The Madison Jennings Series Box Set

by Kiara Ashanti

  Zavier muffled a laugh, trying his best to contain himself, but the image of Tina’s face as she walked into the kitchen proved too much. From deep in his chest a booming laugh sprung. Tina replaced the jabbing finger with hard slaps against his shoulder. Her hand moved like a jackhammer.

  “This is not funny, Zavier Allen Hunter.”

  Zavier scrunched up against the refrigerator but kept laughing; and laughter erupted behind Zavier and Tina. It was Derek and Nanna, finally unable to contain what had been brewing all morning. Tina whipped her head around.

  “Keep laughing and see how long I make you wait to open your present, honey!”

  Derek promptly shut his mouth. Tina then glared at her mother, who continued giggling like a schoolgirl.

  “You can’t do anything to me. I don’t sleep with you, and I’m already in an old folks’ home.”

  Tina looked to Vonda, who had remained stoic the entire time. Vonda walked into the kitchen, glancing at the countertop. She grimaced, her nose turning up in disgust. “That does not look sanitary.”

  “It’s totally gross,” said Maddie’s older sister, Janice, from behind her phone. “I Instagrammed a pic, and so far a hundred people agree.”

  Vonda walked over to Zavier. She held his gaze for a moment then plucked him hard in the cheek.

  “Ow!”

  “Shut up, you big baby.” Turning, Vonda placed a hand on her best friend’s shoulder. She leaned in close to whisper in her ear: “Your backhand could use the help.”

  In a huff, Tina stomped away to the dining table. She plopped down in a chair. “Traitor,” she said, hurling the word like a knife. She breathed in deep to lower the heat of her ire, but a glance into her eyes made it clear she was not calming down.

  “This is your fault,” she said, jabbing her finger toward Zavier. “You better fix it. I’m not going to be the bad guy—again.”

  The tail end of the sentence nearly brought another round of laughter, but Zavier managed to suppress it.

  Five years earlier, Vonda had invited—forced really—Zavier to come with her to Tina’s youngest daughter’s third birthday party. Down in the dumps from a particularly painful breakup, he had been missing the assorted young nieces, nephews, and cousins in his ex’s family as much as he did the relationship itself. Vonda thought a house full of a gaggle of children would cheer him up.

  It had worked too well.

  The visiting kids had loved him, and the birthday girl, Madelynne, bonded with him instantly. She insisted he call her Maddie, because “Maddie is for friends, and Madelynne is for old people in college.”

  In the five years since, Zavier had become the worst kind of adopted uncle to Maddie. He indulged her every interest and whim to the nth degree. This would have been fine if she were into ponies, dolls, soccer, and ballet.

  She was not.

  Maddie wanted bows and arrows, pistols and ammo, camping and climbing trees. She was happier in shorts and a thicket of bushes stalking deer than in a dress attending a recital. No one knew where she got this streak from, but Zavier accepted it gleefully.

  As an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission—and a veteran of the Iraq War—he had more than enough knowledge to impart to Maddie. Fishing, archery, woodcraft, they all fascinated his little buddy. Zavier provided all the tools and excursions he could. The memories generated were priceless.

  Unfortunately, the enthusiasm he and Maddie exhibited got the better of them both. More than once, Maddie had gone a bit too far—she’d put a neighbor’s raft in the pond behind the house to see if there were gators in it, camped in a tree using a cliff tent, and once had tried to throw her mother’s meat cleaver at the trees in the backyard. The last was an idea she had picked up from the Lumberjack competition Zavier had taken her to when the family had vacationed in Canada last year.

  Zavier owed Tina and Derek a great deal. His own parents had passed long ago, and he was not particularly close to his extended family back in Seattle. Holidays for him meant spending time with other people. At one point that had been with his fiancée and the kids in her family. That disappeared when she became an ex-fiancée.

  He still saw some of the kids, but not to the degree he wished. Maddie had filled that gap. On the strength of Vonda’s word and Zavier’s fun-loving but careful demeanor, Maddie’s parents had allowed him as much time with her as she wanted. More than once Tina and Derek had trusted their daughter and her safety to him—not a small gesture on any parent's part.

  The holiday season was a time for family. After five years, Zavier was considered family—a privilege he did not take lightly—which was why the “situation” on the countertop could not stand.

  “Maddie, stop pretending you’re in your room, and come down here,” he yelled toward the stairs.

  Sure enough, Maddie popped up from behind the waist-high wall in the middle of the stairs. She walked down the steps and stopped at the edge of the kitchen. Her eyes were on the floor, but when she looked up, Zavier could see tears pooled in their corners. She looked at Zavier and then over at her mother. “Did I get you in trouble?” she mumbled under her breath.

  “Of course you did, but never mind that. Stop giving me and your mom that sad-sack face. We both know it’s not real. Tell me about the rabbits.”

  At Zavier’s words, Maddie’s face brightened and the faux tears evaporated like water in the Sahara. She twirled around, then ran out of the room and into the garage.

  “This is how you handle this, by asking about the rabbit?” commented Tina.

  Without turning, Zavier held up his hand. “Method to the madness, OK. Method to the madness.”

  “He got the mad part right at least,” quipped Vonda.

  Maddie came back into the house with a stack of papers in one hand and a footstool in the other. She dragged the stool up beside Zavier, climbed up it, and handed him Google Earth printouts.

  “I scouted the areas on the computer. See, just like you said, look for bushes and a fence line.” She pointed to the printouts showing aerial views of homes, trees, bushes, and trees. Inwardly, Zavier shook his head. The days of physical scouting and learning to read geographic maps were almost over. Google Earth was taking over. Even the wide-open spaces of Wyoming had been captured with stunning detail. In a well-populated area like Orlando, the printouts in his hand looked more like landscape photographs than maps. Zavier pointed to one area.

  “What’s that there?”

  Maddie gave him a “Well, duh” look. “That’s Mrs. Greenberg’s house.”

  “Hmmm. OK, go on,” Zavier said. Without looking down, he reached into his pocket for his iPhone.

  “Well, I hid right behind this tree here and just waited. I let the first one reach Mrs. Greenberg’s garden so that the others thought it was safe. I brought my slingshot bow and focused right on it, just the way you showed me. The second one ran right next to the first. I only had one shot, but I made it! I got it with the first shot! And the arrow went clean through and hit the second too. I got two-in-one.”

  “Wow, with a slingshot bow? Hey, Tina, when did you buy that for her?

  Maddie’s eyes widened in panic.

  “I didn’t buy her any such thing. I’m sure it’s another gift you bought under my nose.”

  “Nope. I didn’t get it for her.”

  Tina’s eyes narrowed, and she began to stand. Zavier held his hand out, signaling her to restrain herself.

  “Where did you get the slingshot?” Zavier asked.

  Maddie swallowed hard. There was no softness in Zavier’s eyes. “I-I ordered it online,” she muttered.

  “What have I told you about owning up?” Zavier snapped.

  “Own everything you do, right and wrong. I ordered it online,” she said, her voice now crisp and clear. “I had it mailed in my name to Mrs. Greenberg’s house. She thought it was a shipping mistake.”

  Zavier glanced over at Tina and Derek with a raised eyebrow. Derek guffawed, while Tina dropped
her head into her hands.

  “That was totally slick, sis,” said Janice, her eyes never leaving her phone screen.

  Zavier agreed, but said nothing. He handed his phone to Maddie. “Read this,” he said.

  Maddie looked down at the phone, frowned, and then bit her lip.

  “Read it. Read it out loud.”

  “Shooting or propelling potentially lethal projectiles across private land without authorization or permission is a criminal trespass and a felony.”

  She looked up from the phone. “But I did get permission. Mrs. Greenberg said it was OK as long as I kept the . . . she said some swear words . . . away from her flowers.”

  Without saying anything, Zavier took the phone away and slid his fingers across the screen. He handed it back to Maddie. “Now read this.”

  At his command, Maddie rolled her eyes and harrumphed.

  “Don’t you huff your breath at me!” Zavier responded.

  Maddie straightened up and dutifully took the phone back. “It is unlawful to shoot, hunt, or kill any animal within the confines of a residential area. Doing so is punishable by fines and suspension of your hunting license.” Keeping her head down, she handed the phone back to Zavier.

  “Now then, what did you do?”

  “I broke the law.”

  “And as an officer for the wildlife and game service, I would be obligated to take your license, but you don’t have a license to hunt, do you? Not by yourself?”

  “No.”

  “So is this going to happen again?”

  “No.”

  “No, what?”

  “No, Uncle—I mean no, sir, it won’t happen again.” Without being prompted, she jumped off the stool and walked over to her mom, putting her head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I got guts and blood in your kitchen, Mom.”

  Zavier looked over at her. What she did was wrong and dangerous. But she was so adorable; as usual, he found he was not mad at her. Even Tina was generally more exasperated than angry at her young daughter’s antics.

  “Sorry will not cut it, young lady. After the holidays I’ll be talking to Mrs. Greenberg, and you will have some punishments to endure. You hear me?”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “OK,” said Zavier, clapping his hands. “Let’s get this Christmas party on the road. Maddie, go grab that cooler. I’ll show you how to skin a rabbit again.”

  Maddie dashed to the porch door despite Tina’s and Vonda’s protests.

  “I’m not eating that,” said Vonda.

  “Count me out. And you better bleach the hell out of my counters, Mister Man,” said Tina imperiously.

  Nanna moved into the kitchen and started pulling out seasonings from the cabinets. “No rabbit for you two kids, fine by me. More for me. Yum-yum.”

  Maddie came back inside with the cooler, handed it to Zavier, and climbed back up the footstool. Zavier leaned in close to her ear. “That was a good plan you put together, and good shots,” he whispered, then kissed her on the side of her head.

  Zavier started coaching Maddie along as she cut into the second rabbit. Vonda rolled her eyes and silently mouthed to Tina, “That’s YOUR friend.”

  “You brought his ass here, missy,” Tina responded.

  Tina got up and walked into the kitchen. She placed a hand on Zavier’s shoulder and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before moving past him to pick up the presents and place them under the Christmas tree.

  Tina leaned back against the couch as she sipped a small glass of Kremas. Zavier swore by the Haitian holiday drink, and Tina could not disagree. How an island that never saw snow had managed to create a drink that smelled like Christmas, Tina had no clue. Creamy and sweet to the tongue, the island concoction smelled of cinnamon and nutmeg.

  Vonda had drunk the Kremas like water, but Zavier had passed on having any. The drink was alcoholic and he never drank when carrying his firearm, which even today, on Christmas, he was doing. The war on terror was unending, and you never knew what could go down.

  The family room floor looked like a cross between a Christmas-wrapping garbage dump and a Bass Pro shop. Tina didn’t know how much Zavier had spent—and did not want to know—but it looked like he had spent it all in that one damnable store. It had taken just ten minutes to open the gifts for herself, Vonda, Derek, Janice, and her mother.

  That was fifteen minutes ago, and Maddie still had unopened presents. Tina looked at the massive haul her daughter had scored and shook her head.

  “Are you sure you didn’t go overboard?” she asked Zavier for the fourth time.

  Zavier looked up at Tina from where he was sitting on the floor, his face puzzled. “Aaah, of course I went overboard. That’s what I do.”

  “Overboard? One gift here, buddy,” said Vonda.

  “Yup, only one gift here,” Derek agreed. “I’m not feeling the love.”

  Zavier rolled his eyes. “Whatever, you ungrateful curmudgeon. You’re all adults—”

  “I’m not an adult,” said Janice from the corner.

  Zavier ignored her and continued. “And boring to shop for. You all want the same damn things.”

  Tina could not argue with that. Vonda loved jewelry. Anything that sparkled belonged on her hand, ear, or around her neck, she always said. Derek never saw a power tool he didn’t like or didn’t need. And as a mother of two, possibly three if you counted her husband, Tina needed what every mom needed.

  Serenity.

  Which meant spas, facials, pedicures, and massages. There was never a question of what they would get, only how creative could Zavier be in giving it.

  “And you, young lady,” he said, leaning to the side to pierce Janice with a look, “are so absorbed in that crack-berry phone, you didn’t open all of your presents.”

  As if cold water had been thrown in her face, Janice snapped to attention and whipped her head back and forth, looking for another present. After a moment, comprehension lit up her eyes, and she reached for the clutch purse Zavier had given her. She opened it, pulled a white envelope out, looked inside, and squealed in delight. Dropping her beloved phone to the ground, she rushed around the couch to give Zavier a tight hug.

  “What did you score?” asked Tina.

  “An invitation and certificate for voice lessons with Tom McKinney. He’s like worked with all the top people.”

  “You always give the best gifts,” Janice gushed, her earlier quip forgotten. She dashed back over to her phone, no doubt to Facebook or tweet the gift out.

  Further conversation was cut off as Maddie came bounding down the stairs wearing one of her gifts.

  “Look, Mom. I’m a ranger elf!”

  Maddie twirled, showing off her digs. She looked like she had stepped off the set of Lord of the Rings. She wore close-fitting pants covered in black and muddled green—not quite camouflage patterns, but definitely forest wear. She wore boots crafted to look like medieval-styled riding gear, a light-grey tunic, and over that, a green-and-black jerkin with an attached hood. All else she needed: pointed ears.

  Janice walked around her young sister, studying the outfit. Stopping in front of her, she shook her head in approval. Together, Janice and Maddie high-fived and yelled, “Awesome sauce!”

  Maddie sat down to open her last present. She grabbed a gold-wrapped box. She opened the card on it and scrunched up her face. It said “To Madelynne from Mom and Dad,” but the handwriting was Zavier’s. She looked from Zavier to her parents. Her parents looked away, but Zavier smirked wryly.

  Maddie narrowed her eyes in suspicion but tore the wrapping off. Underneath was a gold-and-silver box that said “Sophie’s Custom Dresses.” She said nothing, but everyone could sense her demeanor deflate.

  Tina looked over at Zavier. His eyes danced in delighted devilishness.

  “Hey, munchkin, you can’t go around like a tomboy all the time,” he said, his voice toneless.

  “I know, Uncle Z.” She slowly opened the box and pushed back the white paper inside. A high-p
itched yelp bounded from her mouth as she saw what was under the paper. The box tumbled to the floor, its contents falling out of the box. Lying on the floor was a Ruger 10/22 Takedown rifle, broken down so it would fit inside the box.

  Tina had barely a second to brace herself as Maddie threw herself into her arms and hugged her like a sixty-pound boa constrictor. She wanted to laugh at Maddie’s repeated “thank yous,” but the hug was too strong. Finally, she disentangled herself enough to look into her daughter’s eyes. Tears filled them, and before she could say another word, she moved away and went to her father. A repeat of the boa hug ensued, followed by rapid-fire kisses on her dad’s cheek.

  After thirty seconds of nonstop kissing, Maddie came back over to Zavier. She hugged him too, but much more gently. “Thank you, Uncle Z.”

  “Hey, what are you thanking me for?”

  “I know you bought it. But that wasn’t the gift. The gift was Mommy letting you buy it. That’s why the card is in your handwriting, but says from ‘Mommy and Daddy.’”

  “Ah, cute, adorable, and smart. The perfect combination,” said Zavier. Smiling, he leaned forward, rubbing the tip of his nose against Maddie’s. She giggled as she always did when he did that. In the background, Janice made a gagging noise.

  Maddie then grabbed the two pieces of the rifle from the floor. Normally the stock of the rifle would be black or wood finish, but Zavier had gotten Maddie’s dipped in a camouflage pattern the same berry-hued color as her custom-designed arrows.

  This would be her first gun, but Zavier had taught her how to sight, clean, and disassemble a rifle, using his own as a model. She put that knowledge to use now, quickly assembling her gift. As Maddie opened the slide and safety checked it, Zavier smiled in satisfaction and pride. He had drilled gun safety into her, and he was glad she checked to make sure it was not loaded, even if it was new. Satisfied, she held it up and sighted the rifle, making sure to not point it in anyone’s direction. Satisfied once again, she took the rifle apart, placed it back in the box, and declared, “Best Christmas ever!”