Witness Protection: Hide and Seek (12 page)

Madison stared at the small screen in wonderment. Zoe wanted
to taste the cultures of different lands and travel across distant seas. Who
was she to stop her?

"That's wonderful honey. I think," she mumbled.

"What do you guys think about it?"

Sitting behind Zoe were Helen and George. Before Helen could
get her face near the screen, Zoe answered for them. "Are you kidding?
They're the ones who brought up the idea! Oh Madison, this is the most exciting
thing that's ever happened to me! Aren't you happy for me? I'm happy for
me!" Zoe jumped around in her seat with such enthusiasm, that Madison
waited for her to crash onto the floor.

"I'm very excited for you and happy too! So when does
all this happen? Not too soon I hope."

Zoe's face grew somber. "Right after our trip actually.
I'll come back home with grandma and grandpa, get my things in order, then
catch a flight back out to London.

"Wow, that's fast. Where will you stay?"

"Dad's got plenty of cousins here. Remember? I'm sure
he told you."

Madison clicked her teeth at her absentmindedness.

"Of course, of course. I completely forgot. It sounds
like you've got everything arranged. I hope you and I can spend some time
together before you go."

"Me too. But we've still got the rest of the summer to
spend here…Oh I wish you were here Madison. This might be the last summer
vacation that I get to spend with you guys. But hang on, grandma and grandpa
want to tell you something too."

George crept up behind Zoe and was now in view of the
camera.

After the formalities were taken care of, George got right
to the point.

"Remember that trip Helen and I took a couple years
back, you know, to visit our good friends, the St. Georges?"

Madison smiled and nodded her head. "Yes I do. You're
talking about the trip to Alaska right?"

"Right. Well, we've been thinking about moving there.
Mike and Estelle have already made plans to take us house hunting as soon as we
return from this trip.

The room grew silent and Madison laid the phone down in her
lap and made a helpless gesture with her hands.

"You and Helen are moving to Alaska? That's what you're
telling me, right?"

George nodded his head before continuing. "I know this
is all coming at you at once, but we've been talking about this for quite some
time and well… with Zoe wanting to further her education abroad, we just
figured that now was as good a time as any."

"We aren’t getting any younger!" Helen smiled and
took a seat next to her husband.

When she saw the look of astonishment on Madison's face,
Helen stopped smiling.

"Oh honey, you know that we're not the, retire to a
warm climate type of people. Mike and Estelle are our best friends, and moving
to Norbury has always been a dream of ours. I hope that you can understand
that."

"Of course I understand." Without thinking, she
blurted out the words and then quickly snapped her mouth shut.

She took in a deep breath before apologizing. "I'm
sorry Helen. All this has taken me by surprise. But I do understand and I am
very happy for you. I'm happy for all of you."

And she was, but she couldn’t help but wonder where that
left her. Tristan's family was all that she had and with Zoe moving overseas
and Helen and George making a permanent move to Alaska, she would have no one.
Maybe Cole's suggestion of making a permanent move to West Virginia didn’t
sound like such a bad idea after all.

"What the hell am I going to do?" She mumbled the
words. But Helen heard them.

"Sweetheart, I know we've had this conversation before,
but maybe it's time that you try moving on. You're stuck in limbo and that's
not a good place to be. Especially for someone your age. You have to get out of
this rut that you're stuck in, get out there, and live your life. You of all
people know that life is short and tomorrow is never promised, not for any of
us.

Now, we've been communicating with a realtor back in Maine,
via e-mail. We plan to put the house up for sale the moment we return. We know
that this is all new to you and quite a surprise. But George and I have talked
about it and well… we're going to look for a place large enough for the entire
family. That includes you Madison. Just because he's gone, doesn’t mean that
we're no longer your family."

Just as the tears were about to flow, the battery on her
cell began to flash red.

"Guys, my battery is dying. I love you and we'll talk
again soon. I am so very happy for you all. Take care," she murmured into
the dead cell.

****

Castillo needed his rest. He wanted to take advantage of the
quiet lakeside rental. When Manny and Reggie started making too much noise
playing cards, he sent them into town.

"Since you seem to be so good with the locals, go and
see what you can find out about Miss West."

"Okay boss," Manny replied and instructed the
others to get up as well.

"No, leave Carlos here. I need someone here in case
there's trouble. Come on
culo
don’t
start acting stupid. You've been doing so well." He leered at Manny.

"You're right boss, sorry. Come on Reggie, let's go
into town."

"And don’t forget, if you see that bitch, do not touch
one hair on her pretty little head. Ever since we got here, I can't get a
signal on that goddamn personal locator, so I need for you to get all the
details about where she's staying and who she's staying with and then report
directly back to me. Don’t touch her and I mean that!"

Castillo took a long drag of his cigarette before exhaling
it.

 
"When and if you find her, I've got
something very special planned for her. Do you understand me
culo
?"

"Yes boss."

"Good, now go and don’t come
back until you find Madison fucking West."

****

Cole was still inside the police station.
Probably filling out lots of paperwork.
Madison rubbed her hands along her face and turned down the A/C in the truck.
A cold chill ran down her spine and all
of a sudden, she felt stifled, constricted. Panic settled inside her chest and
desperation began to bubble in her stomach as she turned her head and looked up
and down the street. Except for a large SUV, there were no other cars coming
down Main Street.

There were a couple of shops that had just opened up for the
day and she needed to stretch her legs. She took the keys out of the ignition
and grabbed her purse. She was cautious as she got out of the truck, but soon
relaxed when she realized that Cole was only seconds away.
I won't be long.
She looked around one more time before ducking
into a small antique shop.

As calmly as he could, Manny told Reggie to slow down. At first,
he paid no mind to the woman getting out of the pick-up truck. But after being
forced to study a photograph of her, he knew that this was more than just
another woman. This particular woman was Madison West. Manny's thoughts flashed
back to when Castillo had given him the photograph of Madison.

He told him that someone he had working for him was able to
produce a recent photograph of her. And ever since that day, Manny was forced
to study the photograph.

"Pull over," he said to Reggie and pointed towards
a side street.

"Right here," he said and pulled out his cell
phone.

"Well what the hell are you waiting for
culo
?" Go inside the store and see
what you can find out. She's never laid eyes on you, so she'll be none the
wiser. Just take it real slow and easy. Make like you're looking for a gift for
your dear old mother or some such shit. Look, I don’t care what you do, just
get in there, make yourself as inconspicuous as you can and find out everything
you can about her whereabouts, you got that?"

"I'm on it boss. I'll get back to you."

"You do that." Castillo hung up the phone.

"I've got you now puta." A satisfied grin appeared
on his face.

Manny rounded the corner, and was making his way towards the
shop just as Madison was being led out by the owner. He had placed some tables
outside and it looked as if he was setting up for a sidewalk sale.

As the two engaged in conversation, Manny kept his head down
and casually moved closer to the storefront. Just a few feet more and he'd be
able to hear every word.

The storeowner smiled and pushed his glasses up over the
bridge of his nose. "You must be the sergeant's wife."

 
Madison casually
picked up an old vase and began inspecting it.

"No." She chuckled softly.

"Just a friend of his."

"I see. Well any friend of the sergeant is a friend of
mine. This your first time here at Summerbridge?"

"Yes."

"How do you like it so far? You two staying out on
Longfellow Rd?"

Madison was astonished at the amount of information this man
already had. But that didn’t mean she should let him think that his information
was correct. So she quickly changed the subject and told the man that she had
to leave.

As she fished in her bag for the keys to the truck, she felt
two hands grab her from behind.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Cole spun her around to face him.

She swallowed hard. Out there in the middle of the sidewalk,
he seemed almost larger than life. He was taller, stronger and wearing the same
exact look on his face that he had three years ago, after the shootout at the
safe house.

She stiffened, her hands tightened around her purse.

"I needed some air, that's all. Just for a
second."

He was walking and talking while pulling her along with him.

"Are you kidding me right now? I thought I made myself
clear when I told you that your life was in danger!" His voice was a deep,
low growl.

After they were back inside the truck, he became even more
persistent.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Because that's
what's going to happen if you continue behaving so foolishly!"

His fist slammed against the dashboard, causing her cell
phone to fall onto the floor and making her jump.

"Cole, calm down. I know what you're thinking and it's
nothing like what happened before. I swear to you, I wasn’t gone long and I had
every intention of heading back. Well you saw me… I was already making my way
back to the truck."

"That's just it Madison. It only takes a second. What
if the hands that grabbed you, weren't mine? What if someone came up behind you
like that and pointed a gun in your back? What would you have done then? You
have to stop and think Madison Please! I'm begging you!"

She moved closer and placed her hand on his arm. She could
tell that he was furious and at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to
disappear. She felt like an immature teenager who'd tried escaping her parent's
wrath.

"You're right. It was a
stupid thing to do and I'm sorry. My mind is just so confused right now. It
won't happen again, I promise. Please don’t be angry with me."

Cole sat with his fists clenched
and a muscle working in his jaw, he then leaned against the headrest and let
out a heavy sigh.

"If something happened to
you, it would kill me."

He turned to look at her just in
time to see her lip tremble. She was on the verge of tears.

"Come here," he said
and pulled her into his arms.

"Madison, in case you
haven’t noticed, I am very protective of you. And just the thought of someone
endangering your life is something that I cannot take. So imagine what it feels
like when I see you doing things that endanger your life."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It
was a stupid thing to do. I realize that now. Can you please forgive me?"
She nuzzled his neck causing a frustrated moan to escape his lips. Something
was up, there was a change in her. It was subtle, but it was a change. So far,
she'd never been the one to initiate any close, personal contact. But, he
wasn’t about to question it.

"I'll forgive you on one
condition."

"What's that?"

"You never, ever do anything
like that again alright? I can't protect you if you go off on your own. Now, do
we have a deal?"

"Yes, we have a deal,"
she said.

"Good. Now let's go get
something to eat, I'm starving. And while we're eating, you can tell me what
made you want to leave the confines of this truck."

Madison reluctantly pulled away
and got out of the truck. There was a diner right across the street and as they
crossed the street, she couldn’t help but wonder why her emotions were all over
the board. After a moment of reflection, she was sure that the skype session
that she had earlier was the cause of it.

Tristan's family was moving on
and now, so should she.

Deep down, she knew that she
should take Helen's advice. She
was
stuck in limbo and she
was
dying to
get out.