by Rye Hart
The stairwell was nearby and I ran to the door, flinging it open as I rushed into it. When the crash of the door hitting the wall behind it echoed away into nothing, I was plunged into utter silence. No footsteps. Nothing. My guy was clearly not in the stairwell.
I stood there for a moment, cursing under my breath when I realized I'd left Madison alone. Even with the deadbolt on the door engaged, she was exposed. I had a choice to make. Continue on, hoping to catch the guy, or risk more harm coming to Madison because I'd left her alone and unprotected.
It wasn't really a difficult choice to make. I turned and hurried back through the door to the stairwell and down to Madison's room. I banged on the door, calling her name, letting her know it was me. Madison quickly unbolted the door for me, throwing her body against mine, wrapping me up in a tight hug the moment I stepped through the doorway.
I held her in my arms for several long moments, feeling her body shudder as she cried on my shoulder. She was five foot six, but at that moment, she felt so tiny and small. So fragile and delicate. Stroking her hair, I kept whispering into her ear, trying to calm her down.
“You're okay, Madison,” I said prematurely. You're okay.”
“He knew I was here,” she sobbed. “He found me. He can find me anywhere. How in the hell could he have known I was here, Oliver?”
“I don't know. But I'm not going to leave you,” I said, holding her sweet, tear-stained face in my hands and forcing her to look at me. “No one is going to hurt you as long as I'm alive. Got it? No one.”
She nodded, so much trust in her sweet eyes. She believed me. She trusted me.
Just like Lauren had.
Seeing that trust sent a ripple of fear through my gut and sent a spike of fear lancing through my heart. I feared that I wouldn't be able to keep my promise. That I'd fail her like I'd failed Lauren.
~ooo000ooo~
“Did you see the person?” Officer Fellows asked, yawning as he took notes.
“Just his eyes,” I said. “His face and head were covered with a big scarf. But he had brown eyes.”
“That doesn't give us a whole lot. But maybe the security cameras caught something we can use,” he said, turning his large body around to face me. “Do you have any idea why these people are after you, Madison?”
Madison nodded but said nothing. I couldn't help but notice her skin was paler than normal, and her body still trembled. With lips that quivered and dark circles under her eyes, she looked utterly exhausted. Wrung out. Emotionally spent. I wanted to tell everyone to leave, to let her get some rest, but I knew they were just doing their job. Knew they were trying to help. I also knew they were likely the only hope we had of catching this guy.
“Could you explain that, Madison?” Fellows pressed. “You said you knew why they're after you.”
Madison nodded again, her tired eyes shifting from me to Fellows. “I was looking into some suspected arson cases on my podcast recently,” she said, her voice a little hoarse. “I have to believe the fact that I'm opening up some old cases struck a nerve with somebody.”
Fellows raised an eyebrow, the look of skepticism on his face open and obvious. He didn't strike me as the kind of man who listened to podcasts or knew much about the power of social media these days. The reach somebody with a popular podcast had, the many thousands if not millions of people who listened. The sort of influence they could have. Especially when they got the sort of results Madison had by doing the work she was doing.
I had no doubt the man who'd tried to kill her had heard her show. What else could it be? There didn't seem to be any other logical, rational reason for somebody to tie her up and leave her in a burning building – right after she'd talked about re-opening some of those old cases.
“Struck a nerve?” Fellows asked. “How so?”
She looked at me, and I answered for her. “We believe she got too close.”
I put an arm around Madison's shoulder and held her close to my body. She was still trembling, but with my arm around her, she seemed to settle down slightly – and only for a moment. I couldn't blame her for being scared. Terrified. Any normal, sane person would be, given what she'd been forced to endure.
“Too close?” Fellowes asked. “Like finding out who it was behind the arsons?”
“Yes.” Madison's voice was shaky as she answered.
“Mind sharing some of your information with us, Ms. Haywood?” Fellows asked. “Anything that might be able to help us figure this out.”
“I— umm, well, I can't,” she stammered. “It's gone. My memory is still gone, for the most part. Everything's still spotty and I'm missing whole sections of my memories. I'm trying to remember what I'd discovered though. I'm just not running at full capacity at the moment.”
“Is it possible,” Fellows asked, “that some bitter, angry ex-boyfriend is trying to hurt you?”
Madison shook her head quickly. “No, that's not possible.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“She just said she was sure,” I snapped. “Now, why don't you get to work trying to find out who's hunting her instead of creating some mysterious and bitter ex out of thin air?”
The cop shot me a look of irritation before turning back to Madison, his expression bordering on disbelief and hostility. He obviously didn't think this had anything to do with her podcast and, judging by the look in his eyes, he was probably inclined to believe it was some crazy ex-boyfriend behind it all.
“We'll take a look at the security cameras and get back to you.”
“That's it?” I stammered. “That's all you’re going to do for her?”
“We'll continue the surveillance outside the hotel as well, Mr. Miller—”
“Yeah, you guys did a real bang up job with that tonight,” I snapped, my insides boiling with rage. “Madison might have been killed if I hadn't been with her. Your surveillance team—”
“Well then, it was a very lucky thing were with her tonight, wasn't it?” the cop said, narrowing his eyes at me, his hostility becoming more obvious. “Might be a good idea to get another room – one without a broken doorknob.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.”
The cop and I stared each other down for a long moment before he sighed, shrugged and turned away from us. I watched him as he walked toward the door, and then through it, disappearing into the hallway beyond. If he thought I'd let Madison stay in this room – or any room at this hotel now – he was dead wrong. If they weren't going to lift a finger to help her, to keep her safe, then I guessed I’d have to. As soon as the cop left, I turned to her. Putting my hands on her shoulders, I looked her in the eye.
“Come on. Pack your stuff,” I said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You're coming to my place.”
“We can just—”
“Stop it,” I said, rubbing my temples. “I'm not in the mood to argue. It's settled. Done. You're staying with me until we figure out who is behind this and get his ass off the streets. Until this is over, I'm not letting you out of my sight. Not again.”
Madison opened her mouth to speak again but then closed it. Opting not to put up a fight. I think we were both too exhausted to fight about it. Or, she saw the reason in what I was saying. Either way, she gathered her things and followed me out of the hotel. The ride down in the elevator was silent, and there was a stiff, fear-fueled tension in the air as we walked out to my car.
The whole way, I never once took my arm off her, keeping her close to me as we hustled out of the hotel.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MADISON
We were both wrung out and emotionally spent by the time we got to Oliver's house. There was a spare bedroom – the one he'd offered me before. This time though, he insisted on me sleeping in the same room as him so he could keep an eye on me. After sharing a bed once, it was nothing to do it again, right?
He carried my bags into the master bedroom and dropped them into a chair near the window. Turning to look at me, he gave me a smile I co
uld tell was forced. He was doing his best to project an air of confidence and self-assuredness. But, I could read people well enough that I could see the uncertainty and even the current of fear and concern that lurked just behind his eyes.
“You'll be staying here with me,” he said. “Bathroom is over there. Feel free to make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa, Madison.”
“Not that I don't appreciate it,” I said, “But for how long?”
“As long as it takes.”
His house was nice – a two bedroom, two bath townhome that was outfitted with a top-shelf security system that eased both of our minds. At least, a little bit. His place was a lot nicer than I thought it would be. It was a typical bachelor pad as far as furniture went, but it was clean. Tidy. I just found it odd that he – a single man – would have a two bedroom, two bath home all to himself.
“Why such a big place?” I asked him as we climbed into bed.
“I wanted a family one day,” he said matter-of-factly, as he pulled the soft down comforter over us. “Figured it would be a good starter home. Bought it when—”
His voice trailed off and he didn't finish his statement. I saw the shadowed, haunted, and pained look in his eyes as he started to close down on me. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know exactly where his mind was going.
“No, talk to me,” I said. “Don't shut down.”
I rested my head on my arm and looked out at the sullen, attractive man lying next to me.
“I don't want to keep babbling about my ex,” he said. “It feels wrong.”
“It's only wrong if you're not comfortable,” I said, stroking his cheek. “I won't pressure you to talk about it if you don't want to. Just know, you can always talk to me. I'll always listen.”
His smile was a little rueful, but the sullen mask that he'd put on was wiped away. At least for now. Oliver kissed my forehead, his lips soft upon my skin.
“Maybe another time,” he said. “We need to get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow, after all.”
“Oh yeah? Big day, huh?” I asked. “What do you have planned?”
“Trying to help you remember,” he said. “So, we can hopefully get your life back to normal.”
“It would be nice if people stopped trying to kill me,” I said. “But normal? Ha. My life has never been normal, Ollie.”
As much as I hated being stalked and hunted, part of me wondered what that would mean for Oliver and I. Or, at least, what it meant for us once this was all over.
While I hardly knew the man he'd grown up to be, I found that I connected with him just as easily as I had back then. Although a lot of years had passed, the ease and comfort we'd always had between us still remained. It was buried under years of rust and disuse, of course, but that had been easy enough to wipe away.
The attraction between us had always been there, intense and burning hot. Which was why I'd had to keep away from him back then. Why I'd forced myself to stop seeing him.
But that was then and this was now. Times had changed, we'd both grown up, and it made me wonder where this – thing – between us was headed.
If it was headed anywhere at all, or if it was just wishful thinking on my part.
~ooo000ooo~
I rolled over, savoring the feeling of the down comforter enveloping my body. I'd wrapped myself in the soft, warm comforter tight like a burrito, leaving no blanket for anyone else. As shafts of the sun slanted in through the blinds, I yawned and rolled over, finding Oliver's side of the bed empty. My eyes grew wide and my heart fluttered in my chest when I woke to find myself alone in his bed.
A moment later though, a familiar aroma caught my attention and made me smile, banishing all the fear and dark thoughts that had been injecting themselves into my brain.
The scent of bacon filled the air.
I glanced at the clock. It was just after seven in the morning. Still early, especially given how late we'd been up the night before. Oliver was already moving around downstairs though, and I worried I might have frozen him out of bed by being a blanket hog.
I reluctantly slipped from the warm, cozy bed and made my way downstairs, rubbing my eyes and yawning as I entered the kitchen. He looked up from the stove and smiled at me, the sight of it filling me with more warmth than even the down comforter had. I looked at the spread he was putting together and was impressed. Not only was there bacon fresh and ready to be eaten, there were biscuits and gravy too.
Even better, there was a strong aroma of a rich, dark brew coffee saturating the air. Yeah, a girl could get used to starting a day just like that.
“Morning, blanket hog,” Oliver said, a chuckle in his voice.
I cringed. “I'm sorry if I—”
He waved my concerns off. “It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway,” he said. “Figured I might as well get a start on the day. Sit, have some coffee. Breakfast is almost ready.”
“I never knew you were a morning person, Ollie,” I said. “Or a gourmet chef. Color me very pleasantly surprised.
He swiped his fork at my hand, a grin on his face, as I stole a piece a bacon and nibbled on it as I took a seat at his kitchen table.
“I'm not technically, but my schedule is all fucked up thanks to my job,” he said. “And I wouldn't call biscuits from a can, gravy from a pouch, and bacon from a package exactly gourmet.”
“It all smells heavenly to me,” I said.
He shrugged. “It'll fill the void and give us some pep,” he said, “because today, we have some work to do.”
I popped the last bit of bacon into my mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “You really think you can jog my memory?”
He shrugged. “It's worth a shot, isn't it?”
“Sure,” I said. “I mean, I guess so.”
He carried two large, heaped plates of food to the table and set one down in front of me, before taking a seat across from me and settling down with his plate. My stomach growled in response to the feast sitting before me. I was hungry, but I knew there was no way in hell I'd be able to finish all that food. Maybe three of me could eat it all, but even then, it wouldn't be easy. Oliver dove right in though, scooping in giant forkfuls of food into his mouth.
Lift. Insert. Chew. Lift. Insert Chew. Oliver was like a machine as he ate, and it was strangely hypnotic to watch.
It was also the difference between a man and a woman, I thought to myself with a laugh. I took a forkful of biscuit into my mouth and mumbled in appreciation. Coming from a can and a pouch or not, it still tasted pretty damned good. It would most definitely fill the void. Very nicely, actually.
“So, what are we going to do?” I asked, and then nibbled on another piece of bacon.
“I thought we'd start by staging a re-enactment of that night,” he said flatly. “I've seen shows where they take a person back to the place where they'd endured their greatest trauma. For you, that's, obviously, the warehouse. My hope is that having you sort of walk through it again may help loosen up some of those memories that are hiding in that big brain of yours.”
The idea of stepping foot near the warehouse – the place I'd almost been murdered – made me drop my fork. It hit the plate with a loud clatter and I looked down, my appetite vanishing as suddenly as a puff of smoke on the wind. My stomach felt as heavy as a brick and the mere idea of eating anymore made my insides turn.
“I can't go back there—”
“I'll be with you, Madison,” he said, reaching across and squeezing my hand. “It'll be okay. You have nothing to worry about. I promise you that.”
“I don't know, Ollie,” I say, my voice trembling. “I may not be ready for this.”
“If we get there and you're not up for it, we'll leave. Simple as that,” he said. “But nothing will happen to you, I swear. I just feel like putting you in that place again is going to jog some memories loose inside of you.”
His smile was warm and his face incredibly trustworthy. Despite the misgivings I so rightly had, I still found myself fee
ling better as I looked into his eyes. He was right. He'd be there. I wouldn't be alone. It would be okay.
“Okay,” I said after a few minutes. “As long as you'll be there. Let's do it.”
“That's my girl,” he said and returned to shoveling food into his mouth.
My girl, I thought to myself. It was an odd and interesting choice of words. Was there more meaning behind them in his mind? Was he actually staking a claim to me? Maybe subtly voicing his desire for this thing between us to grow once this crisis was in our rearview mirror? Or, was I simply projecting my own desires? Hoping that was the case?
I didn't know and didn't have time to explore all my thoughts and feelings on the matter at that moment in time. Because Oliver was right about one thing – we had a lot of work to do.
~ooo000ooo~
The first stop on our way out to the warehouse was my place. Which, in and of itself wasn't so scary. Not unless you were afraid of the enormous dust bunnies lurking in the corners and the mountains of laundry that needed doing.
No, my place wasn't scary on its own. But knowing these assholes were stalking me and could possibly be waiting in there, ready to pop out at me like some goddamn jack-in-the-box from hell, made me more than a little nervous.
But, I sucked it up. I had to. There was no other choice. I could either do this and confront whoever it was trying to kill me, take them head on, and put them down. Or, I could live in fear the rest of my life. Spend my days looking over my shoulder, watching and waiting for that other shoe to drop. Spend the rest of my life wondering when I was going to wake up in another burning building – and this time, with no Oliver there to save me.
No, I was sick of this bullshit and needed to put a stop to it. Needed to reclaim my life. I wasn't the sort of girl who hid from her troubles or liked to be intimidated. I was the sort of woman who took life by the horns and beat it into submission. Bent it to my will. This was going to be no goddamn different if I had anything to say about it.