join us."

  He leaned back and studied her. "Do we need to establish a signal you can give me in case things are going well? I can find somewhere to go if you need some alone time."

  She gave him a warning glare. Her cheeks warmed as she blushed before she could look away. "It isn't like that. You're safe."

  Much to her relief, the breakfast chatter turned to other subjects. She hoped to avoid thinking about what was developing between her and Skyler until a later time. He made it clear that he had much to consider at the time, and she didn't want to complicate his situation.

  Chase eventually headed back to his room to concentrate on his project. He had mentioned that he was on a roll, and he seemed to be distracted in a good way. He just might be onto something.

  Madison picked up her routine cleaning around the apartment. The kitchen took most of her time with the well stuffed dishwasher. She was able to stay busy for the most part of the day. A few breaks to read the headlines on the computer and to check some orders kept her from being too bored.

  After lunch, she couldn't help overhearing Chase take a call that had him sounding worried. He didn't make many replies to whoever was on the line, but when he did, there was a certain anxiousness in his tone. "I understand," he repeated again and again. She held her place in the kitchen and wondered what was going on.

  Chase was pacing in his room then looked to Madison and started towards her. She gazed at him as he approached. He still held the phone to his ear, his expression hard to read. He might have been irritated or unsettled by whatever was being said. He waited at the counter for a moment then held the phone out for her to take.

  She pointed at herself with a questioning gaze. He nodded and looked to the phone. She tentatively took it, and Chase turned away as soon as he was freed of the device. Holding to her ear, she found her voice, "Hello?"

  "Madison, it's me," Skyler's hushed voice came through. "Just listen to me. I got the collar. It's safe. They're onto me, and I don't think I can shake them this time. You have to get out of the apartment. Morgan has sent a group that way. He knows you are there. Get out. Chase is going to take you somewhere safe until I can get back in touch ..."

  "Skyler, wait! What's happening?"

  "You have to do what I say. Don't wait. Go now. You're going to be fine." He paused for a moment, and there was an odd rustling noise. He had set the phone down. Skyler began speaking again, but he wasn't talking to her, "I said I was coming." An unfamiliar voice came next, but she couldn't make out his words. Then Skyler started again, "I don't need an escort. I know my way. Geoff knows how long it takes. He'll understand."

  There was a long silence. Madison's heart raced. Where was Skyler, and how was he going to get out of this one? She tried to think of a way to help him, but she was completely blind as to where to even begin.

  The silence was replaced with another noise. He was driving again, the rumble of the V-8 was a tone she'd know anywhere. Rustling again, the phone was being picked up. "I've got to go, Madison. I'm sorry. I'm going to fix this, but you have to get out of there. Stay with Chase. He knows where to go."

  With that, the line went dead. The call ended. She stared at the inactive phone and struggled with the dazed fog that filled her head.

  Chase came beside her and set a coat on the counter. "We need to go," he said softly. His voice came with a calmness that contradicted his posture and expression.

  "Where are we going?"

  He waited for her to put the coat on before answering. "My parents are in Europe for a month and the house is empty. The housing community has a crazy security system that no one can get by. Once we're inside, no one can come close without making it past the guard booths and patrols. I have an access pass and keys to the house. We can hang out there until Skyler calls again."

  She nodded and let him guide her to the door. His plan was solid. That was if they could reach his parents' house. They would have to hurry. She didn't even know who they were running from once again. She was tired of running from faceless shadows.

  As they reached the door, Madison paused. She couldn't leave just yet. She left Chase and hurried into the bathroom and snatched up her gold chain and diamond ring from the vanity top. It wasn't for Morgan. It was to remind her that she had something to lose this time around.

  The cold of the parking garage nearly took her breath away as they were struck by the winter air. She had not been out of the apartment for a month and became accustomed to the steady warmth. Even with Chase keeping a tight hold on her as they scurried to his car, the frozen wind seemed to come from every direction.

  His small, blue, two door sports car was chilly, but much more tolerable than the outside air. Chase started the engine and pushed a few buttons on the console. Madison quickly appreciated the luxury of heated seats. He apparently noticed her fascination. For a moment, his nervous expression flashed back to his usual mischievous smirk. But only for a moment.

  The little car sped down the ramps in the garage, turning tightly around the turns of each level until reaching the ground floor. Chase pointed his car for the exit and stepped on it, completely ignorant of the tenants walking in the lane. He raced past them coming within inches of those who called his blu
ff and meandered too long.

  As they came to the road, they had to wait their turn to merge into traffic. Madison scanned their surroundings and wished she knew what she was looking for. One point offered some solace; they could easily disappear in all the traffic. Maybe. Or would the traffic hinder them if they needed to make a quick escape?

  Chase drummed the steering wheel and nosed out in attempts to force his way into the lane. No one cared. The jammed cars jammed up even more. He let out a frustrated sigh and looked to Madison with an apologetic frown. She nodded in understanding and thought to reassure him, but something caught her eye.

  There was a big, black SUV that had pulled into the garage and was waiting to be allowed entry by the guard. The driver side window rolled down, and an uncomfortably familiar face peered out and met her stare. It was Levi.