He took her hand in his. "I'm in no rush." He smiled at her.
"And I've said all there is to say on the subject of my ex-wife. But listen, I know this must be hard for you. I want you to know that you're doing the right thing. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not that good at expressing myself, but I hope you know how glad I am that you’re here with me."
Madison got a warm feeling, low in her belly. There was so much feeling and emotion in his tone and gaze. After Tristan died, she'd built up a wall of reserve around her heart, but the more time she spent with Cole, the more the wall began to crumble.
"You're right. It is hard because I feel like I have no direction. You know, after Tristan died, I waited weeks for and finally received the footage."
Cole shot her a reproachful look. "Oh Madison, tell me that you didn’t want to see that. And why was there footage?"
She nodded her head. "I did. I couldn’t help myself. There was a news crew nearby and they just happened on the scene. Anyway… when I received the footage, I would watch it, but only when I was alone. I would sit for hours, just hoping, praying for a glimpse of him. But I never saw him. The shootout was so violent, that you hear more than you can actually see. It took me a couple of months, but eventually, I stopped looking at it and threw it away."
"You were grieving, I know. But I'm glad that you stopped watching that. You've taken a big step forward. Bring what you can of the past with you, yes, but I want you to remember to keep moving forward and in case you forget, I'm going to be with you every step of the way."
Madison nodded and smiled. "Good, because I'm going to need all the help that I can get and from now on, I am going to go with it and see where it leads me. And thank you for convincing me to come with you. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my friends and family safe from harm. The little friends and family that I have left." She frowned.
On his way out, the older gentleman walked by their table. Cole nodded politely before excusing himself to the restroom.
After paying the bill, the two headed out to the car.
"You sure you don’t want me to drive?" Madison asked.
Feeling rejuvenated, Cole got behind the wheel. "No thanks, I feel good. I feel better than I have in months." He smirked and pressed a slow kiss to her forehead.
Chapter Sixteen
"She on the move boss?" Manny had walked into the room and handed Castillo his drink.
"Yes she is and aside from a few stops here and there, she hasn’t stopped moving. She's just entered West Virginia."
"Where do you think she's headed boss?"
"I don’t know, but as soon as this tracker stops, we're hunting her down. Are my bags packed?"
"Yes boss, but you don’t have to go. You just tell me where she is and me and the boys will go take care of her."
"No!" He shouted as a growl of frustration rumbled from his chest.
"I want to watch her suffer just like I did Hernandez. Is that understood?"
"Yes boss. But she isn’t alone. I did some checking like you asked and her rental was returned early this morning."
Castillo slammed his fist down hard onto the smooth glass tabletop, causing his drink to slosh and spill over.
"I don’t care who she's with! All that matters is that she is looking at me while she is dying. I want her to know that I'll be the last man to enter her life as she is exiting it. Now get me another drink!"
"Yes boss." Manny nodded and left the room.
****
Just as the last streaks of daylight gave way to fiery oranges and yellows, they arrived in Summerbridge. The town looked sleepy, in a quaint sort of way and as they drove down Main Street, Cole pointed out where he'd be starting his new job.
"Would you like to stop and let them know that you're in town?" Madison covered her mouth in a yawn. The trip had taken them almost ten hours, and she was exhausted and needed to stretch her legs.
"No. I thought we'd do that tomorrow. I don’t take on the job for another few days. Plus, I want you to see my new place before it gets too dark."
After driving a couple of miles away from town, they reached their destination. The first thing that Madison noticed was the mailbox that was located at the end of a very long, dirt and gravel driveway. It was a mini version of a log cabin.
"Your idea?" She grinned and pointed to it.
"That wasn’t the mailbox that was there when I first looked at the place; I guess the realtor must have done it."
"Well, it's very charming."
Cole smiled. "I'm glad that you think so. Wait until you see the place."
Situated snug among a vast abundance of trees sat the cabin. She could see that the place gave the appearance of being more secluded than it actually was and she liked that.
It had an authentic, weather-beaten look about it from years of exposure to the elements, but was still well maintained with a cozy front porch, shuttered windows, and a solid stone chimney.
Madison smiled when they walked through the door and she took a quick glance around. The front door opened up to a small rustic foyer and to the immediate right was a wall that sectioned off a large master bedroom.
When she noticed that there was only one bedroom, she turned and looked at him.
"Yeah, there's just one bedroom. Go ahead and take it, I'll crash out here on the couch." He grinned sheepishly.
Madison knew there was no use in refusing to sleep in the bedroom, Cole would insist on giving her the room.
But being in a new place suddenly made her feel vulnerable. She went to the door and made sure that it was locked.
Cole went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Her eyes were now filled with grief and uncertainty. "You’re safe here. No one knows about this place. So just think of this place as your temporary haven, or maybe permanent?" He half questioned. His eyes holding out hope.
Even as she tried to shrug him away, she relented when his large hands began to massage her shoulders, and then run up and down her arms.
She felt him trail his lips down her neck while encircling her waist with his hands pulling her closer to him.
A slight moan escaped her lips at the feel of his hands caressing her. He then lowered his mouth to kiss her ear, his hot breath tickling the sensitive skin.
“Mmm, your skin is so soft...” Cole mumbled before capturing her mouth with his.
Expertly his lips teased hers and before she realized what was happening, Madison opened her mouth, and his tongue slipped inside gently stroking hers.
Skillfully, his lips teased and caressed, stirring a fire within her. Reluctantly, she found herself responding, gripping his biceps as he moved his hands up and down her back, drawing her closer until their bodies were almost one.
Her heart was thumping to its own unnatural rhythm, but still, she focused her attention on Cole.
She felt the proof of his desire, rampant against her. The breath caught in her chest.
This was Cole. This was the man she'd secretly desired since the very first moment she laid eyes on him and now he was right there, holding her in his arms, stimulating each and every nerve ending. Causing her entire body to scream with awareness.
Something vibrated, and then vibrated again. It took a moment before he realized that it was his cell phone.
His mouth left hers and he drew back, releasing her. Both had been breathing hard. He ran a hand over his face and shook his head to clear it of the passionate haze he'd just been pulled from. He cursed under his breath and stepped outside.
Madison turned and smirked before she casually walked away.
Saved by the vibration, she thought to herself. Crisis averted. But there was no relief that accompanied the thought. She made her way into the bedroom and closed her eyes. What she was feeling, was far from relief.
"What!" He growled into the phone.
"Whoa. Whoa there buddy. I wouldn’t be interrupting anything, now would I?" Deputy Faith grinned into the phone.
"Not an
ymore," Cole grumbled.
"So, what's the news?"
"Well, it looks like our boy Castillo isn’t as popular on the inside as he is on the outside. Someone got to him in his cell last night. The guy can barely talk, his jaw is wired shut."
"Pretty convenient don’t you think?"
"I was thinking the same thing, but I spent several hours with the guy. Believe me, his injuries are legit, and he claims he's got no ties to anyone on the outside. He claims that Hernandez getting murdered is just a coincidence."
"And you believe him?" Cole questioned him.
"There's no way in hell that I believe anything that comes out of that man's mouth. Whoever he's got working for him on the outside, is as loyal as they come and Castillo isn’t going to give whoever it is, up."
Cole ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Has he had any visitors recently?"
"I checked the visitor's log. No one has come to see the guy in a very long time. Last time was several months ago, his parents."
"No one else?"
"No one else," Deputy Faith answered.
"It looks like he's been trying to give the appearance of leading a very mellow life over there at Riverbend."
"Which in other words," Cole said, trying to sum it up. "He's up to something and trying his best to cover it up."
"That about sums it up. So where does that leave Madison?" Faith asked, looking down and shaking his head.
"She stays with me until we figure this out. Castillo hunted Hernandez down and I've got no doubt that he's trying to find out where Madison is."
"You think there's a leak in the department?" Faith asked the question that Cole had been thinking.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t think so, but who the hell knows."
"She withdrew from the program while she was living in Maine and as far as anyone knows, she's still there." Faith replied.
"Yeah but her appearance at Hank and Donna's place the night of my going away party was a surprise to everyone. Including the twenty or so employees who happen to work for the department. Anyone of them could have spilled the beans about her being back in town."
"You really think that it's someone in our department?" Faith asked.
"At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past anyone."
"I hope that I'm not included in that assumption partner." Faith chuckled.
"Don’t be ridiculous," Cole said. "I trust you with my life. But you and I both know that if the price is right, people will do almost anything."
"You got that right." Faith agreed. "I'm going to round up a couple of guys and pay a visit to his parents. See if they know anything."
"Good idea. Make sure it's guys that you can trust huh?"
"Of course. Harding Listen, you take care and good luck with the new job. I'll keep you updated."
After he hung up the phone, Cole made his way into the house where he found Madison unpacking some of her bags.
"Castillo was attacked in his cell last night."
"Good." Madison replied and continued to unpack.
"He claims he doesn’t know anything about Hernandez or the threat over at Hank and Donna's."
"Yeah, right. And I'm supposed to believe that?" She snickered.
"Absolutely not," he said.
Cole leaned against the doorway to the bedroom and watched her as she unpacked. His attraction to her seemed to consume him. His hands tingled with the desire to touch her again.
His attraction to her was far more than sexual. Madison was a fighter, a strong woman who he admired. She'd been through a lot these past few years and it took a very strong person to withdraw from the program. Not to mention the loss of her husband. The thought of her in pain unsettled him. But, he found hope and comfort in the fact that even though she'd made a life for herself back in Maine. She'd agreed to travel with him all the way to West Virginia. For how long she intended to stay, he had no idea.
Madison turned around and saw that he was watching her. Although he was all business now, she saw in his eyes that familiar look of desire.
"I had the realtor stock the fridge, so while you finish getting settled, how about I go and make us something to eat?"
"Sounds good." Madison smiled and went back to unpacking. She wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject of their kiss. But one thing was for sure, she couldn’t stay with him forever. The time would come when she'd have no choice but to return to her life in Maine.
What life? Who am I kidding? I have no life. But you have Zoe along with Tristan's parents. Her conscience reminded her.
She'd spoken to George and Helen, but was hesitant to tell them about Hernandez being murdered and about the threat made while she was staying at Hank and Donna's, but felt better after she did. There was a much stronger reluctance at the thought of telling them about her decision to stay at Cole's place for a while. But when they agreed that it was a good decision, she felt the large weight of worry and guilt lift from her shoulders.
Helen had heard the apprehension in her stepdaughter's voice when she told them about Cole, but she quickly put her mind at ease when she told her that it was the best thing for her.
"You need to reconnect with some of your friends," Helen had said.
"You have to try and move on with your life Madison. Tristan would want that and so do we. We want you to be happy and safe and if that means spending time with Deputy Harding, then so be it. Life moves on Madison and so should you."
It was the second time she'd heard those words and it dawned on her that perhaps maybe that was the sign she'd been waiting for. True, it didn’t come from Tristan. She'd imagined that he'd come to her in a dream and tell her that moving on was the right thing to do. But instead, the sign had come from Donna, Helen, and George, three people she loved just as much as she loved Tristan.
Both Helen and George agreed that it would be best if she stayed with Cole down in West Virginia. They'd made arrangements with local authorities to keep an eye on their places in Maine. And although they were out of the country, Madison thought it best if she made contact with them just once or twice a week.
"I don’t want that animal or any of his thugs getting to you," Madison told them.
Helen and George agreed and for now, they'd decided not to tell Zoe.
She made it a point to call again and let them know that things were still up in the air and that no one had been caught yet.
Chapter Seventeen
"Are you ready boss?" Manny asked.
"Yes I am." Castillo grinned and dropped the last of his luggage at Manny's feet.
"Let's get going. It's a long drive to West Virginia." He commanded his men and slide into the back seat of the Suburban.
Just hours after he'd noticed that the personal locator had stopped moving, Castillo ordered his small group of thugs to get ready. He told them that it was time; Madison West was no longer on the move. He wanted everyone ready to make the nine-hour trek to Summerbridge.
Not wanting to stand out in the small town of Summerbridge, Castillo took no chances. He told Manny to get in touch with some of his contacts at the local auto shop. Within a couple of hours, someone had delivered a set of West Virginia license plates. So, if they were pulled over, the plates on the 2010 Chevy Suburban would show up registered and insured to Manuel Ortega.
"You've thought of everything boss." Manny couldn’t conceal his excitement. He loaded the rest of the supplies into the back of the Suburban. And located in a hidden compartment near the rear cargo area, were several boxes of ammunition, rifles and shotguns.
"I never miss a beat," Castillo said and slid into the back seat.
"Now Vamonos!"
****
When she'd finished unpacking, Madison found Cole in the kitchen.
He was busy preparing a salad and he looked good while doing it.
"I see you've managed to find your way around the kitchen." She grinned.
"Yeah well after the divorce, I got ti
red of take-out, night after night. So it was either, learn to cook or starve." He grinned back and handed her a glass of wine.
"Do I have time to take a shower?" She asked him.
The thought of her taking a shower in his bathroom, made his body ache with need. He was glad that his back was towards her. He closed his eyes briefly as if awaiting some divine intervention. "Of course." He tried sounding as calm and collected as he possibly could.
Madison took a sip of wine and set the glass down on the countertop. "I won't be long," she said and trotted off into the bedroom.
****
Twenty minutes later, just as Cole was setting the table, Madison strolled into the kitchen looking soft, sexy, and relaxed. She was wearing a thin tank top and casual linen shorts that showed off her shapely legs. He stood there, with cutlery in his hands, staring at her like a teenager staring at his first crush.
"Feel better?" He struggled to get the words out.
"Yes I do. Thanks. This looks delicious." She smiled when he pulled out her chair.
"Caesar pasta salad, a bottle of wine, and for dessert, I have blackberry Cantaloupe salad."
"All the things I like." She grinned at him.
"You remembered."
"I remember everything about you. Three years ago it was my job to know. Now it's my privilege."
Witness Protection: Hide and Seek Page 10
