Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
S lumped in the back of the rideshare, Madison was thoughtful. She kept seeing the look in Alex’s eyes when he’d called himself the ‘shadow family.’ It was telling that he hadn’t supplemented his story with any mention of his mother’s family.
Because he’d been alone.
Alex liked to put on his cavalier, sarcastic mask, but she’d seen the flash of pain in his eyes. It tugged at her insides, making her ache for him.
Madison had seen enough traumatized children and families to understand the meaning behind the words, even if he wouldn’t say it—or even acknowledge it to himself.
She shouldn’t have asked him about it, and she definitely shouldn’t have told him all that stuff about her sister. It was far too intimate for what was happening between them.
Nothing is happening between us.
Her phone dinged with an incoming text.
Cami
Uh, so are you going to explain what Shana’s text means?
Flipping over to the group text, Madison groaned when she saw Shana had informed everyone that Madison had left the club with Alex Kovalyov.
How did Shana even know who he was?
Madison
He gave me a ride.
Cami
And?
Madison
Oh my god . What do you think happened?
Cami
Holy Shit!!
Madison
It was just sex. Not everybody falls in love with their one-night stand like you did.
It had felt like more, but she didn’t want to tell Cami that. Or about the conversation this morning. Alex had listened to her without judging, and she knew how rare that was.
She liked him. Liked how she felt when she was with him. And she knew Cami wouldn’t be thrilled with any of that information.
Madison
It’s not a big deal.
Cami
What are you doing today?
Madison
It’s New Year’s, so I thought it would be a good time to organize. I need to go through my storage unit. I have too much stuff.
Not to mention, she needed a physical activity to get her mind off of the sexy Russian.
When Madison bought her home, her parents had decided it was finally time for her to get the last of her things out of their house. After Opal died, Madison realized they planned on sending most of what they still had of her sister’s things to a landfill, so, Madison had taken Opal’s boxes, too.
Her townhouse was small, nowhere near big enough to fit everything. So, she’d rented a storage unit with the idea that someday —when life wasn’t so chaotic—she would go through it all and purge.
But someday had never come.
Between Jax and the podcast, spare time had become a distant memory.
Today, though, was perfect.
Madison’s car was the only one at the storage facility, and she was grateful to park her car directly in front of her unit. Heaving the metal door upwards, she waved a hand in front of her face as dust motes rose from the boxes stacked inside, labeled— Clothes, Books, College, Grad School, Misc. —years of her life packed away in cardboard.
With a sigh, she grabbed the nearest box and got to work, slicing through the packing tape.
A pile of folded jeans, a few sweaters, and stacks of old T-shirts greeted her. She tossed most of them into the donation pile without a second thought.
One by one, Madison worked through the boxes, sorting shoes, handbags, and books into keep, trash, and donate piles.
After several trips to the dumpster and her car, her throat was scratchy, and she was exhausted. Hands on her hips, she stared at the boxes she’d been avoiding. Steeling herself, Madison shifted the plastic tub labeled “Newborn Clothes” to the side and pulled two large containers toward her.
She’d hated clearing Opal’s things from the room she’d shared with Jax, but he was growing and needed more space. The lid came off easily, and the moment she looked inside, her stomach twisted.
The fabrics were unmistakably Opal’s—loose, flowy dresses in soft earth tones, embroidered peasant tops, oversized knit sweaters, and long skirts with tasseled ties. Boho and free-spirited, just like her sister had been. Until Felix.
Madison hesitated before picking up a dress, her fingers brushing the muslin. It was soft, weightless, and when she lifted it to her face, she inhaled deeply.
Jasmine.
Her throat tightened.
Could she really still smell her? Or was her mind filling in the blanks, clinging to whatever pieces of Opal remained?
Did it even matter? Sometimes it felt like she was the only one who wanted to remember her baby sister.
Their parents erased Opal from their lives once they realized they couldn’t hide her growing problems. The second she became more of an embarrassment than a daughter, their focus was on shielding their reputations.
Madison knew they tried in the beginning. When Opal first began behaving erratically, they took her to a therapist. It had worked for a bit until the pull Felix had over her became more powerful than anything else.
Swallowing hard, she reached deeper into the box and pulled out a few more pieces of clothing, revealing a white leather purse wrapped up in a tangle of scarves. It was a beautiful piece decorated with a row of delicate embroidered flowers along the front flap.
She didn’t remember Opal ever carrying it. Madison put it over in the donation pile. It wasn’t her style, and she didn’t need it.
Exhausted and more than a little grimy, Madison loaded the boxes into her car. With a sudden change of mind, she snatched up the purse, tossing it on the front seat of her car, and then deposited two more donation boxes in her trunk. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, frowning at the notification.
Security Alert: Back Window Alarm Triggered.
Her stomach dropped.
Madison slammed her trunk shut and scrambled for her phone as it began ringing.
“Ms. Amherst, we are showing a back window open at your house. What is your password?”
“J-A-X-Y-#-1.”
The woman on the phone didn’t comment on her password being too basic the way the installation tech had.
“Thank you. Are you home?”
“No, I’m on my way there now.” Her hands tightened around her keys.
“I’ve dispatched officers.” Madison heard at the same time another notification buzzed through.
Dispatch Alert: Authorities Notified. Officers In Route.
“Thank you.”
A knot of unease settled in her gut, heavy and unmoving.
By the time she pulled onto her street, red and blue lights flashed in the growing twilight. Two patrol cars sat in front of her house. Madison barely had the car in park before she was out the door.
A uniformed officer approached her. “Ms. Amherst?”
“Yes.” Her gaze darted to the house.
“We got an alert from your security company about a tripped window alarm. We’ve checked the exterior, no signs of forced entry, and the window is closed. Do you want us to clear the inside?”
Madison’s pulse pounded against her skull. She was probably overreacting, but better safe than sorry, right?
“Yes. Please.”
The officer gestured to his partner, and together they moved toward the front door, hands resting on their holsters.
Madison followed, lingering just outside as they stepped inside first.
The air inside felt… wrong .
The officers moved efficiently, checking rooms, closets, anywhere someone could be hiding.
Finally, one of them returned. “Nothing looks disturbed. No signs of a break-in.”
Madison exhaled, some of the tension in her shoulders easing.
“Could’ve been a sensor malfunction,” he continued. “Or an animal outside. You should have the monitoring company come out and check it. Sometimes it’s something as simple as a loose wire.”
Madison nodded, but the uneasy weight in her chest didn’t lift.
“Call us if you notice anything missing or out of place,” the officer added, handing her a card.
She locked the door behind them and turned back to her empty house. Madison walked into the kitchen where the back window in question was located. Nothing looked out of place. No broken glass. No forced entry.
But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.