Jay took the spot Trace vacated and began searching the internet for more information. He jumped when Trace slammed the script down on the desk.
“Who wrote this trash anyway?”
“Anita Carlos. It’s one of those books that just quietly crept up on the public. She’s also the one who turned it into a screenplay and submitted it to Stanley Stevens. Odd he’s never met her.” Jay shrugged. A cold chill race down Trace’s spine. He rose, intending to check on Madison when a scream broke the quiet calm.
Trace raced out of Jay’s office, heading for Madison’s room when he nearly collided with Carol. She was white as a ghost.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded and slipped easily back into his role as bodyguard instead of house guest.
“A body,” she said, her voice shook faster than her hands. “In the garden.”
“Madison,” Trace breathed, his heart clenched tighter than his fist. God, not Madison.
“No, it’s that director, Mr. Stevens.”
Trace’s head snapped towards the direction of the stairs and he was raced towards them, up two and three at a time. He pulled out his gun and kicked open Madison’s door.
Silence filled the room. Keen eyes scanned her bed, then the opened closet door before landing on the bathroom door. She wasn’t there. He moved quickly to his room through the adjoining door but found it empty too. He didn’t waste time searching the other rooms. He knew instinctively she was gone.
Trace headed back downstairs and barked out orders to Jay and Carol, then demanded to see the head of security.
“Mr. Steven’s and his driver were the only ones. They came in by limousine about 15 minutes ago, then left a few minutes later.”
Trace could have choked the man. “You’re fired.” He looked at the other two guards and his blood began to boil. “You’re all fucking fired!” They left before he gave them more than just a verbal beating.
Trace went out to the garden and inspected the body, being careful not to disturb any evidence that might be around. They had to keep this quiet for Madison’s safety.
He stared for a long time at the body, then his clothing before checking his pockets. Inside, he found a piece of paper with the name Anita written on it. He assumed that was the author of that script. Oddly, the first four letters were circled. He took it into Jay.
“I have no idea Trace,” Jay replied and handed it back to Trace.
Trace felt the breath leave his body as he looked at the back of the paper. He snatched it from Jay and held it up to the light, looking at the name from the back of the paper.
“A, Tina. Anita.”
“I don’t understand, Trace.”
“We’ve been looking for a guy, but it’s a woman. More specifically, Madison’s supposedly dead friend, Tina.”
Trace showed Jay the name on the paper the way he saw it. “And Carlos is Spanish for Charles.”
Jay sat down stunned. “My God. Madison’s friend?”
“Where is the final shoot supposed to be?”
“The roof top of a local high school.”
Trace shook his head. “That’s too easy,” he began, then stood quickly. “Where did they graduate from high school?”
“Eastland High School in LA, why?”
Trace ran from Jay’s office. Within moments, he was on his Harley and riding hard for the high school. For Madison.
“Tina, please. Let me go. We can work this out,” Madison said, trying hard to not sound as scared as she was.
She couldn’t believe Tina was alive. That voice told her she was dead, yet here she was, waving a knife at her, backing her closer and closer to the edge of the roof. The script flashed in her mind. This was the end except there were no safety lines or large net to catch her if she fell. The stunt she fought Trace so hard to do.
Madison wished that Trace would stop this unscheduled stunt. This was no longer just practice or a movie. This was real.
“Shut up, Princess Jordan!” Tina looked around wildly before poking the knife toward Madison again. “Move!”
Madison backed up slowly, looking around for anything that might help stop this madness.
“The very least you could do is tell me why!” Madison demanded. What else did she have to lose?
“Why? You want to know why?” Tina screeched loudly and waved the knife in Madison’s face. “I can’t believe you have to ask why, considering what you did to me!”
Madison was confused. Tina was one of her best friends. They never had a misunderstanding throughout high school. “I’m sorry, Tina, I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve used to be friends.”
“We used to be best friends!”
“That’s right, best friends. So why are you doing this? What did I do to you?”
Tina went quiet and let her arm drop to her side. She looked up to Madison with tear filled eyes. “You left me behind.”
Tina’s statement shocked Madison. Tina had been the most popular one in high school. Head cheerleader. Class President. Class valedictorian. She had it all. So why was she this distraught over Madison?
“I don’t understand. Is this about my career? It’s been luck all the way.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s you. Your life. You had a mother that loved you. People loved you!”
“Tina, you were the most popular person in school. How could you not think that people didn’t care about you.”
“I bought it all, Maddie,” Tina spit with contempt and used Madison’s nick name from high school. “But I couldn’t buy my parent’s love. You had it naturally. You had it all. Remember our last lunch? We were still in our cap and gown. You said we’d be friends forever.”
“I remember.”
“Then where did you go? You became the famous Madison Jordan and didn’t look back.”
“I tried…” Madison began but Tina cut her off. “Not hard enough!” Madison watched as Tina raised the knife again and started toward her.
“Not… hard… enough,” Tina whispered and raised the knife for a downward swing. Madison screamed.
“Freeze!”
Both women turned towards the sound of the commanding, male voice. Madison took a step to run to Trace but he held out his hand for her to stay where she was.
She tried to look for him as he stalked towards them like prey, clinging to the shadows. The only evidence of him being there was the click of his boot heels, the sound of his voice and the flash of his gun in the moonlight as he moved from shadow to shadow.
“I’ll kill her,” Tina said through clenched teeth.
“I’ll kill you first,” Trace replied.
Madison could hear his voice moving closer. She was at peace. Trace was here now. She would be alright.
A hand closed over her arm then, hard and cruel, but only for a moment. A shot rang out and the offending grip was removed. She heard Tina’s screams mixed with Trace’s voice telling her to get down.
Madison dropped to the ground and covered her head. Tina fell on her and grabbed a handful of her hair while her arm lifted high gripping the knife before she screeched. “Die!”
Another shot rang out, and it was over. Madison kept her eyes squeezed shut and was startled when a hand touched her shoulder.
“Madison?”
Trace’s voice washed over her like a warm, protective glove. Though she was drained of strength, she found enough to rise up into his waiting arms.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
Madison knew that, but that didn’t stop the hot rush of tears down her cheeks. Trace’s arms tightened around her. He lifted her up and carried her several feet away from Tina’s body before sitting down with Madison on his lap.
Madison was soothed by the gentle rocking motion of Trace’s strong body. She had never felt so protected, so loved. Now that this problem had been solved, how could she ever let him go?
“Thanks, we’ll stay here on the roof and wait for you.” Madison listened as Trace finished up his
call and returned his other arm around her. She couldn’t stop her eyes from straying to the other side of the roof where Tina’s body was. Her stomach lurched and within moments, she was emptying its contents.
She couldn’t be bothered to be embarrassed since she’d already had this scene with him. At the moment, she just wanted to curl up in the safety of Trace’s arms. Funny how she’d always found her safety within the walls of her closet next to her old friend, the secret stash of chocolate. Now her comfort came in the embrace of a surly biker with a bad habit of not using a door knob to enter a room. She almost giggled.
He dug into his pocket and fished out a peppermint candy. She took it but kept her head down for a few more minutes before she had the strength to face him. “All better?”
Madison nodded her head against Trace’s chest and pulled back to look at him. “I was just thinking that surely this pays off the door you kicked in a few weeks ago,” she began before finishing her comment quietly. “Guess you’ll be on your way in the next day or so.”
“Well, not exactly,” he began, then told her about her bedroom door that contained one large boot print, along with a large crack suspiciously where the boot print was. She did giggle then.
“You don’t have to keep breaking down my doors just to stay.”
“Yeah, well I also fired the whole security staff too.”
“You what?”
He shrugged. She laughed.
“I’ll stay until you don’t need me any longer.”
“Guess you’ll be staying around a long time then.”
Trace looked surprised, and for once, speechless. Madison congratulated herself and continued.
“I was thinking that maybe you could head the security team.”
He looked gloomy. “I’m not really long term bodyguard material.”
“Are you long term husband material?”
Again with the speechless and surprised look. She had to remember to write this day down in her journal.
“I love you, Trace. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“Madison,” he began. “I don’t know what to say.”
Three times! She nearly cheered. Instead, she raised her hand up and placed it on his chest over his heart. “Why not tell me what’s in here. It might help.”
Madison gave him a smile.
“I’m not a feelings-sharing kinda guy either,” he began. Madison’s heart sank but she kept the smile pasted on her lips anyway. He cared for her, she was sure of that but he probably didn’t love her. She squelched that familiar twinge of rejection and the need to console it with something chocolaty. She wouldn’t though. It was time for her to grow up and deal with life’s disappointments in a different way.
“However,” he continued. Madison’s spirits lifted and the smile became genuine. It also began to hurt to smile so wide.
“Aww, the hell with it. I love you too, Madison.” Trace kissed her nose gently. “But,” he said and paused. Madison looked at him confused.
“But what?” The sound of sirens began to fill the air. Red lights from arriving police cars flickered off the windows of the building across from them, casting a soft glow on his face. He was smiling.
“I’ll be doing the marriage proposals around here.”
“Boy you’re bossy.”
He nodded at her. “Get used to it,” he said with a wink, then kissed her once again.
Thank you for selecting Guarding Madison. Want to continue the journey of these motorcycle riding bodyguards? Check out the next story in the series: Under His Protection.
In Under His Protection, Lex Cameron nearly runs over Tina Garrett. Instead, he pulls her up on the back of his bike and out of danger.
But danger follows Tina and soon Lex discovers that it’s not just Tina he needs to protect, but her unborn child as well. He’ll give her his name then eventually surrenders his heart.
Please visit me at my website, www.tabithagibson.com for news, my favorite links and a few free reads.
Tabitha Gibson
Guarding Madison (Bodyguards, Inc.) Page 8