by Barbara Gee
“Don’t thank me, Madison,” he said softly. “Just know I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe and help you recover.”
“I know,” she said simply.
Chapter 15
When Libby and Emma returned, Tuck took them out in the hall and told them that Maddy was okay with moving, so their plan was a go as long as the doctors approved it. Libby hugged him tightly.
“Maddy will love it at the ranch,” she assured him again. “Did you tell her all about it?”
“I only told her about the Mayo Clinic. You can tell her about the ranch if she feels up to it.”
Libby walked to the bed and squeezed Madison’s good hand. “Hey, Maddy. So Tuck told you we might be leaving here?”
“Yeah. Maybe going all the way to Minnesota.”
Libby pulled up the chair and settled in, still holding Madison’s hand between hers. “Yeah, but he didn’t tell you why we chose Minnesota,” she said, excitement evident in her voice. “See, Tuck and I have some real good friends who live on a ranch in North Dakota, not that far from the Mayo Clinic. I’ve always called them Aunt and Uncle, but we aren’t actually related. Aunt Kay and my mom were best friends since kindergarten. They even went to college together and were roommates the whole four years. When they got married they went in different directions, but our families always got together at least once a year. It was usually out at their ranch, because honestly, Maddy, it’s the coolest place ever. It’s called the Full Heart Ranch, and it was always Tuck’s and my favorite place to go. But then Mom and Dad died and we haven’t been back.”
“It’s a large working ranch,” Tuck added, “and fairly isolated. I’m confident you’ll be safe there.”
“Is it okay to wait until we move to do the other surgeries?” Maddy asked.
“We’ll have your doctor come and talk to you about it so he can answer all your questions,” Tuck assured her, “but yeah, he said it’s not unusual to wait, especially since you’re already recovering from one surgery.”
“How soon can we go?” Madison wondered.
“We should find out today,” Tuck said. “As soon as your doctor gets here I’ll pin him down.”
“What about my job and apartment?”
Tuck looked over to where Emma was sitting. “Emma, can you answer that?”
“I sure can,” Emma said brightly. “Madison, I’ve personally spoken to your building supervisor to let her know that you won’t be home for an unknown period of time. With your permission, she’ll have her crew clean out your fridge and remove any other perishables, and then your apartment will be locked up and held for you.”
Tuck detected Madison’s unease. “Does that sound all right, Madison?” he asked gently.
“If I’m not working, I can’t keep paying the rent,” she told him.
Tuck’s admiration for Madison Harper went up another notch. Instead of demanding to be compensated for getting caught up in a federal investigation, she was assuming that she would continue to be responsible for her bills, just as she always was.
He hastened to take that worry off her slim shoulders. “You don’t need to concern yourself with any financial matters, Madison. It’s all being taken care of.” Actually, Tuck wasn’t certain how all that worked, as those details were handled by agents on the administrative side of things, but he did know that Madison would be made whole financially, whether it was by Uncle Sam or by himself.
Emma resumed her narrative. “I also called your place of employment this morning. I didn’t go into detail, but I spoke to the owner of the company and let him know you were a collateral victim in a federal investigation and you sustained injuries that would make it impossible for you to work for the foreseeable future. He sends you his best wishes and said he would appreciate hearing from you when you feel up to it. You must be pretty darn good at your job, Madison, because he said he would have a job for you whenever you’re ready to come back, no matter how long it takes.”
“He’s a good guy,” Madison said softly. “Thanks for calling him.”
“I’m going to the ranch too, Maddy,” Libby told her. “I already quit my job, and I called a friend to get Luther.”
“Good. You didn’t like that job anyway,” Madison replied, squeezing her friend’s hand. “What about Devon?”
Libby grimaced. “I called him the day after Tucker swooped in and took me out of Chandler. I thought he’d be worried and upset about me not showing up for our weekend. Turns out he had already found someone to fill in for me.”
“I told you he’s a jerk,” Madison said.
“I know, but he seemed so nice! I should have been a little more discerning. I got carried away by his good looks. I do that way too often.”
“Yes you do,” Madison agreed.
Tuck smiled at their exchange, realizing that the two women truly were good friends and very tuned into each other's lives.
“I’m going to go see if I can find out when the doctor will be in,” he said, checking his watch. “Libby, don’t settle in for a long chat session. Madison’s been up for quite a while now. She should probably push her button and get some rest.”
“Okay, big bro, but we saw Kayla out in the hall and she said Maddy’s lunch will be here soon. Broth and jello, no less, so I’ll feed her and then let her sleep.”
Tuck nodded and left the room. With any luck, they’d all be out of there come the next morning.
At the nurses’ station, Tuck was told that Dr. Stanton and Dr. Riddle, the orthopedic surgeon, were on the way. Things began moving quickly once the doctors arrived. They had spoken with the radiologist and had concluded that moving her wouldn’t be an issue as far as her arm and legs were concerned. Her CT scan showed no brain injuries, and no fractures of the facial bones, so there were no additional risks to worry about on that front.
Tuck requested that the doctors meet with Madison and explain everything to her, so that she could make an informed decision.
They spent a good deal of time with her, assessing her current condition and explaining the types of procedures she would need to have done on her legs and arm. Both of her legs were going to require some fixation, with rods, pins and screws involved, and her arm would require some screws as well. However, they said they expected the bones to heal without problem following the surgeries. It would take time, but they would heal normally.
Her knee would be a little more complicated, depending on the extent of the ligament damage. That would require an MRI to assess, which would be done at the Mayo Clinic when she got there.
When Madison’s questions had all been answered, Dr. Stanton told her she was cleared to leave, and he would take care of all the transfer arrangements with the new hospital. Tuck asked how long that would take, and the doctor assured him that it should be done in a couple of hours.
Trying to hide his own impatience to leave, Tuck asked Madison if she wanted to wait until morning, or leave yet that evening and travel during the night. She told him she was ready to go whenever, and he let out a relieved breath. The sooner the better, as far as he was concerned.
Libby urged her to get some sleep while the arrangements were made and Maddy didn’t argue. After pushing her button, she drifted off almost immediately.
Emma made the call for a helicopter to take Madison to the airport, where she already had a private jet and a paramedic on standby. She requested pick up in four hours, then she took Libby back to the hotel to get a nap, a shower, and a change of clothes.
Dan was at his post outside the doorway, leaving just Madison and Tuck in the room. Tuck sat in a chair near her bed, using his iPad to go through his emails and check in at the office. He was itching to throw himself back into the hunt for Jimmy Callahan, but his first priority was getting Madison through the surgeries and settled in at the ranch. Then he’d leave her and Libby in the Desmond’s capable hands while he resumed the chase.
Chapter 16
Madison hated when real life pulled away the p
eaceful oblivion of sleep. She hated it because real life was awfully painful right now. She couldn’t even distinguish between the different parts of her body that ached and throbbed. It was all just one constant, widespread pain that never went away. It helped to push the little button that the nurse had given her, but the medicine made her feel groggy and out of it, so she tried not to use it any more than she absolutely had to.
She fought waking up as long as she could, but then realized something was different. Light! She definitely saw more light out of her left eye. And wait, not only light, she saw things! Objects! They were blurry at first, but her vision gradually cleared. She could see the light on the ceiling. A table with a cup on it. A doorway. A chair by the window.
A drop dead gorgeous man sitting by her bed looking down at something in his lap.
Tucker. Madison didn’t move. She didn’t want him to know she was awake, didn’t want him to know the swelling around her left eye had finally gone down enough to allow her to see. She just wanted to stare at him for a while.
Good Lord above. Libby’s photos, as good as they were, hadn’t done the man justice. Tucker Simon was one seriously, shockingly, amazingly attractive man. His dark hair was cut short, a bit longer on the top than the sides, the cut highlighting the angles of his face, the strong jawline, high cheekbones, the straight, perfectly proportioned nose. He had dark, masculine brows that ever so slightly winged up and back down out over the corners of his eyes, and thick lashes that shadowed his cheeks as he studied what Madison could now see was a tablet device of some kind. And his mouth, well, it was Maddy’s idea of perfection. She’d never cared for puffy lips on a man, and Tucker’s lips were firm and beautifully carved, right in the middle between thin and full.
Perfection. The man was absolute perfection.
Which made Madison suddenly aware of her own appearance, which she knew must be nothing short of horrendous. How many days had she been in this hospital bed now, without a shower? And was her catheter bag hanging on the side of the bed where he was sitting? And her face, oh good gracious, she could only imagine what her face looked like.
It was odd that she hadn’t given those things much thought before now, kind of like when babies play peek-a-boo and think if they can’t see you, you can’t see them. But now that she could see again, Maddy was all too aware of how she must look, and even the pain, which was considerable because she hadn’t pushed her button since before her nap, couldn’t trump her regret at not looking her best for a man like Tucker Simon.
Her heart stopped when he glanced up at her briefly, then did a double take. A slow smile curved the lips that Maddy so admired, and his striking light blue eyes crinkled at the corners.
“Is that an eye I see?” he asked softly, leaning forward and resting a forearm on the rail of her bed.
“A little bit of one,” Maddy replied self-consciously. “But I’ll take what I can get.”
“They’re blue, huh?” he asked. “Can you see clearly or are things still blurry?”
“Pretty clear.”
“That’s good. It’ll make traveling easier on you if you can see. The helicopter will be here in about 45 minutes. You can rest some more if you want.”
Maddy didn’t want to sleep, she just wanted to keep looking at him. But she also needed to talk to him.
“Tucker, I want to help you find Jimmy. I can talk about it if you have any questions.”
He studied her, frowning slightly. “Are you sure? I know you’re in a lot of pain, Madison, and I don’t want you to get upset or stressed.”
“I’m sure.”
Tuck put his iPad aside and reached over to lower her bed rail so it wouldn’t obstruct their vision. Then he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his hands clasped loosely.
“I’ll try to ask in a way that doesn’t demand long answers. If I ask anything you don’t want to answer right now, just tell me, okay?”
Maddy nodded. His nearness took her breath away and she hoped he put her shortness of breath down to her injuries rather than her intense reaction to him.
“We already know the guys who abducted you were pretending to be interested in the vacant apartment beside Libby’s.”
“Russ and Chuck.”
“Russ is the one who came here to the hospital, too,” Tuck told her. “He must the one who gets special assignments.”
“Yeah. Him and Abe.”
“Abe is another one that got away. Also a guy named Zeke. Do you remember him?”
“Yes. He gave me pain pills.”
“Zeke helped us find you,” Tuck told her. “During the videos he wore old hats from the business that used to be in the building you were in, and he used sign language to try to tell us the location. We’re hoping to hear from him again, but we’re not sure about his motives. We don’t know whether he was trying to take Jimmy down, or just help you out.”
“I don’t know,” Maddy said thoughtfully.
Tuck considered his next question carefully. “Madison I don’t know if you remember this, but Jimmy said at one point you tried to spit on him, and he punished you by letting the men bid on getting some time alone with you. He said Zeke won that bid.”
Maddy turned her face away from him, not speaking, and Tuck’s stomach dropped. Had Zeke hurt her after all?
Finally Maddy answered. “It’s awkward to talk about that.”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Tuck said gently, trying to hide the anger that was boiling up in him at the possibility of Madison being further violated. “I’m just trying to get a better handle on how Zeke operates, since he’s still with Jimmy.”
“I don’t remember the actual bidding, I guess I passed out again. When I woke up Zeke was there, over me, and said to be quiet.”
Madison brought her left hand up and rubbed her forehead, still not looking at Tuck.
“Madison,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “Did he—”
“No, he didn’t rape me. He just pretended. He said it had to look real.” Madison turned her head further away, hoping the bruising on her face hid the fierce blush heating her cheeks.
Tuck reached out and gently turned her face back to his. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Madison. Absolutely nothing.”
“It’s still embarrassing.”
“I’m sorry I had to ask about it, but now I know that Zeke truly was looking out for you, at considerable risk to himself. We just have to hope he also wants to see Jimmy taken down. Maybe he’ll find a way to contact us yet.”
“I hope he’s careful. I think Jimmy is a psychopath. His eyes are completely dead.” Madison shuddered, remembering.
Tuck smoothed his hand over her hair, cradling her head in his big palm. “I believe you’re right. Hopefully Zeke knows how to handle him. You’ve told me enough for now, Madison. Push your button, I can tell you need it.”
She did, and Tuck smiled at her. “So here’s an update on where we’re at now. We’ve arrested all the men who were at the warehouse, except for Jimmy, Russ, Zeke and Abe. Jimmy had a small town cop on his payroll, probably one of many, and the cop called and warned him that we had roadblocks set up. When he got the warning, Jimmy’s car pulled off, but he either didn’t have time to warn the others, or figured he had a better chance of getting away without the other cars calling attention to him.”
“He’s evil,” Madison stated. “I wish I could help more.” If only she’d been able to hear more conversations when she was in that warehouse. She’d tried, but the men had usually been too far away to make out what they were saying.
“Please don’t think you let us down,” Tuck said, stroking his thumb across her temple. “You were amazing. As tiny as you are, surrounded by a roomful of brutes, you showed more courage than anyone I’ve ever known. And although you’ve been in constant pain for the past four days, I have yet to hear a single complaint.”
“You might if I thought it would help,” Madison said wryly.
Tuck
smiled, making her heart pound again.
“Seriously, Madison, you were incredible. And that head butt? Best thing I’ve ever seen.”
She smiled. “It was worth the punishment.”
Tuck’s smile gradually faded and he took her left hand in his. “Yeah, well, that part and everything that followed was pretty much the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to go through any of that. You shouldn’t be lying here in this bed.”
From what Libby had told her already, Maddy knew Tucker blamed himself for what had happened, and she hated that.
“Not your fault,” she said.
“I’m not so sure of that,” he replied, regret heavy in his voice.
Maddy heard Libby’s laughter in the hall, and then her friend entered the room.
“Well look at you two all cozy over there,” Libby said cheerfully, walking up behind Tuck and rubbing his shoulders. “Are you guys ready to go—ahhhhh! Maddy! I see an eye!”
“I’m not totally in the dark anymore,” Maddy confirmed.
“Yay! Oh my gosh, I’m so glad,” Libby gushed, leaning around Tuck to plant a kiss on Maddy’s head. “It’ll be so much better for you to be able to see while we travel. Emma said the helicopter will be here in twenty minutes. You’ll go in that with the paramedic, and Tuck and I will meet you at the airport.”
“Sounds good. I’m ready.” Madison found the button that dispensed her pain medication. “One more for the road,” she said, trying to hide her dread for what was to come. She knew the trip would be painful, and she breathed a prayer for strength and courage.
It was a night Madison thought would never end. She tried her best to hide her discomfort, but she could tell from Tucker’s and Libby’s pinched faces and worried eyes that they knew she was struggling.
Her IV remained in place, but the paramedic was on the stingy side with the pain meds, because he needed to closely monitor her vitals and he didn’t want her blood pressure and heart rate to be skewed by too much medication. Flying so soon after surgery posed a risk of blood clots, and the altitude change wasn’t an especially good thing for her healing lung, but Dr. Stanton believed the risks were minimal and had signed off on it. He had, however, urged the paramedic to be extra vigilant, and the man was definitely following through.
