by Celya Bowers
Madisyn stared at her brother. “You seem to forget I’m an adult, Mike, and can handle my own business. I’ll take care of Aidan later.”
“He’s only looking out for you. How many men do you know who would go to all this trouble?”
Madisyn had to admit, if to no one but herself, that few men would indeed go to all this trouble to keep a woman safe.
“Maddie, I like Aidan. He’s very straightforward and hates Darnell as much as I do. I know you think you can handle Darnell, but he’s pulled the wool over your eyes before, and he could do it again.” He took a deep breath. “And before you get your back up about Darnell, listen to what I’m saying.”
“And what would that be?” She really hated when Mike got this ‘I’m right, so listen’ voice.
“We’ve all been there, Maddie. Don’t think you’re the first person to be tricked by someone they trusted. You’re not. Darnell was too slick for his own good and you finally saw through it. I just don’t want you to backslide.”
“I think catching him in bed with that tramp was all the proof I needed, and that wasn’t even the first time. I won’t be backsliding or anything else anytime soon. I think that’s why I’m so cautious with Aidan.”
Mike pulled up to her office building and parked. “Aidan is good people. He does what he says he going to do. He came to church with you and had dinner with our family. He even played with Megan. I don’t know many men who would do that. I know in the two years you were with Darnell, he never set foot inside the church and he didn’t like Megan.”
Madisyn couldn’t argue with her brother about that. Aidan was very different from Darnell in every sense of the word. He was kind, supportive, gentle and too easy to talk to. “He’s also coming this Sunday. He wants to see me teach Sunday school.”
Michael smiled broadly. “See what I mean? My money is on Aidan. See you at five o’clock. Marcus is bringing Megan over about six.”
Madisyn shook her head as she released the seat belt. As much as the men in her family got on her nerves, she could never stay mad at them long. “Yeah, yeah, I guess. We’ll just have to see, won’t we? Marcus isn’t going to drool over Aidan again, is he?”
Mike laughed. “Of course. Why do you think he jumped at the chance to bring Meg over? Just be thankful it’s date night for him and Rasheeda or there would have been four for dinner.”
Madisyn slid out of the car. “Thank goodness for date night. Thanks, Mikey.” She closed the door before he could tell her how much he hated that nickname.
She was still laughing as she entered the office building and headed for the coffee shop. After she got her morning fill of caffeine she headed to her office.
“Madisyn, where’s your car?” Keisha asked as she walked toward her desk. Today’s ensemble was a black suit with a skirt Madisyn thought was too short for the office, but right for Keisha. She glanced past Madisyn’s shoulder to Mr. Bridges’s darkened office. “Is the master in?”
Madisyn chuckled as she turned on her computer. “Will you let that go? He’s just settling in.”
Keisha shrugged. “Where’s your ride? Didn’t I see your brother dropping you off? I was hoping to get a glimpse of Aidan today.”
“Sorry, it was Mike. He was feeling charitable so he picked me up this morning.” She hoped the lie sounded a lot stronger to Keisha than to her own ears.
“Is something going on with you, Maddie? You can tell me. Has Darnell done something to you?”
“Why on earth would you assume such a thing?” Madisyn tried to focus on her work to calm her nerves. She knew today was going to be a test of wills because today was the day Darnell would be served with the restraining order.
“No reason. I know he probably wants to get back with you in the worst way, so there’s no telling what he could or would do.”
She retrieved her boss’s email and prepared his daily calendar. “Well, I can handle him. If he hadn’t cheated so much, I wouldn’t be having this problem right now.”
“Maybe you drove him to it,” Keisha said. “Maybe he couldn’t take all that family togetherness and wanted you all to himself. Maybe he likes spontaneity.”
“Maybe he forgot the meaning of monogamous too? I thought you didn’t like him because he was an investment banker and played the corporate game?”
“No, I didn’t like him because of what he was doing to you and why he was dating you.” Keisha glanced at her gold watch. “Gotta go. My boss is timing me. Somebody ratted me out and he has people watching me constantly. I think it was the master.” She gave Madisyn a princess wave and scurried down the long corridor to her cubicle.
* * *
That afternoon, Darnell sat in the weekly meeting of his superiors at Harland, Collins and Roarke, hoping that Daniel Harland would just shut up and adjourn the meeting already. He yawned as he gazed out of the window on the twenty-third floor of the Danite building in downtown Dallas.
“Are we keeping you from something, Darnell?” Daniel asked impatiently.
Darnell quickly answered. “No, sir.”
“According to our records, we haven’t received your RSVP yet. The annual dinner is in less than a month. I can’t tell you how important that evening is to the firm. And I can’t wait to see the expression on Madisyn’s beautiful face when we announce your promotion to senior investment banker. It would be a great to time to announce your engagement.”
Darnell knew exactly how important the annual dinner was to Harland, Collins and Roarke. The firm was very big on family traditions and moral values, and Harland adored Madisyn. He was constantly asking Darnell when he was going to marry her. He decided a little misdirection was in order. “You know how women are, sir. Madisyn wants to find the perfect dress before I can respond about the annual dinner.”
Bradley’s tanned face beamed. “You just tell her anything she wears will look beautiful on her.”
“Yes, sir.” Darnell hated knowing that Madisyn held the key to his future at the firm, not graduating top in his class at Princeton or the work he’d done.
Harland adjourned the meeting but asked Darnell to stay behind. Once they were alone in the room, the charming smile was gone and a very serious look clouded the older man’s tanned face. “There’s someone waiting in the lobby to see you.”
Darnell nodded, thinking it was Madisyn; she must have finally come to her senses. He walked to the lobby and his heart sank. It wasn’t Maddie, but a young man dressed in a Dallas County Constable uniform.
“Darnell Whitfield?”
“Yes.”
He handed Darnell a folded piece of paper. “Sorry, man.” He left the lobby without another word.
Harland walked up behind him. “Darnell, our firm is known for our choice of employees. We try to avoid scandals at any cost. In the past, you have led quite a colorful life and your career has hung in the balance. It wasn’t until you started dating Madisyn that your life settled down and you became the type of employee that we want. A constable only delivers certain types of papers. I trust there’s nothing wrong between you and Madisyn or that you have not fathered a child out of wedlock. I know our values are old-fashioned but we’re an old-fashioned firm. I’d hate for a moment’s indiscretion to cost you your job.”
“I’m sure it’s an error, sir.”
“I hope for your sake it is.”
Darnell didn’t dare open the paper in front of his boss. In addition, eyes were everywhere in the lobby. He didn’t even trust his own office for something this important. Claiming he was meeting a client, Darnell left the office early.
He didn’t read the paper until he was in the comfort of his condo. He read the name on the paper three times. Chase Hartman. Chase Hartman. Chase Hartman. Where had he heard that name before? He racked his brain. Then suddenly it hit him. Hard. Although Dallas was a large metropolitan city, the number of high-profile black attorneys was few. Hartman had only one client. Aidan Coles. Why was he filing a restraining order against him? Darnell might
have followed Aidan and Madisyn, but that wasn’t against the law. Something wasn’t making sense. He quickly dialed the number listed.
The phone picked up on the first ring. “Chase Hartman,” a woman said. “Can I help you?”
Darnell took a deep breath. He wasn’t going to lose his temper, at least not yet. “Yes, I received an order from the courts today and it’s signed by Chase Hartman.”
“Yes, that’s correct,” the woman answered quickly. She didn’t even pretend to look up the information. She just started rattling off directives. “It’s effective immediately. You’re not to come within five hundred feet of Ms. Madisyn O’Riley or any member of her immediate family.”
“What does this have to do with Madisyn?”
“The order is on her behalf. Her name is right below Mr. Hartman’s. You are also not to come to her place of employment, church or day spa. I can give you the names of those places if necessary.”
“No, I really don’t need you to give me the names.” Darnell didn’t like this woman’s tone. He could easily imagine her laughing at his expense. He really hated that.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Whitfield?”
“No, nothing else,” Darnell said through gritted teeth. The fury that was slowly building inside his body was ebbing away in that same fashion as a plan of revenge formed in Darnell’s mind. Madisyn was going to pay for every embarrassing moment he had endured.
* * *
“You know, Mike, you don’t have to stay until Marcus gets here. He’s just going to drop Megan off,” Madisyn hinted as she unlocked her front door. He’d picked her up from work as promised, but enough was enough. She wanted a few minutes’ solitude before her niece or Aidan got there.
“And I told you I’m staying until Aidan gets here. That’s our deal, take it or leave it.” He closed the front door and locked it. “Actually, you’d don’t have an option. I’m here until Aidan gets here. Stay here. I’m going to check the back door.” Madisyn knew how stubborn her brother was, especially where safety was concerned, so she just nodded and sat on the couch. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that there was no way Darnell would be stupid enough to show his face after the restraining order was delivered. She turned on the television while she waited on her brother to return.
As she listened to the local news anchorman describe the devastation of the last raid in the war zone, the doorbell rang. Madisyn was about to answer it, when her brother halted her moves with only his voice.
“Don’t you dare answer that door,” he boomed, walking in the living room. He was carrying a large brown envelope in his hands. “This was on your back step.”
He didn’t hand the envelope to her, but she could see her name was scribbled on it in red. At first she assumed it was a red marker, but closer inspection made her tremble. “Is that blood?”
“No, it’s paint. There’s no return address, but it’s got to be from Darnell.” He sat the package down on the table as he walked to the front door. “Don’t you dare touch it.”
Madisyn huffed. “I know. Fingerprints.” She wanted her life back. Curiosity started to get the better of her, and she walked to the table to closer inspect the envelope, but Mike’s order stopped her.
“I told you to leave the damn thing alone. I mean that,” he called from the entryway.
In all her years Mike had never used that tone with her. She now understood why her nephews were so mindful of their father. “All right. You win, big brother.” She walked back to her seat on the sofa.
She heard him open the front door and welcome Marcus and Megan inside. Soon she heard the happy squeal of her niece. Meagan appeared around the corner dressed in a cute little blue jean dress with big yellow daisies on it. Megan crawled up on the couch and gave Megan a big hug.
“Miss you,” she said, easing herself into Madisyn’s lap. “Eat.”
No matter what angst Madisyn was feeling, Megan took all that away. Her chubby little face beamed with excitement. “Sorry, baby. Food isn’t here yet. I guess he’s running late.”
Marcus’s green eyes lit up. He reminded Madisyn of a little boy at his first professional football game. “You mean Aidan is really coming over tonight? I thought Mike was just messing with me.” He sat down in the chair. “I think I’ll wait too.”
Madisyn shook her head. “Oh, no, you don’t. It’s date night, so you get going. You can see Aidan this Sunday at church.” She dangled the carrot in front of her brother. She had to give him an incentive not to miss date night.
“He’s coming back to church this Sunday? How cool! So are you dating him? Is it serious? It must be serious if he’s going to all this trouble. I can’t believe Darnell is acting like this.”
Madisyn laughed. “You know you’re worse than Mom. You ask me a million different things at once. Now how am I supposed to answer all those questions?”
Marcus smiled. “Gotcha. Answer the most important one first. And before you ask which one is most important, it’s the one about Aidan.”
“Yes, he’s coming to church again. He wants to see me teach Sunday school. At the moment we’re friends and that’s all. I think he’s taking my security very personally.”
Marcus nodded. “Okay, since he’s coming on Sunday, I won’t stay. I know Mike isn’t leaving until he gets here.” Marcus rose and walked to his daughter and kissed her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Megan. Be good. Mommy will come get you in the morning.”
Megan nodded and hugged her father. “Bye, Daddy.”
Marcus looked at Madisyn. “If it’s too much, let me know and we’ll come get her. I know you got a lot going on right now.”
“No, I need Megan here,” Madisyn said. “Tonight she’s my little chaperone.”
Mike walked back in the room, joining the conversation. “Maybe I should stay, too. Didn’t you say he was bringing dinner?”
The last thing Madisyn needed was Mike watching Aidan’s every move. “No, guys. I’m perfectly safe. What was in the envelope?”
Mike took a deep breath. “Darnell is just venting. He’s just trying to scare you with all this.”
Madisyn knew her brother was dancing around the pole. He was trying to spare her from bad news, but this time Madisyn wasn’t having it. “Please tell me or show me what was in the envelope.”
“Okay, Maddie,” Michael sighed, pulling a photo out of the envelope. “It’s a photo of you with gashes going through it. Maddie, I’m sorry.”
Madisyn suddenly felt cold. Was it fright? Was it fury? Darnell had taken just about everything he could from her. “I’m sorry, too. At first, I thought I could handle this, but Mike, he’s irrational and I don’t know what to expect next. I can’t believe he’s acting like this.” She thought for a minute. “Well, yes, I can. When he wants something bad enough, there’s nothing Darnell won’t do.”
“So I guess you won’t fight me on taking you to work?”
“At least not right now, even though I don’t want Darnell thinking I’m scared of him and am running to my family to protect me. It gives him the power and I don’t want that. I wish there was a way to stop him right now.”
Mike nodded. “You still got your pepper spray?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’ll wait until Aidan gets here, then I’ll leave.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
Aidan arrived at Madisyn’s house and noticed a strange car in the driveway. He knew it wasn’t Darnell’s car, thanks to Chase and his connections. He hoped it belonged to one of Madisyn’s brothers. He parked the Escalade in front of her house, reached for the bags containing dinner, and got out of the car.
The front door opened before he could ring the doorbell. Madisyn was dressed in a cotton dress that seemed made for her body. It hugged her hips and had just enough cleavage to make him hard as concrete. It was going to be a long night.
“Aidan, how nice to see you. Megan and I were tempted to order pizza,” she teased, reaching
for one of the bags. “Come in, Mike is waiting to talk to you.”
Oh, that didn’t sit well with him. Chase had already told him about the phone call to his office. Hopefully Darnell hadn’t done anything yet. Aidan wasn’t prepared for a battle, but if it was for this woman, he would walk through the den of hell to keep her safe from harm. He followed Madisyn into the house. Mike greeted him as they entered the dining room. He didn’t like the serious look on Mike’s face. “Hey, Mike. You wanted to talk to me?”
CHAPTER 15
Mike stared at Aidan with the same intense green eyes as Madisyn. “Yeah, why don’t we talk in Maddie’s office, so little ears won’t hear.” He nodded in Megan’s direction.
Aidan’s heart sank as he realized this was going to be a serious conversation, not two guys discussing the latest Cowboy acquisitions. “Sure, man.” He followed Mike into another section of Madisyn’s house.
After they were settled in two very comfortable club chairs, Mike began. “Aidan, I’m not the type of guy to say a lot of flowery things, especially when it comes to Maddie. I’m going to cut right to the chase. Darnell means to cause Maddie real harm.” He told him about the envelope with the mutilated photo. “My brothers and I are willing to do anything to make sure that this doesn’t happen. Are you with us?”
Aidan wasn’t shocked at Mike’s attitude about Madisyn. “Yeah, man I’m with you. I’ve only known Madisyn a few weeks, but I know her well enough to know that she’s not going to take this sitting down. I mean, yes, this is very real, and she’ll cooperate to an extent, but she likes being her own person.”
“True. But she’s my younger sister and sometimes she doesn’t know what’s good for her. She’s got a big heart and that gets her in trouble.” Mike looked directly at Aidan.
He wanted to shrink away from that icy stare Mike was giving him, but this was for Madisyn, so the price wasn’t too high. “What’s your plan?”
Mike smiled. “My plan is we can take turns being her bodyguard. Yes, she’s going to bitch about it, but in the end, she’ll cooperate. With Darnell acting like a nut, we’re going to have to up our game. With some strategic planning, we can have her covered most of the time. Since it’s summer, I can take her to work and pick her up. I’m sure you’ll have most of the evenings covered with the charity, right?”
