“I believe the blame for what happened with Evan rests with me,” Joe admitted. He took a couple of steps toward Madison. “Evan’s father drove for the family for a couple of years. He knew your parents’ marriage was broken.”
“He blackmailed me,” her mom blurted out. “Stupidly, I paid the money on the condition he left my employment. He signed an NDA and that was that.”
“But I was angry that he’d extorted money from your mom. So I made sure his reputation was…muddied.” Joe gave Madison an apologetic smile. “I might not have been in a relationship with your mom, but I was there for her, and I swore to protect her with every fiber of my being.”
Madison stepped forward and hugged Joe. “You were looking out for the woman you loved.” She held him close for a moment and then let him go and hugged her mom instead.
Connie went rigid in her arms before she eventually relaxed and hugged her daughter back. “Perhaps this is a time for new beginnings.”
“I hope so, Mom.” Madison held her mom close, enjoying the moment. However, she hadn’t forgotten Rob and his need to see the video footage of the explosion. Madison didn’t just want a new beginning for herself and her mom, she also wanted one for Rob’s family, too.
Chapter Twenty – Rob
It was good to see Madison and her mom finally clearing the air and putting their relationship back together. It was also good to hear Joe take responsibility for what caused Evan to act the way he did.
“So Evan had no idea why his dad left your employ?” Madison asked.
“No, I don’t suppose his father told him the real reason.” Her mom gave a sad smile. “Parents are good at hiding things from their children.”
“Maybe if they were more open about things, there wouldn’t be so many confused kids around,” Joe told Connie bluntly.
“You have a point.” Connie smoothed her skirt down as she and Madison parted. “Right, I think I need that tea now.”
“If it was later in the day, I think I’d need something stronger.” Madison handed tea to everyone, before sitting down on the sofa, her cup in her hands.
“If it were later in the day, I might join you.” Connie sat down in one of the chairs, then leaned forward and took a cookie from the plate. “I’ll make do with a sugar rush instead.”
“Help yourself.” Madison glanced up at Rob, who shared an encouraging smile with his mate.
Madison looked relaxed, almost happy, but she wasn’t ready to let go and trust that her relationship with her mom was completely healed. That was going to take time and effort on both sides. But hopefully, they would both commit to finding a way forward and let their relationship bloom.
“So, Rob, you are my daughter’s mate,” Connie helped herself to another cookie.
“I am. I suppose we have you to thank for that. If you hadn’t hired me, we would never have met.” Rob stood by the door. Not to guard it, but because he didn’t feel as though he were part of the family, unlike Joe, who seated himself in the other chair, facing Connie and Madison.
“Joe always tells me shifters find their mates when the time is right. Which, considering how long he waited to tell me we were mates and explain what shifters were, I find hard to believe. However, seeing as you came into Madison’s life when she needed someone to watch over her, I am ready to believe him.” Connie finished her cookie, her eyes fixed on her daughter. “I’m glad you are safe, Madison.”
“I didn’t rescue Madison,” Rob told them. “She did a good job of rescuing herself. I was only there at the end.”
“But there may be another reason Rob and I found each other when we did,” Madison began and Rob held his breath as she continued. “You’ve spoken to Rob’s sister recently.”
“I did?” Connie asked.
“Yes, Ray Hodson. She lost her husband when the vehicle he was traveling in exploded.” Madison glanced nervously at Rob. “You saw the video footage.”
“Oh, yes, I remember. Terrible loss of life.” Connie placed her cup down carefully on the table. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Rob replied.
“The thing is…” Madison continued. “Colm was a shifter, too. A bird shifter. And…”
“And you think he may have flown from the vehicle?” Joe asked quickly.
“Yes. Is it possible for Rob to watch the video footage?” Madison asked.
“Not without the proper security clearance,” Connie replied.
“What if you re-watched it and looked for something specific?” Rob asked, coming around to sit next to Madison. He leaned forward, his hands clasped together. “Colm is a dove. Maybe if you watch closely, you might see him flying away from the vehicle before it explodes.”
“Connie?” Joe asked gently as Madison’s mom stood up and walked to the window.
“And what if there is footage of him flying away? There has been no contact, no ransom demand.” Connie Singer stared out of the window at the city below.
“Connie, if there is any chance Colm is alive, we have to explore all possibilities.” Joe stood up and went to Connie, his arm circling her shoulders.
“I don’t want anyone to get their hopes up,” Connie said quietly as she turned back to face her mate.
“We all need hope, Connie. It’s what kept me by your side for the years when I couldn’t tell you we were mates.” Joe went to Connie and leaned his head against hers. “You could put the request in now and this could all be cleared up.”
“Mom, Rob and his family need to know for certain that there is no chance Colm got out alive.” Madison placed her cup down and then went to her mom. “I’ve never asked you for anything before. But I’m asking you for this.”
Connie sighed and then nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you, Mom.” Madison hugged her mom, something that still seemed unnatural to both of them.
Connie pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and stood up. “I’ll do it now.”
Connie left the room and Madison stood up and went to Rob. “Hopefully we can get some answers.”
Rob nodded. “Thank you.”
Joe pushed himself up from his seat. “Connie is right, though. Where do you see this going? If there is footage showing a bird flying away from the explosion, what do you intend to do?”
Rob had thought this over and over. It had been on repeat in his head since he heard the news. Only meeting Madison had disrupted his thoughts of going in and rescuing his brother-in-law.
“We’ll go in and get him,” Madison answered for him.
“We will go in and get him?” Joe asked pointedly.
“Yes. We’re mates, we’re a team. I certainly wouldn’t let Rob go alone.” Madison’s firm expression was incredible, and Rob believed her. But that was not going to happen, he would never allow her to put herself in danger. Not for him, not for anyone.
“Madison, this is something for highly-trained personnel.” He wanted to let her down gently.
She turned to face him. “You are not going alone. And anyway, you’ll need a reason to go. I could go there to highlight the plight of women.”
Rob’s expression softened and he hugged Madison close, inhaling the scent of her clean hair and absorbing the heat of her body. “Thank you.”
“But you’re still not going,” Joe said. “If Rob goes, I’ll accompany him.”
“You will not,” Connie said from the doorway. She held her phone in her hand as she entered the room. “I have arranged to view the footage. It will be sent to my tablet.” She crossed the room and took the tablet from her purse as if the conversation was settled.
“Connie, I’m going with Rob.” Joe went to his mate and placed his hand on her back. She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. “You know I have to do this.”
“I don’t want to lose you. Not when we’ve only just found each other.” Connie’s voice broke as she spoke.
“I have to, Connie. For Madison.” Joe hugged Connie, who looked up at her daughter
from the arms of her mate.
“Joe, you don’t have to do this for me,” Madison insisted.
“I do. Rob is your mate, and that makes him family. So if he’s going to go find Colm, he needs backup.” Joe placed his hands on either side of Connie’s face and turned her to face him. “You can arrange it. We’ll be in and out before anyone even knows we are there.”
Connie nodded. “Let’s see what the footage shows first.” She opened the cover of her tablet and pressed the power button. With a heavy sigh, she scrolled through the screens and then entered her password. Tapping the screen, she crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand as she watched the footage.
Rob waited with Madison and Joe, watching Connie’s expression, but it didn’t change as she tapped the screen and watched the clip again.
She would make an amazing poker player, Rob’s bear said candidly.
I can see why she’s a good diplomat, Rob replied, she gives nothing away.
Connie watched the video clip again, this time she used her fingers on the touchscreen to zoom in. “I think I see something.”
Rob let out a pent-up breath and Madison reached out for his hand and entwined her fingers with his. “Colm?”
“Perhaps. As the explosion happens, something white does fly out from the vehicle. But it’s impossible to tell what it is.” She looked up at Rob. “I’ll replay that short section for you. Then I’ll get tech support to try to clean up the image.”
Rob crossed the room to hunker down next to Connie, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.
“Let me see.” Rob leaned in and watched the short video clip. He couldn’t see the vehicle, only a small cloud of debris flying outward, with a white blur on the edge, that may or may not be a dove.
“Inconclusive at best,” Connie said, pressing play again. “It could be anything.”
“Do you have any footage from after the explosion?” Rob asked. “The guys in the transporter behind might have captured something else after the dust settled.”
“I can get them, but it won’t be for a few hours.” Connie glanced at Joe before continuing. “And this still doesn’t tell us if he is alive or dead.”
“You’re right.” Rob stood up and rubbed his hand across his jaw. “I’m going there to find him myself.”
“Rob, you need to think this through with a clear head,” Connie instructed, her voice calm and rational.
“I have a clear head.” Rob stood up. “Even if the other footage shows Colm flying away, it doesn’t tell us if he’s dead or alive now. And if we see him land on the ground, it doesn’t tell us…”
“If he’s dead or alive,” Madison finished. “He could just be stunned.”
“Exactly.” Rob’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I have to go so I can prove to myself and to Ray that I’ve done everything I can.”
“Connie, can you help us?” Joe asked his mate gently.
“I don’t want you to go. It’s a bad idea. You two are risking your life on a vague image that might be a bird.” Connie snapped the case of her tablet shut and shoved it in her purse. “I won’t be a part of it.”
“What if it was me left there?” Joe persisted. “What if it was Madison? Wouldn’t you want everything done to bring us home?”
“That is not fair.” Connie wagged her finger at Joe.
“Yes, it is. That could have been me. I served with the Army straight out of high school. It could have been me left behind.” Joe approached Connie, his powers of persuasion might just work.
“I’m not a magician.” Connie was not ready to give in yet. “I can’t magic a helicopter out of thin air and get you two into a hostile country.”
Joe raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”
Connie’s eyes flashed with anger. “You want me to abuse my position for personal reasons?”
“No, I want you to use the knowledge and resources you have at your disposal to potentially bring a man home.” Joe shrugged. “I never took you as the kind of woman who would sit back and let people suffer if there was something you could do about it. And Rob’s family is suffering.”
Connie looked mutinous for a moment, and then she fished her phone out of her purse. As she left the room, she said, “I can’t make any promises.”
Rob’s shoulders sagged forward, the rush of energy and hope he’d experienced when he saw the image of Colm flying away from the vehicle was replaced by the monumental task of going into hostile territory to find him.
A needle in a haystack, his bear said.
And Rob had to agree.
Chapter Twenty-One – Madison
Madison didn’t want him to go even though she knew he had to. And she wanted him to. She did. She wanted him to go out and find Colm.
But she didn’t want him to leave her side.
How could she be so emotionally attached to a person after such a short time of knowing them?
Emotionally attached. She was in love with him. Why was that so hard to admit?
“Madison.” He touched her arm and she turned to face him. “Are you okay?”
“With you going to look for Colm?” she asked, trying to sort through her feelings and put them in some kind of order. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t go and put yourself in danger. But I know you have to do this.”
“I do. For Ray.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“And that is why you have my full support.” Madison turned in his arms and hugged him tightly, as if she never wanted to let him go. But she had to. She could not put more pressure on him by telling him not to go. She had to be strong.
“Thank you.” Rob looked up as Connie entered the room, her face somber. “Any news?”
“Yes. I’ve managed to get you both on a humanitarian flight that will land around two miles from where the explosion occurred. It leaves in four hours.”
“Then Rob should pack.” Joe watched Connie closely, and Madison couldn’t tear her eyes from the man who had been by her mom’s side for so many years. She was his mate, their connection unbreakable, but he’d kept silent about the bond out of respect for Connie.
“You’d better hurry.” Connie looked at her watch. “We have to leave in one hour for the airport. There is a short flight to the Army base where you will need to be debriefed. I’ve had to pull in some favors to get you both on the flight.”
“Do they know that we’re looking for Colm?” Rob asked.
“The commanding officer does. But that is as far as that information needs to go along the chain of command. As long as you go in and get out without any incidents.” Connie focused her attention on Joe. “This has to be done with the least amount of disruption. You need to go in, get to the scene of the explosion, find Colm if he is in the area and be ready for when the flight leaves. There is no way to extend the humanitarian mission.”
“We understand,” Rob spoke for both men, while Madison’s stomach churned at the thought of Rob and Joe going into hostile territory to look for Colm.
“Can I come, too?” Madison asked. “I won’t get in the way.”
“Can you spare time from your busy schedule?” Connie asked.
“Yes, I can,” Madison retorted.
“I didn’t mean that in a sarcastic manner,” Connie said. “I just assumed with everything you have going on here that you would have a full day of appointments.”
“I can clear my day,” Madison confirmed. “It wasn’t anything important. The photo shoot is done, the images are great and now I’m waiting for the ads to start appearing. Holly has booked me some interviews to coincide with that.” Madison stopped talking. “So I’m free.”
“I’ll grab my stuff.” Rob left the room and Madison followed, not waiting for her mother’s permission. “I’m glad you’re coming along.”
“I’m not sure my mom is.” Madison rolled her eyes. “Just when I think I’m getting somewhere with her, I seem to take a step backward.”
“I think you have taken ten step
s forward this morning, so one step back is still pretty good,” he told her.
“Thanks for making me feel better.” She kissed his cheek. “We should hurry before she changes her mind and leaves without us.”
Madison went to her room and pulled out a small suitcase that she used as an overnight bag when on assignments. Opening it, she placed two changes of clothes and a small makeup bag which also contained a wash bag. She was used to going away on jobs for one or two days at a time and it only took her a couple of minutes to gather everything she needed.
Rob still beat her back to the living room, where Connie and Joe were waiting to go. Her mom looked every inch an ambassador of good. Madison found it hard to think of the woman standing before her as her mom.
“Ready?” Joe asked as Madison entered the room. She’d left the case by the front door in the hallway.
“Yeah.” Her stomach turned over as her nerves threatened to take her courage and resolve. She wanted Rob to find Colm, but she didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want him to put himself in danger. But it wasn’t just because of Rob.
Madison had never been to work with her mom. That part of Ambassador Singer’s life had always been shut off from Madison. Over the years, Madison had spent far too many hours trying to figure out why that was. Security was part of it. Connie Singer knew far too many national and international secrets that she could share with no one. However, as an insecure teen, Madison had come to the conclusion it was because her mom was embarrassed by her. She wasn’t smart enough, or slim enough, or pretty enough.
As she’d grown and matured, Madison had left those thoughts behind. Secure and confident in her own body and knowing in herself that she always did everything to her fullest potential, she hadn’t let her teenage hang-ups rule her life. Yet faced with going with her mom to work, those insecurities returned.
“We should leave.” Her mom bristled, all business-like. Yet there was something lurking beneath the surface that told Madison her mom was less than business-like. She wore a shield, a mask to protect herself from the outside world. Her expression was a lie. Hidden beneath the surface was a woman who was scared. Scared to lose perhaps the one good thing in her life.
Savior Bear (Bear Creek Protectors Book 5) Page 14