by Jewel Allen
“No ma’am,” he said. “We’re just so thrilled that you can be here.”
In the end, she compromised and didn’t go to the very back of the line. Billy kept her company with his usual prattle. Madison looked around for Luke but couldn’t see him. She wondered where he had gone.
Madison and Billy sat near the back church wall. Tucking into her plate, she savored the down home southern comfort food: puddings, meat pies and tartlets, fried chicken, chunky potato salads, sweet potato and pecan pie and collard greens.
Luke joined them from the parking lot and was looking around, as though he were searching for someone. When his eyes lit upon her, his facial muscles relaxed. He slowly made his way towards her.
She lowered her gaze to her food and tried to focus on what Billy was saying, “I’m still up for my online channel interview if you are,” he said.
“Of course,” she said, aware that Luke had arrived, and was standing next to her.
“I was just checking in,” Luke said. “Everything okay?”
“Sure,” she lied. Everything but her heart was okay.
She couldn’t see the expression behind his sunglasses. “I’m going to get some food now that the lines have died down.”
“Of course,” she said.
Luke made his way across the church yard, making every woman on that Sabbath day stare.
***
Billy was solicitous and kept Madison company, bringing her back a limeade drink. She sipped the refreshing concoction as Billy settled beside her. And then someone approached.
She saw his scuffed shoes first. She had seen them somewhere before…at a concert with thousands of screaming fans.
When Frank Dell had come up to the stage to put his arms around her.
She’d looked down at his shoes. They were stained with white paint. The same white paint he had used to write his message on his poster board for Madison to see:
I love you, Madison. ~ Frank
She was afraid to look up but forced herself to do so. She’d only had a fleeting glimpse of Frank Dell’s face, and even now, would she have been able to pick him out in a line-up of devout church goers? He was a Southern gentleman, with his old-fashioned suit and narrow tie, hat askew on his graying hair. But there was something off with his eyes. His light blue, translucent eyes devoured her face.
“Hello, Madison,” Frank Dell said.
Blood drained from her face and she felt faint. In her nightmares, his voice sounded folksy, sincere. As it did so today.
In the waistband of his pants, he had tucked a gun. His hand inched to it now.
Does he plan to shoot me?
Luke, where are you?
Madison frantically searched the crowd for Luke. There he was coming her way with a plate full of food.
I need you now!
But the pastor crossed paths with Luke and started talking to him.
No.
“Hey,” Billy’s voice cut through the madness. “What are you up to, dude?”
Frank Dell’s expression turned wild. He pulled the gun. Billy’s eyes grew wide and he raised his arms in protection. Frank shot Billy in the stomach.
Madison heard screaming, over and over, and realized, it was coming from her.
***
Luke heard the gunshot, then Madison’s scream. He shoved his plate at the pastor and spotted Madison instantly in her light blue dress. A man he presumed was Frank Dell yanked her to her feet. She struggled as he dragged her, kicking and screaming, until he let go and fled into the pandemonium.
Madison was kneeling on the floor trying to staunch Billy’s gunshot wound. Blood seeped into the concrete. Luke was relieved to see that she seemed unscathed.
“Are you okay?” he asked Madison, and she nodded mutely, her eyes ringed with fear.
“I’m a doctor,” a man said, and everyone made room for him to help Billy while someone called 911. Luke stood up to chase after Frank Dell. He could see him running towards the church’s back lot. He was about to go when he felt Madison’s hand on his sleeve, leaving a bloody imprint.
“Don’t leave me,” she implored. Fear filled her eyes.
Luke knelt and put his arm around her. Sally rushed over.
“I need to catch Frank,” Luke told Madison. “Sally will stay with you, okay?”
Madison nodded as Sally took over. By the time Luke went the direction he’d last seen Frank, there were too many other people rushing away from the church and to their cars. The brown truck was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Luke scooped a sedated Madison from the car and carried her to the house. Sally led the way, opening doors and telling Thelma in hushed tones what happened. Thelma looked frightened.
“Help me get her bedroom ready,” Luke instructed.
Thelma ran ahead of him, opening Madison’s door and turning down the comforter. She was about to pull back the drapes, too, but Luke said, “Just leave them shut.”
He left Madison in Thelma’s care so she could change her out of her clothes into something more comfortable, and when that was done, he returned to Madison’s bedside. Luke sat on the edge of the bed, pushing back the hair from her face. Her chest rose and fell with each breath. She looked peaceful, and his chest loosened.
Luke blamed himself for what happened. If he would have hurried over to Madison’s side, he could have gotten the perp. And he shouldn’t have stopped when the pastor started talking to him. But of course, Luke couldn’t have guessed that in that church, that evil man had entered, like a snake in the grass.
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to loosen his stiff muscles. What a day it had been.
Billy had lost some blood, but he was going to be fine. The congregation was shaken and would hold prayer rallies.
Luke’s thoughts turned once again to Madison. Until Frank Dell was disposed of, she would continue to live her life in fear. Luke vowed that he would do everything in his power so Madison could be happy.
He reached out again and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “That’s my promise to you,” he whispered.
***
Luke answered the door to Sgt. Castro and his men.
“May I come in?” the cop said.
Luke grudgingly let him in. Now that Billy Russ was injured, maybe they would take this guy seriously.
“I’ve been studying your perp,” Sgt. Castro said. “Fifty year old male, high school dropout, but known in his school as a bookish person. Self-taught himself how to fix cars, then he moved on to sewing machines, of all things. Whenever he’d deliver sewing machines to women, he got kind of creepy so he’d get reported to the Better Business Bureau and he’d skip town and target a new set of housewives.”
“Eventually married Angie Peterson,” the cop continued, “and they had a child. Child’s name was Paisley. He loved Paisley so much that he built her a doll house that rivaled a shed. His wife didn’t like him spending that kind of money, so he hit her around and she filed for divorce. He shared custody of Paisley. One day they were out hiking and Paisley went missing. Frank was accused of murdering her. Verdict is still out today. We think he didn’t do it, but considering he’s just shot a man in the stomach and tried to kidnap Madison, I wouldn’t put it past him that he might have made his own daughter disappear.”
Luke frowned. “Why did he target Madison?”
“Who knows?” Sgt. Castro shrugged.
Luke rubbed his jaw. “This guy should have been locked up years ago.”
“Jails are overflowing with worse criminals.”
“So where does that put us?” Luke said.
Sgt. Castro shrugged. “Unfortunately, until we track him down, nowhere.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Madison woke in darkness. Confused, she glanced at her bedside clock. It was eight in the morning and the drapes had been pulled shut. Memories of yesterday afternoon’s attack returned to her in full force. Had she been asleep this whole time? And what about Billy Russ? Was
he going to be okay?
She replayed the shot in her mind—that sulphuric smell of gunpowder, the loud gunshot, Billy collapsing onto the concrete patio, the panic that ensued. Despite her protests, the EMTs gave her drugs to calm her. She had given herself over to Luke and he carried her to the limo and to the house.
As her eyes got used to the darkness, she realized that Luke was asleep on the chaise lounge, his tie undone, his jacket off, his muscular body and legs splayed out. His shoes were off and his feet were encased in black socks. Had he slept there the entire time?
She stretched, waking him with that slight sound. “Hi,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.
“Good morning.” She smiled shyly. “You stayed there all night?”
“Yup.” He yawned. “I didn’t want you to wake up alone.”
A warmth seeped into her chest. He leaned forward, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He looked rumpled, with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves folded to his elbows. Rugged.
“Thanks,” she said.
“You’re welcome.” He stood up and padded over, carrying his shoes. “I’m going to go shower real quick. Would you like me to send in someone to keep you company? Thelma had offered.”
“I’ll be okay, I think. Thanks.”
His dark eyes held mysteries and surveyed her warmly. To her surprise, he leaned over and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “Holler if you need anything.”
She nodded. He left, shutting the door behind him. She touched her cheek and smiled at the memory of his touch.
***
Sally went in to see Madison, offering to bring up breakfast, but Madison wanted to return to normalcy as fast as she could. Her room, facing out to the street with the balcony, made her feel vulnerable but she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone, so she didn’t say anything about that. She came down to a breakfast of a fruit smoothie and everyone spoke quietly around her until she wanted to scream.
“I’m not an invalid,” she reminded Sally.
Luke joined them at the table and sat beside Madison. He gave her a tired smile.
“Hon,” Sally told Madison. “The concert people called and said that the stage is all set for your dress rehearsal. I told them I wasn’t sure if you were ready.”
Madison drew a deep breath. Being on stage sounded like the scariest thing in the world right then. Every fiber of her being fought the idea.
But people were counting on her. The concert organizers, the advertisers, her fans.
“Would people be allowed to watch?” she asked.
“Nobody that you don’t want there will be allowed to watch. The gates will be locked and the premises secured.” Sally’s voice gentled. “You don’t have to go out there until you’re ready.”
“I’ll…I’ll give it a shot,” she said.
Beside her, Luke was quiet, not eating much. She glanced at his large hands, capable of violence with his weapon but also tenderness. Last night, she thought she dreamed that he’d sat by her on the bed and caressed her face.
“I want a gun,” Madison said.
Luke and Sally exchanged glances. “I can arrange to get you one easily,” he said.
Sally hedged. “I don’t know, hon, we have Luke here for that very reason.”
Madison averted her eyes. “I want to have a weapon in case…” She took a deep breath. “…in case something were to happen and Luke isn’t there.”
Sally nodded, though her eyes looked troubled. “That’s fine, hon.”
“I have an extra gun,” Luke said. “We can train…”
“I took shooting classes,” she interjected. “I just need to brush up on using one.”
“Good. That makes things easier.”
Minutes later, Luke was delivering a gun to Madison. She traced the weapon with her fingers. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His eyes held anguish. “It’s loaded, but the safety’s on.”
Madison wished she could say that having a gun made her feel safer, but it didn’t. Nothing but having Frank Dell behind bars probably would.
CHAPTER THIRTY
The limo pulled up to the Riverfront Park. It had been three days since the attack at the church.
“Give me a moment, ‘kay?” she asked Luke.
Luke nodded. “I’ll be right here when you’re ready to come out.”
Sally touched Madison’s arm. “You don’t have to do this, hon, if you don’t want to.”
Madison nodded.
“I have to chat with some of the stage crew,” Sally said. “Are you gonna be okay if I go do that?”
Madison didn’t like being coddled, but she knew that Sally meant well. “Yes,” she assured her.
But Sally was right. Nothing felt normal anymore. The gun that Madison carried in her purse didn’t make things feel normal. She wished she could just wake up and it would all just be a bad dream.
Like Sally promised, the Park was empty except for a few people on the stage next to the water. She’d performed here once before, as a front act for Kacey Peters, who was one of her mentors early on in her career. And now Madison was back as the headliner.
How times had changed.
Madison took a deep breath and pulled on the limo handle. Luke opened the door all the way and helped her out. She clung to his touch for comfort. He gazed at her intently and squeezed her hand. She squeezed it back before appearances dictated that they let go of the other.
Today, Luke wore a white polo shirt with the logo of his company on the upper chest. He looked burly, muscular, and tough. Someone to not reckon with.
Are you watching Frank Dell? You have nothing against Luke. Nothing.
She hated thinking of his name. It was almost like legitimizing the non-relationship that she had with him.
Madison put on her sunglasses, walking down the steps leading to the stage. She loved this venue. Too bad that the performers themselves have to face inland, so they couldn’t see the blue of the waters, or the riverboat cruises that floated lazily along. She let the view of fat white clouds lift her spirits. It felt great to be outside, and to not be the prisoner of her own success.
Her phone rang. Madison stopped and took the call.
“Hey, how’s my baby girl?” Mom said.
“Fine, Mom.”
“Sally called me.”
“Good. She said she would.”
“I wish…I wish I could take this all away from you.”
“I wish you could take it all away, too.”
“But it’s all right, darling, you’re gonna come out on top. You always do.”
“Thanks for always believing in me, Mom.”
“Of course.”
“Also, I think that’s great that Luke is protecting you. I always did like him.”
Madison chuckled, because her mom was kind of stretching the truth. “Mom, you know he scared you at first.”
“Well, yes. Any boy who looked like him—ahem, ruggedly handsome—would. I was afraid he was gonna take you out of my nest at the very first chance he had.”
“Well, he didn’t,” she said, without any trace of bitterness.
“Tell him hi from me.”
“I will.”
Madison leaned into the phone, suddenly wanting her mother badly. She knew, if she asked her, she’d be over there in a lickety split second, making her some comfort soup. In Madison’s case, it was broccoli soup. But Mom had her obligations, soccer games, play dates, and a household full of little ones running underfoot.
“Mom,” Madison said, her voice softening, “when this tour is over, let’s go and travel somewhere fun together. You can bring the kids and George.”
“That sounds super, sweetie. That’s a date.”
When Madison hung up, Luke was watching her.
“Mom says hi,” she said.
“That’s nice of her. I always did like her.”
“She likes you, too. She’d probably be impressed with how your life turned out.” She opened he
r mouth to say something else, but changed her mind.
“What?” he asked, as they continued to walk down to the stage.
“I was just remembering something she said after we’d been dating for a while. “She called you a diamond in the rough.”
He chuckled. “I take that as a compliment.”
“I would, too,” she said.
***
Once she was on stage, she met the band who were locals hired for this venue. She knew they would be the best in what they do, and soon they proved her right, by jamming casually to one of her songs. The speakers needed some adjusting, so Madison talked for a bit with the crew. They were warm and welcoming, and, as a lone girl in the mix, they treated her sweetly like a lady.
A sudden noise startled her from the side of the stage. When she looked over, it turned out it was just a flock of birds. Even though it wasn’t anything to worry about, she felt like someone was pushing down on her chest. She turned to look for Luke. He sat on stage, too, on a chair near Madison. Madison knew that behind his shades, he was scanning the stage, the amphitheater. She felt much better.
The music finally adjusted, Madison waited for the cue for her song, and she started swaying to the music. As the song swelled to its rousing start, Madison tapped her cowgirl boots. The band fed off her energy. They were a fun group of musicians. She went over to the drummer, the bassist and the pianist several times, just improvising and hamming it up.
When it came time for a ballad, Madison signaled for a little break. She went over to where Luke was. He gave up his chair for her to sit on and got another one, so he was facing her but sitting on the chair backwards.
“What do you think so far?” she asked.
He took off his shades and set them on his head. “You’re very talented.”
“Thanks. It helps to have a great group of musicians.”
“Don’t be so modest,” he said. “You carry the band.”
She smiled.
“I love your slower songs. Those are my favorite.”
“Me, too. In fact, I have a new one.”
