Chapter 5
Chapter Five
T en minutes later, Madison’s entire body shook violently, and she prayed to wake up from the nightmare she found herself in.
What just happened?
What the fuck just happened?
Her brain was malfunctioning, and she couldn’t stop reliving what she’d just witnessed in her office.
Cami.
The young man.
The blood.
Was he dead?
Of course, he’s dead!
Alex shot him in the middle of his forehead.
She shuddered as she saw the knife coming at her again and then heard the explosion close by. The smell. Her stomach roiled. She swallowed hard.
Alex.
He saved our lives.
She’d frozen when the man had turned from Cami and lunged at her and Jax.
Alex hadn’t hesitated.
Cami!
That man stabbed her.
Madison’s brain ricocheted from one thought to the next.
Get out of the car and go check on your friend. She needs you.
No. James is there with her. And his brother Declan.
What about Alex?
When he told her to take Jax to the car, she hadn’t even hesitated. She obeyed without a second thought.
Her chest hiccupped, and she only realized she was crying when Jax patted her cheeks, his little face furrowed.
Get it together, Madison.
She sucked a breath through her teeth and held it for a count of five. Then repeated the exercise several times.
Slowly, the hysteria faded, replaced by a comfortable numbness. Through a fog, she realized she should get help. Do something. But she couldn’t seem to get her limbs to move.
Jax whined, letting her know she was holding him too tight, and she loosened her hold.
What was she thinking, putting him in a car with a killer?
A killer who just saved both our lives .
And if you hadn’t come to the studio, that man would have killed Cami.
Why was he there? Why was Cami? It’s the weekend.
The man had looked vaguely familiar, but her brain wouldn’t slow down enough for her to figure out where she knew him from.
Through the windshield, she saw Alex exiting the doors of her offices and walking rapidly toward her.
Relief peeked through her mental fog at the sight of him, which made zero sense.
Vaguely, she realized she was in shock.
Alex’s face was expressionless when he yanked open the door. “Madison, look at me.”
The command in his voice was so clear even Jax stopped his snuffling and turned his face to look at the figure leaning in the car.
Alex’s hand came up absently to stroke over Jax’s head. “He’s all right?”
Madison opened her mouth, but no noise came out. Swallowing hard, she nodded.
Alex’s expression faltered slightly before settling along rigid lines. His expression was terrifying, but when his hands cupped her jaw and tilted her face up to his, they were gentle.
“Thank you.” The words whispered into the silence between them, and she realized they were hers.
“You’re trembling.” He frowned; his gaze swept over her, assessing.
The body had hardly hit the floor before Alex had taken her to the reception desk. He’d studied her with an intensity she’d never experienced before, his silvery blue eyes traveling over her and then Jax before he crushed her to his chest, his arms tight around both of them. The memory of how she’d felt his heart, matching her own frenetic pace, pierced through the fear, and she held on to that sensation.
With Alex’s strong arms locked around her and Jax, she’d felt secure—and it made no sense.
She had finally lost it.
It was the only explanation.
Because with a dead body on the floor nearby, and her best friend bleeding, Madison had known with a certainty she couldn’t explain that she was safe. Because Alex wouldn’t allow anything else.
For either of them.
The sensation of Alex’s warm lips pressed to hers brought her back to what was happening.
“I’m going to take care of you.”
It was the briefest of touches, but she still felt the promise of it in her chest.
She shivered in the back seat as Alex pulled out of the parking lot, heading back toward the store where her car still waited. Finally, her lips formed the words racing through her brain.
“Shouldn’t we wait for the police?” Her voice sounded weird, and she met his worried eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Don’t worry about that,” he said, pulling up beside her car.
“What about Cami?”
“Bloom is taking care of her.”
James adored her friend. He would make sure she was okay.
Madison needed to get out of the car. Go home. There were important things she should ask… needed to ask… But her brain felt like it was underwater.
She was so cold.
So tired.
The back door opposite her opened, and then Alex was bent in the car. She watched in silence as he cursed for a few moments before he successfully installed Jax’s car seat into the spot next to her.
“What are you doing?”
“You said he had to have a car seat.”
His words seemed to reengage her brain, and she reached for her seatbelt. “That’s not what I meant. Stop. I need to take him home.”
Alex’s hand came down on hers. “You are in no shape to drive, and you know it. Let me have him.”
He was right. Her fingers were still numb, and she felt shaky.
Madison didn’t object again when he carefully took Jax from her arms and placed him in his seat. For a moment, her gaze caught on the tattoos covering Alex’s forearm, exposed when his sleeve slid up as he adjusted Jax’s head.
Alex scowled at the multiple straps. His brows knit, and the inappropriate thought that he looked adorable flashed in her head.
To her surprise, Jax let Alex maneuver his body, patiently allowing his arms to be slipped underneath each strap.
At least I’m not the only one hypnotized.
It was such an odd contrast. This darkly handsome man in a black suit, tattoos disappearing under his sleeves, and an innocent baby looking up at him with a curious expression.
Madison’s heart skipped a beat, and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with fear.
I’m in shock. That’s all this is.
“I’d be surprised if you weren’t.”
Shit, did I say that out loud?
Lifting his overcoat from the seat, he draped it over her legs. For a second, he stared down at her, and she thought he might kiss her again, but he simply shut the door.
Exhaustion followed quickly on adrenaline’s heels, and with a shuddery sigh, she closed her eyes. The low purr of his car as it shifted into motion was soothing, and she glanced at Jax, whose eyes were already drooping.
I’ll just close my eyes for a second, she thought, letting her heavy lids win before they shot open again.
“I need to give you my address.”
Alex didn’t answer.
“Alex,” she said a little louder. “You said you would take me home.”
“I am. My home.”
She gaped at the back of his head. “Absolutely not. Take me home.”
He didn’t answer.
“What happened to not kidnapping women?”
Alex made a noise deep in his throat.
“Did you just growl at me?”
Silence. Anger was replacing her exhaustion. It didn’t even occur to her to be afraid.
“I want to go to my house.” Her voice had pitched higher than normal.
“It’s not safe. The dead man was the younger brother of the man you and Cami accused of murder yesterday on your podcast. If he was looking for revenge, his brother may be, too. You are coming home with me until I know it’s safe.”
“Can I call Cami?”
Alex jerked his head. “You aren’t a prisoner. Call whoever you want.”
“I don’t have my phone.”
“I stuck it in the side pocket of the bag,” he said through his teeth.
For the first time, she noticed the diaper bag sitting on the floor beneath Jax, and the telltale outline of her phone in the fabric pocket.
“Don’t worry if she doesn’t answer,” Alex added. “The police should be there by now.”
“Won’t they want to talk to you… us?” The odd, surreal situation was making her head hurt. “You shot him. I’m a witness.”
“No,” he said carefully. “Your friend Cami shot him in self-defense after he attacked her..”
“What are you talking about? I saw you! I’m not going to frame my best friend for murder.”
“No one asked you to.”
She could make out his profile under the streetlights as they passed under them, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled a frustrated breath. “By now, your friend has already confessed. It was her idea,” he added, when Madison gasped. “Neither the Blooms nor your friend wanted my presence known any more than I wanted it to be. Someone had to take responsibility.” He chuckled, his jaw relaxing for the first time since they got in the car.
“Since James was already involved in a shooting this week, your friend took matters into her own hands by grabbing the gun and making sure her fingerprints were on the trigger, while James and Declan argued over who was going to get to play white knight. Fucking Blooms,” he muttered. “Because Cami was injured, she can easily claim self-defense—and if that doesn’t work, Declan will handle it.”
“James’s brother?”
Alex grunted.
“I’m not a great liar,” Madison admitted.
“No one will ask you anything. You weren’t there. So don’t give any indication you know anything is wrong if you leave a message.”
That had her sitting forward between the two front seats. “Of course, I was there.”
He came to a red light and twisted to face her. “Do you want police involved in your life right now?” He shot a meaningful look at Jax sleeping in his car seat.
Madison swallowed back the anxiety clawing up her throat.
Oh god. Her lawyer already told her that, as the non-biological parent, she was fighting an uphill battle to keep Jax. If Felix and his lawyer found out he’d almost been harmed because of her job… that she put him in a car without a car seat… with a stranger. Her chest tightened as panic grew.
“Madison.” Alex’s voice was sharp. “You weren’t there. You have nothing to worry about. Everything is under control.”
She wanted to believe him. She really did—but the whole situation seemed too fantastical.
Ignoring the light changing to green in front of them, Alex took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her frantic gaze to meet his.
“It’s under control.” His intense, icy blue eyes bore into hers. “ I promise .”
Her world was falling apart, but inside this car, in this odd bubble with a man she didn’t know… For the first time in a long time, she let herself exhale.
Madison nodded.
“Strong girl.” The tips of Alex’s fingers brushed her chin with a featherlight caress before they returned to the steering wheel.
Madison leaned back and allowed herself to sink against the soft leather. The car slowed a few minutes later as they passed a guard gate, and an automatic electronic arm lifted before they continued into a neighborhood.
The homes were set far apart, one barely visible through the trees to its neighbor. Eventually, they pulled into a driveway, headlights illuminating a giant wrought-iron fence. Alex rolled down his window and pressed his thumb to a slick panel.
“This is your house?”
“My primary residence.”
Her nerves returned full force as Alex parked in the large forecourt of a giant red-brick house lit up from every corner.
Alex opened the back door and began unstrapping Jax.
What was she doing? She didn’t know this man.
“Wait. Let me get him. He’ll be afraid if he wakes up.”
Scrambling to mentally catch up, Madison reached for the toddler, but it was too late. As Alex hooked the diaper bag over his shoulder, Jax’s eyes blinked open.
Instead of the instant scream she was expecting, Jax gave Alex a sleepy smile and burrowed his face into Alex’s hard chest, two fingers stuffed in his mouth.
Madison wasn’t sure which of them was more shocked. Alex’s frame had frozen, and he looked vaguely terrified. She smothered a laugh before a thought struck her.
Jax had let Alex take him. Twice, now that she thought about it. He seemed to instinctively trust Alex in the same way she had.
Don’t they say kids and animals are excellent judges of character?
You’re looking for excuses.
Shifting Jax onto his opposite arm, Alex again pressed a thumb to a panel and then opened the large wooden door.
Madison did her best not to gawk at the foyer. It was grand, and not at all what she expected. The room was elegant and modern, with a limestone staircase in the center that rose to the floor above, where an open walkway disappeared down hallways on either side. The polished marble floor of the two-story foyer was only broken by a large round table in the center with an enormous flower arrangement.
She followed Alex down a hallway until he opened a door to a surprisingly cozy room. A huge, plush U-shaped sofa was arranged in front of the dark fireplace. She scanned the space, but the lack of personal touches was impossible to miss—no photographs, no knickknacks, nothing that revealed who lived there.
Alex placed the diaper bag and her purse on one side of the large sectional and handed Jax to Madison before bending to turn a switch on the side of the mantel. Instantly, a fire roared to life. Madison shifted Jax to her chest, and now that the shock was wearing off, she was uncomfortably aware of her damp clothes.
“Please sit.”
Not sure exactly why she was going along with him, Madison sank onto the end of the sofa and set Jax on her lap.
Jax tugged at his jacket and made an unhappy noise as she slowly unzipped his thick winter coat. Other than an irritated snuffle, Jax thankfully stayed calm as she eased his arms from the fabric.
“You hold him like he’s a ticking bomb.” Alex's lips lifted at the corner.
“You have no idea,” Madison muttered, and then felt instantly guilty. “He’s really even-tempered most of the time, but when he’s sick… He’s a little more moody than usual. And I’m sure what just happened isn’t going to help.” A ragged breath escaped her lips.
“He won’t remember,” Alex said softly.
“You can’t know that?” Madison shook her head, feeling like a complete failure. All she wanted to do was love him and keep him safe, and she was failing at every turn.
“There have been lots of studies about children and at what age memories imprint. Some believe that even if young children don’t understand what they’ve seen, exposure to violence affects their brain development. One study even suggested that it can permanently alter their synapses. Though I haven’t had the time yet to see if their study was peer reviewed.”
Madison knew she was babbling. Data dumping on a subject she was fairly certain he had no interest in. “I did a research paper on early childhood trauma in grad school and?—”
“Look at him.” Despite the quiet tone, the demand was explicit in his voice, and her eyes automatically went to Jax’s sweet face, his eyes already drooping with sleep again.
“He missed a full nap, and he hasn’t been sleeping well… I should get him home.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Jax’s head fell against her chest, and she welcomed his comforting weight.
“He’s totally relaxed. Obviously, he has no idea what has happened. He’s good, Angel.”
“Don’t call me that.” The response was automatic, but there was no heat behind it. Madison watched Jax’s tiny chest rise and fall with his breaths.
Alex was right. Jax was fine. He wouldn’t sleep so easily if he knew he’d just witnessed a murder, right?
A shiver rolled through her.
Grabbing a sumptuous camel-colored blanket from the arm of the sofa, Alex folded it into a pad and placed it on the sofa. “You should put him down.”
Madison shook her head. “We should go.”
“Let the boy sleep a bit. You can call your friend.”
Madison chewed her lip. After the last couple of hours, she felt as if she’d been pulled into an alternate dimension.
This man was a complete stranger. Worse a stranger she’d been warned off and just witnessed kill someone.
But… in a split second, he’d put himself between her and danger. It wasn’t even remotely rational, but she knew that even though Alex might be a dangerous man, he wasn’t a threat to her. Madison didn’t know where the certainty came from, but she felt it deep in her bones.
“Just for a few minutes.” She gingerly laid Jax on the makeshift bed.
He opened his eyes momentarily to blink at her blearily before falling asleep again. Grabbing a few throw pillows, she created a barrier to keep him in place. Not that it would do anything to contain him when he woke, but it meant she wouldn’t need to worry about him rolling off in his sleep.
Madison stood and wiped her hands down her still damp leggings. Thankfully, the roaring fire had taken care of the chill.
“I should check on Cami.”
“Be careful with how you phrase things. You never know who is listening.”
Madison nodded. She remembered his warning, and until she knew what was happening, it made sense.
She wasn’t terribly surprised that James answered Cami’s phone. However, he was a better actor than she had given him credit for as he ‘broke’ the bad news to her about what had happened at their podcast’s offices earlier.
“You and Jax are with your friend today?”
Her eyes flicked to where Alex stood, leaning against the stone mantelpiece. “Yes.”
“Good. Considering what’s happened, I’ve sent Brady over to check your house and make sure the security system his company installed last month is functioning.”
“Do you?—”
“I’m sure the threat is gone, but until then…” His voice was husky. “I’d really love to reassure Cami that the two of you are safe. Stay where you are, and I’ll call you when it’s all clear.”
“With my friend? ” she asked, her voice careful. James had told her to stay away from Alex, making him sound like the devil incarnate.
What the hell?
“Yeah.” His voice was gruff.
This day just keeps getting stranger, she thought. Her ears buzzed and Madison closed her eyes. Suddenly it was all too much, and she felt herself sag.
A stirring of the air had her opening her eyes as Alex appeared, a dark scowl on his face as he plucked the phone out of her hand, while his other arm immediately wrapped around her waist to take her weight.
Pocketing her phone, he helped her back to the sofa, and she sank down.
“I’m sorry. I’m not normally?—”
“What did he say to you?” Alex growled.
“Huh?” Her brain felt like it was tracking through the mud.
“Bloom. What did he say that made you react like that?” Alex’s eyes blazed.
“Nothing. I swear,” she added, when his eyes narrowed. “It just all hit me at once and…” She shrugged helplessly.
He studied her for another moment before leaning back and rising to his feet. “You need sugar. I’ll get some tea.”
Alone, Madison tried to shake herself mentally out of whatever was happening. She glanced at Jax a few feet away, slumbering peacefully.
I’ll just close my eyes for a minute, and then I’ll be able to figure out what the hell has happened to my life, she promised herself as she leaned her head back against the soft fabric.