Search Me

by Katie Ashley

  “Hope so.”

  We continued on for a few minutes before I said, “Yeah, um, speaking of civilization, what exactly is the plan whenever we get there?”

  “Why the hell are you asking me?” he snarled.

  His tone momentarily stung me. I tried to ignore it considering the Advil hadn’t had time to take effect, and he was probably in a lot of pain. “I dunno. I guess because between the two of us you have the most survival training being a former soldier and all.”

  Maddox grunted. “Yeah, I didn’t get a whole lot in Basic on what to do when you have a treasure map in your possession that crazed thugs want.”

  “And to think Jensen looked so harmless earlier. A creep, yes, but certainly not some gun wielding psycho with a pair of equally psychotic henchmen.” A horrible thought crossed my mind, and I let out a choked sob.

  Maddox whirled around before his eyes started darting from left to right. “What’s wrong? Did you hear something?”

  I shook my head. “I was just thinking about Eula and Drew and the other workers. What if Jensen goes after them or something? You know for information about us?”

  “Seriously?”

  I nodded. “You know like when they take someone hostage to get information about someone else’s whereabouts. They could torture them to get to us.”

  Maddox snorted. “I think you’ve read too many of your Dad’s detective novels.” He rubbed the back of his neck before giving me a crooked grin. “You sure you weren’t getting all bothered at the thought of maybe Drew being taken hostage rather than Eula?”

  My brows furrowed in confusion. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He shrugged. “I guess I thought you and Drew were kinda hot for each other…well, as much as two people like yourselves get hot.”

  I skidded to a stop in the high grass. “You’re a real asshole, you know that?”

  Maddox turned around and quirked his brows. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me just fine.” Without taking my eyes off his, I stalked determinedly over to him until we were standing toe to toe. I jerked my chin up. “That was a cheap shot at Drew and at me. Not that there’s anything more than friendship between Drew and me, I know that it’s probably hard for your inflated ego to grasp that you’re not the only guy I’ve ever cared for. After you treated me the way you did, I didn’t cling to the hope you were coming back for me, nor did I just waste away pining for you to come home.”

  Maddox’s jaw clenched. “I never said you did.”

  “Well, just for the record, I did love someone else, and when we finally had sex, he didn’t run away, making me feel used and horrible. And even though you turn your nose down at him, Drew has more integrity and character than you ever will when it comes to caring for women!” I brushed past him and started power-walking up the clearing.

  “Damn, Lane, watch the claws,” he replied.

  I whirled back around and jabbed a finger at him. “Get used to them, Big Boy. I’m going to keep them out as long as you keep acting like a jackass. I was making a serious comment about the fate of the people we work with, and somehow you managed to twist it into something else.”

  “Whoa, whoa, don’t get so riled,” he replied, holding his hands up in surrender. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sure the others will be fine. Jensen knows we have the map, so he’s probably not going to involve anyone else. Okay?”

  Maddox actually sounded sincere, so I nodded. “And Maudie?” I questioned in a whisper.

  He glanced away from me, but I could see emotional anguish flicker on his face. “All we can hope is that the ambulance got there, and she’s getting the help she needs. She has to be okay. We have to keep ourselves together to get through the next few hours.”

  “I’ll try,” I replied, sounding surer about it than I felt.

  He rocked back on his heels. “And speaking of getting through the next few hours… I’m going to be totally upfront and honest with you. I don’t know what the hell to do. Part of me says to call the police the first chance we get. The other part wonders if this is all too big for the police.”

  An icy feeling crashed over me. “That’s so not comforting.”

  “Sorry, but I was trying to shoot straight with you.”

  “I know. And I’m glad. Sorta.”

  Reaching over, Maddox plucked a leaf out of my hair, causing my stomach to do an irritating flip-flop. “I promised Maudie that I would take care of you, and I will.”

  The determination in his voice coupled with his intense stare caused my breath to hitch. Although I hated myself for it, I couldn’t help but find what he said very, very romantic. “Thank you.”

  Once he realized we were dancing precariously in the landmine territory of ‘feelings’ and ‘emotions’, he quickly looked away from me. Rubbing his hands over his eyes, he sighed. “Yeah, I guess there’s the really heinous third option of handing over the map to Jensen.”

  I gasped. “No, we couldn’t! Not after what he did to Maudie! Not to mention that she wanted me to get the map before Jensen—that has to mean something.”

  His expression darkened. “I said it was a heinous option, didn’t I? Jensen doesn’t impress me as the type who gives up easily. It’s pretty obvious that he has been researching and tracking the painting with the map for a while. And he knows his shit. He’s most likely done prison time and learned from the best on how to fight and scheme his way to getting what he wants. There’s all that plus his merry band of thugs, which makes for a surprisingly brilliant combination.”

  I shivered in spite of the hot summer evening. “So with all that, would you actually ever consider giving Jensen the map?”

  He cocked a dark brow at me. “Do you even have to ask?”

  “Well, I—”

  Maddox shook his head. “I’m a man of my word, Lane. You know I made a promise to Maudie that I’d keep you safe. So if it came down to your life, yeah, I’d hand over the map. No questions asked.”

  “Oh, I see,” I murmured. I knew it wasn’t just the stifling, Georgia heat that caused my cheeks to flame. It was Maddox’s words and his actions. The very guy I’d written off as being an utter and complete asshole was actually heroic when the chips were down. It was emotionally unsettling on so many levels. Were his actions just his Army training taking hold? When it came down to it, I didn’t know if he honestly gave a rat’s ass about me or whether it was truly all about honoring Maudie’s promise. Or maybe...deep down, he really felt something for me. After I took a few moments to recover, I said, “Let’s just hope it never comes down to that. You know, my life… or yours.”

  He pointed in the distance. “Well, looks like for the moment, our luck has just changed.”

  I squinted against the horizon to see a two-story log cabin with a green tin roof rise out of the middle of nowhere like a desert mirage. My aching feet suddenly felt lighter as I took a step towards the cabin. “I hope whoever lives there is willing to help us.”

  “Yeah, well, we’ve got a little protection on our side.” He waved a shiny handgun.

  “What happened to the shotgun?”

  “Had to leave it behind.” At my worried expression, he chuckled. “Don’t worry, Lane. Between the pistol and the Glock, we’ll be fine.”

  “I hope so.”

  A cocky grin slunk across his face. “Besides the obvious weaponry, you’ve also got me to protect you.”

  “Right. You with the gimpy arm from being shot.”

  He laughed. “Trust me. It takes a lot more than a little scrape to do me in.”

  “Oh please,” I murmured, as we left the grass for the cabin’s paved walkway. It was pretty obvious from the fact there was little landscaping or lawn sculptures that it was someone’s weekend home or a rental. I had a feeling from the distance we had run we were probably out of Gilmer County and somewhere in Blue Ridge, which boasted lots of out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere cabins.

  “Nice place,�
�� Maddox mused, as we walked up the front steps. When he saw there wasn’t a doorbell, he knocked. “Hello? Anyone home?”

  Seconds ticked by without a response. He pounded again and then leaned his ear against the door. “No one’s in there.” I followed him off the porch and around to the garage. He cupped his hands around his temples and peered in. “No cars inside.” He paused, and his head dipped down. “No fresh oil spots or antifreeze puddles. Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for awhile.”

  “You sound like Dad’s Harrison Baylor character,” I laughed.

  He turned back and gave me his signature grin—the one I knew was sincere and truly himself with none of the ego. “Let’s call it a combination of reading all your dad’s books along with my time spent with Uncle Sam.”

  “That sounds like a scary combination.”

  Maddox didn’t seem to hear my response. Instead, his gaze fixated on the Brinks Home Security sign that stood in the grass between the porch and the garage. His eyes trailed around the back of the house. “Come on.”

  The back of the cabin had a small deck that boasted a hot tub. “Nice,” Maddox murmured before heading over to the glass sliding doors. He crouched in front them, running his fingers under the frame. Gently, he pulled out a thick white wire. “Do me a favor. Grab the flashlight out of my bag.”

  “Guns, knives, and flashlights—you really packed for survival,” I said, as I rustled through the bag. “Got it.”

  “Okay, now hold the beam steady on this wire.”

  I peered over his shoulder. “What are you going to do?”

  “Work a little magic I learned in Special Ops training.”

  “In civilian terms please?”

  He chuckled. “I’m going to disarm the alarm system.” Instead of digging in his bag for the epic knife from before, he took out his keys. A pocket knife hung on the chain along with a thousand other keys. Gently, he nicked at the white covering. When he had whittled some away, he pulled out a blue line. “Sure hope this is the right one.”

  “And if it’s not?”

  “Let’s just say we’ll get to decide about talking to the police a lot sooner than we thought.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Maddox cut the blue wire, leaving the green and red intertwined. “Okay. Hopefully that did it.” He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and then fished out a credit card.

  “Wait, you’re seriously going to try and shimmy into the door with that,” I asked, motioning to his card.

  A short, contemptuous snort erupted from his lips. "Like it would actually work on glass sliding doors. It's for the front." When he started off the deck, I fell in step behind him. We trailed around to the porch and up the stairs again. Maddox shoved the credit card in the groove above the doorknob. He began working it up and down along the jam. Finally, a popping noise came from the lock.

  Maddox turned back to me and grinned. “Bingo!” I didn’t quite share his enthusiasm, so I gave him a weak smile. Even though we didn’t have another choice, I still felt shady breaking into someone’s house.

  He started to twist the knob, and I pinched my eyes shut, waiting to hear the blare of the alarm. When nothing happened, I opened them and watched him push the door open. “Hello?” he called, his voice echoing through the empty house. He turned back to me. “Looks clear.”

  I nodded and then followed him into the foyer. From the small beam of the flashlight, I could see the living room had an open floor plan that extended to the kitchen. The ceiling was high with exposed wood beams, and the far wall was made up of floor to ceiling windows. It was really impressive.

  “You stay here while I go check the place out.”

  I nodded. As Maddox trailed down the hallway, my eyes scanned the wall of pictures. Whoever the owners were, they were seriously obsessed with themselves. There weren’t any family pictures, like of grandparents or children or cousins. Every picture was of the same couple. The man was fifty something and balding while the wife looked about thirty. She was practically a Barbie—fake blonde hair, ridiculously sized implants, and from her toothy grin, capped teeth as well. The pictures did give me a little comfort in the fact that it looked like they enjoyed traveling and hopefully wouldn’t be arriving here anytime soon.

  With my feet killing me, I decided to take a load off in one of the leather chairs. It made an unattractive whooshing noise just as Maddox reappeared. “So what’s the verdict?” I asked.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone has been here for a while.”

  “There are a lot of people who just have winter cabins. Think that’s what this is?”

  Maddox’s gaze honed in on a picture of the owners on a boat. “Looks like it.” He stepped over to one of the windows and peeked through the wooden blinds. “I’m thinking that even though it doesn’t look like anyone is close by, we better keep the lights off. You know, so nothing looks suspicious.”

  “Should we look for some candles or something?”

  “When I was scoping out the garage, I think I saw some Coleman lanterns. I’ll go get them.”

  I nodded. Since it had gotten darker, the part of me that was a chicken didn’t want to be left alone, but at the same time, it had been a long, long time since I’d been to the bathroom. With my flashlight, I searched the open room for doors that might lead to one. I found one and dipped inside. I had just finished when Maddox returned.

  Before I could say anything to him, my phone rang in my purse. I fumbled for it and glanced at the ID. “Oh shit, it’s my parents.” I looked up at Maddox. “What should I tell them?”

  “Nothing unless they ask. Just pretend that everything is fine.”

  I widened my eyes. “But I’m a horrible liar. I never get away with anything,” I protested.

  Maddox rolled his eyes. “For Christ sake, Lane, you’ve spent two years in college, and you still can’t lie to your parents?”

  “That’s not who I am and you know it.”

  “Well, you better put on a good act.”

  “Easier said than done,” I grumbled. With shaky hands, I pressed the button and brought the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Hey sweetie, it’s Mom.”

  “H-Hi. Did you guys just land?” I cringed when my voice cracked.

  “We sure did. It was such a smooth flight. Your father is tracking down our luggage as we speak. I told him not to check a bag because of our luck with lost luggage, but you know him.”

  Even though Mom continued rattling on, I began to tune her out. It was too painful hearing her voice. More than anything, I wanted to be with her—to have her wrap me in her arms so we could cry together about Maudie. And I wanted to be with Dad so he could protect me from all of Jensen’s craziness.

  “Lane? Are you still there?”

  “Oh, um, sorry. Yeah.”

  “Everything okay at home?”

  I gulped and met Maddox’s eye. As he cocked his eyebrows, I said, “Yeah. Sure. Everything’s just fine.”

  “That’s good. Now don’t stay up too late. Remember to set the alarm—”

  I gripped my phone tighter. Honestly, the last thing I needed right now was Mom being overprotective. I had to fight myself from saying, You know what, Mom? I’ve been chased by thugs, and I even shot a man today, not to mention leaving Maudie behind in a pool of blood. I think I’m a little past alarm systems and a bed time. But instead, I replied, “Mom, would you please remember I’m nineteen. I’ve lived in a dorm for goodness sake.”

  “I know, sweetie. It’s just the over-protective mom in me. I worry no matter where you are—Oh, you’ve got the bags, Stephen? Wonderful. Lane, honey, I’ve got to go. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure Mom.”

  “I love you bunches. Daddy sends his love, too.”

  “I love you, too.”

  When I hung up, I met Maddox’s questioning eyes. “She thinks everything is fine.”

  “Good.”

  “Yeah, it’s good she thinks that, but it’s
the farthest thing from the truth.”

  “So?”

  I threw my hands up in exasperation. “So? I just totally concealed everything that’s happened today. My parents are up in Charleston on their way to their hotel room with no idea that Maudie’s been shot and could be dead, and we’re on the run from gangsters who want our treasure map!”

  He stared at me for a moment before giving a slight shake of his head. “You look like hell. You better get a shower. Even though this place seems like it’s all closed up, I better keep a watch out while you get cleaned up.” He motioned down the hallway. “The first door on the right is the guest bedroom and bathroom. The next door is the master bedroom and bath. Pick either one you want.”

  Now it was my turn to stare in disbelief. I mean, no words of comfort or even an acknowledgement for my feelings or for what had happened to Maudie? Instead, he’d gone full-on jerk by taking a jab at my appearance. I balled up my fists and fought the urged to give him a punch in his perfect face.

  He’d bent over and started rifling through his bag. When I remained rooted to the floor, he whirled back around. “Dammit, Lane, are you deaf? I said go get cleaned up.”

  “Stop it!”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Stop acting like some Drill Sergeant barking out commands. I have feelings, you know, and I think in spite of everything, I’m doing a pretty decent job of keeping my shit together! But you just can’t ignore what happened today.” As Maddox’s expression darkened, I said, “Yes, we have to keep it together, but I know you have to be upset about Maudie—”

  “I don’t want to talk about her!” he shouted, his face reddening.

  “And why not? I know how much you love her—she’s been a mother to you.” Maddox took a step towards me and held up his hand as if to silence me. But I quickly blurted, “I love her too, you know. I can’t help thinking about her every second—like, if she was already gone when the paramedics got there, or if they were able to help her. And I’m sure you can’t help doing the same thing.”

  Maddox closed his eyes as if he was trying to count to ten to remain calm. “Lane, I’m not discussing this anymore.”