by Lane Hart
Fuck. I know I could leave her with the prospects, but for some reason I can’t. The choice is made in less than a heartbeat when I drop to my knees in front of her.
I hear another door in the house, probably the back door, which could be how they got in.
Looking up at the prospects, I can see they’re both wide-eyed and shocked all to hell. Still, I tell them, “Chase them down and shoot if you get a clean shot! Go!”
They both hurry around me, and I have a second of regret, worried they’ll get themselves killed. But they knew what they were getting themselves into when they put on the prospect patches. I doubt they have much experience with guns, but both have concealed carry permits, so they’ve had some training. I hope it’s enough.
Once they’re gone, I turn my attention back to Madison. She’s sitting with her back against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest, making herself as small as possible. Several strands of her dark hair are hanging loose on both sides of her face, telling me there must have been a struggle in the time it took for me to hear her and get moving. Her eyes are either lowered or closed, it’s hard to tell with her forehead nearly pressed to her knees.
“Are you okay?” I ask her. She doesn’t answer. My heart is racing, needing to know if she’s hurt anywhere. I want to touch her so badly to check her for injuries that I have to dig my fingers into the jeans on the tops of my thighs. “Madison, please tell me if they hurt you.”
Her head moves a little from side to side, and I think she’s telling me no, they didn’t hurt her, but I’m not convinced since she’s shaking all over either from the cold or the shock.
The front door is still wide open, so I put my gun in my hoodie pocket, then quickly reach over to close it to keep the cool air off of her. She startles and begins trembling all over when it shuts. Without the light from the parking lot, it’s nearly pitch-black inside, so I stand up and feel around the wall for a light switch, flipping the nearest one on. Now that I can finally see, I spot Madison’s long, white dress coat in a puddle on the floor near an open closet. Grabbing it, I take it to her, crouching down to try and wrap it around her knees and sides. Something crunches into the floor under my boot. And when I lean over to cover her, I can see a line of bare skin down to her chest that’s tucked to her knees. There’s a flash of lace that’s obviously her bra. Either she was in the middle of changing when the assholes attacked her, or they ripped her suit jacket and shirt open. I lift my foot and see a small, clear button under my boot and know it was from her shirt, answering that question.
Madison finally moves, grabbing at the coat to pull it to her tighter, covering her chest and half of her face, but not her eyes or the top of her cheeks that are glistening with tears.
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” I ask her, and she shakes her head a little more certainly this time.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Her voice breaks on that one word. Finally, she lifts her eyes to mine and asks, “How did you…”
“I thought I heard someone scream. I wasn’t sure if that’s what it was or not,” explain. “I wish I had been wrong.”
“I didn’t think…one of them covered my mouth…so I didn’t think anyone would hear me,” she says sadly.
“I probably wouldn’t have if my window wasn’t still down,” I admit to her.
There’s a knock on the door that makes us both jump.
“It’s Lucas and Jake. Don’t shoot us,” the voice I recognize as Lucas’s says.
“Come in, it’s open,” I tell them.
They come inside, both panting and thankfully neither are bleeding. “They got away,” Jake says.
“There’s a fence…in the back,” Lucas starts. “By the time we both got over it, they were jumping into a car someone else was driving.”
“I shot the fender as he drove away, but that’s all either of us hit,” Jake says. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You did your best,” I tell them. “One of you stand outside the front door; the other stand outside the back one.”
“Yes, sir,” they both reply before they split up without arguing. Jake was closest to the front door, so he goes out that one while Lucas starts toward the back.
“Can I help you up?” I ask Madison when they’re gone.
She shakes her head no, so I stand up and give her some space since she doesn’t want me to touch her. I can’t blame her after what just happened; I just wish she wasn’t so stubborn and didn’t hate me so much.
Madison doesn’t get to her feet. She feels around on her coat like she’s looking for something, and then she pulls her cell phone from one of the pockets.
“What are you doing?” I ask her.
“Calling the police,” she says, her voice growing stronger.
“Why?”
Her eyes meet mine and now they look like usual – full of anger. “Why do you think, Cannon?”
“Think about it for a second, Madison. Why were those men here waiting for you tonight? If it was a random act of violence, then it’s one hell of a coincidence.”
Her jaw tightens, and then she says, “They told me why they were here. They said I had to drop out of the race for mayor by tomorrow or they would…”
“They would what?” I ask, anger raising my voice.
She swallows roughly like her throat hurts and then says, “Do what they were going to do tonight and then slit my throat.”
“Goddammit! I should’ve put a fucking bullet in both of their backs!” I run my fingers through my hair and stare up at the ceiling, counting to ten to try and calm down. I made a split-second decision to stay with the woman who won’t let me touch her instead of chasing down the fuckers responsible. So stupid.
I hear three soft beeping sounds and when I finally look down, Madison has her phone up to her ear.
“Hang up. You’re wasting your time,” I tell her.
“No,” she says, watching me with her eyes full of nothing but defiance that I don’t understand. “How do I know you’re not working with them?” she asks.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I yell at her.
I hear a clear, professional voice on the phone come on confirming it’s 911.
“My name is Madison Monroe. I live in townhouse B-4 on Villa Drive. Someone broke in and held me at knife point.”
The operator asks her more questions while I try and wrap my head around the words, “knife point.” They could’ve killed her tonight. Or worse, finished what they started when they tore her shirt open.
“Thank you,” Madison says before she hangs up. “They’re sending an officer as soon as they can.” I thought the 911 operator always stayed on the line until police showed up. Guess the problem with that is that this particular operator would have had to spend the rest of their lives on the call; because, if I had to guess, the police aren’t coming here.
“We’ll see,” I tell Madison, who is struggling to get to her feet.
“What does that mean?” she asks when she’s finally standing across from me, her coat clutched to her chest.
“It means I don’t think the police will come because they still take orders from the former chief.”
For a second, there’s concern on her face that I’m right. But then she shakes her head. Noticing the loose pieces of hair, she pushes them behind her ears. “You’re wrong.”
“He sent two men to rape you and kill you, Madison! Why wouldn’t he keep the police away from helping too?”
She keeps shaking her head. “I’m going to change. You can wait outside.”
“Outside?” I repeat. “It’s freezing cold!”
She won’t look at me, and I realize that she’s not being a bitch; she’s honestly so shaken up and scared that she doesn’t want me in the house when she changes clothes.
“Fine. I’ll wait outside. But if they’re not here in thirty minutes, I’m coming back inside for you.”
“They’ll be here,” she says confidently.
C
hapter Eleven
Madison
I don’t know why in the world I told Cannon to wait outside when the truth is, I would’ve rather had him in the bathroom with me while I undressed. I would rather be falling apart in his arms, but I can’t afford to fall apart or get involved with him.
Besides, I’m fine.
There’s not even a scratch on me, I don’t think.
In that bathroom, carrying a pair of black leggings and a long, heavy cream sweater in my arms to change into, I finally see myself in the mirror for the first time.
And I look like absolute shit.
My skin is paler than usual, the mascara smeared underneath both of my eyes, and my hair is coming undone. But the worst part to face is my shirt that’s ripped all the way down, not a single button spared. The lacy cup on one of my bras is pulled back, making me remember the stranger’s gloved hand squeezing it.
I drop the clothes on the counter and hurry back into my bedroom, my fingers keeping the two sides of my suit jacket together while I look for a new bra and underwear. I want a shower and a complete change of attire before I talk to the police. In fact, back in the bathroom, after I take my shirt and bra off, I throw them both away because I never want to see either of them again.
While I take a quick, hot shower to scrub my skin, I don’t wash my hair because I know I need to hurry up. I keep listening out for the door, wondering if Cannon would let the police officers in when they get here. All I know is that I feel safe knowing he’s outside. Which scares me almost as much as the intruders who assaulted me.
I can’t afford to let myself start depending on the outlaw biker. This time he may have come to my rescue, but he won’t always be around. That’s one of the first lessons I learned growing up – I only have myself to depend on. Everyone else in my life eventually let me down.
And while I want to trust Cannon, I’m still not sure if I do.
He and the Savage Kings are only helping me because they hate Bailey and want him to lose the election. They would be backing anyone else going against him; I just happen to be the only person crazy enough to take on the challenge.
Once I’ve dried off, I reapply my makeup, redo my hair and get dressed, all without hearing any voices in the living room or any knocks on the door.
When there’s one on the locked bathroom door right before I’m about to come out, it nearly makes me jump out of my skin.
“It’s me,” Cannon’s voice says through the door. “It’s been forty minutes, and there hasn’t been any sign of a cop or a police cruiser in the complex.”
I don’t want to admit that he was right. So, when I jerk the door open, I say, “How do I know you didn’t run them off?”
Cannon’s eyes scan my new outfit quickly, then my face. I would almost say that he looked momentarily relieved before he replies. “You know I wouldn’t do that. The cops aren’t coming. They never were. I’m sorry about that. I’m sure you would rather have someone in uniform here than me, but I’m all you’ve got.” His hands gesture to himself, and I wish my body wasn’t instantly affected by him the way it is. And it’s like the harder I try to resist, the more attractive the biker becomes.
The worst part is, I think I actually believe him.
“So, what do you suggest I do now?” I ask because I don’t have a clue.
“You can’t stay here alone tonight,” Cannon says simply.
“So where am I going to sleep?” I know that I could stay here, but I don’t really want to. I would toss and turn all night, getting startled by every little sound, afraid that the men have come back to finish what they started.
“The police can’t protect you from Bailey, but I can,” he tells me. “The Savage Kings can keep you safe, if you’ll give us the chance.”
“Okay, fine,” I agree because I’m out of options. “Now what?”
“Pack a bag. You’re coming to stay with me and Conrad until the election.”
“I’m not sleeping with you,” I blurt out almost a little bit too defensively.
“You won’t have to,” he says, hands braced on his hips. “We have a spare bedroom.”
“Why can’t I just get a hotel room?” I ask because spending time in his home, with him always around is not going to help me keep fighting the attraction.
“Because I don’t want to sleep in a hotel where people are always coming and going. My house is safe. The prospects can take turns sleeping on the sofa and standing guard. We have security cameras and alarms. And if I’m not there, my brother and Hannah probably will be. You’ll be safer there than you will be anywhere else in the city.”
His explanation doesn’t leave much room for argument. And I’ve already given him a hard enough time as it is. If I had just let him and the prospects come inside, then maybe the intruders wouldn’t have ever laid a hand on me.
“Well?” Cannon asks. “Are we going to stand here and argue about it for another hour, or can we get moving?”
“Give me a few minutes to pack,” I reply; and for a second, his face looks surprised.
“I’ll wait in the living room,” he says before he slips away.
I pull out my medium size rolling luggage and a hanging bag and get to work, making sure I have about four days’ worth of outfits and pajamas. Once I grab my travel toiletry bag, I haul part of it into the living room and find Cannon rummaging through my cabinets.
“What are you doing?”
“Just checking out your stash, seeing what you like to eat.” He closes the wooden doors and turns to face me. “You expecting a coffee shortage?” he asks, and I know he’s referring to the tower of K-cup drawers that are all full.
“I like what I like, and I don’t want to run out,” I tell him.
“Right,” he mutters, coming over to the living room. “Ready?”
“As ready as I will ever be to go stay with you,” I respond.
“Good enough.”
He reaches for the luggage handle and takes it from me, then grabs the hanging bag slung over my arm. “It’ll be nice to sleep in my bed tonight,” he says on the way to the door. “Coming?” he asks when he gets there and turns around, but I’m still standing in the same spot in the living room.
“Yeah,” I agree with a sigh.
And as I walk over and grab a black coat out of my closet since the white one holds memories I want to forget, I can’t help but wonder what my parents would say if they found out I was sleeping over at the house of a man who is part of the Savage Kings MC. They would probably think I’ve lost my mind. Strangely enough, I didn’t even consider going to stay with them. Neither place has ever been home, so I would be as alone as I am here. No, I would feel safer with Cannon. Besides, there’s no point dragging my mother and father into the drama with Bailey.
Chapter Twelve
Cannon
I’m still surprised that Madison so easily agreed to come stay with me. I thought for sure she would protest more or back out before I got her in my SUV. But here we are, driving down the road to my house with the prospects in the car behind us.
From the corner of my eye, I see a glow from her phone and glance over to see what she’s doing.
“I’m texting Lily to let her know that I’m staying with you. What’s the address?”
I call it out, and she types it in.
“I don’t expect you to trust me,” I assure her. “And I think you’ll feel better once we get to my place and you meet Conrad and Hannah. But I did try to warn you yesterday.”
Madison groans and says, “Seriously, you’re going to pull a ‘I told you so’ tonight?”
“Well, it’s true,” I say.
“Yes, you were right about Bailey being ruthless. I was wrong to think he was a decent human being. Are you happy now?” she asks.
“Hopefully, you won’t be so stubborn the next time I try to help you.”
“You were a stranger who came out of nowhere. How could I know if you were telling the truth or if you were just some c
razy guy spewing conspiracy theories and wanting to scare me enough to drop out of the race? I was confused, especially since during all of that you were trying to ask me out.”
“Now you know I’m none of those things, though,” I say when I put on the turn signal for our road.
“Maybe. The jury is still out,” she says, but I can tell from the softness in her voice that she’s joking.
“One thing I know for sure is that you’re never going to go out with me.”
“No, I’m not,” Madison says confidently.
“Which is fine since I can’t sleep with you now anyway.”
“No, you can’t.”
“No, I mean, I don’t want to.”
“Wow. That’s so nice to hear,” she replies sarcastically.
“No, what I meant was that no matter how badly I may want to sleep with you, I can’t now because I can’t get rid of you in the morning.”
“What does that mean?” she asks.
“I don’t do serious relationships. No commitments, no feelings, which means nothing but one-night stands with women who understand it’s only sex.”
“When we first met, you acted like it was your life’s mission to get me into your bed.”
“What can I say? I’ve never been turned down before, and you did it so brutally it hurt my ego.”
“Oh, whatever,” she says, and I can hear the hint of a smile in her voice. I’m just glad that I could take her mind off of what just happened for a few minutes. And for the first time, she finally said something that makes her sound her age.
We pull up into the garage, and then I grab Madison’s luggage from the back before leading her out through the side door to the gravel lot behind the garage to give the prospects their marching orders.
While I’m talking to them, Madison huddles in on herself with her small bag pressed to her like it’s more than the weather making her cold. I make it quick so I can get her inside.
“You two clear on where I want you?” I ask Jake and Lucas.
