Page 35 of Talon
“You mean…” She left the question unasked, as if she couldn’t bear to say the words.“How fast?Could it have been something he ate?”
Talon shook his head.“It’s pretty fast, from the research I’ve done.Like under an hour.And there was no food in his stomach so not something he ate.”
She blinked several times then sat staring across the room at nothing for several seconds.
“That bastard killed him.But why?”Tears pooled in her eyes then spilled over the edge and silently trailed down her cheeks.
Talon’s stomach hurt.He felt bad for what she was going through.It had to feel like she was losing her father all over again.
“I’m not sure.Who knows what’s going through his head.Come here.”He pulled her to him and cradled her head against his chest and let her cry.She had to process this, to let some of the pain out.He wasn’t going to try to stop her, as much as he hated tears and didn’t know what to do about them, this time he knew there was no fixing the problem.At least not right now.The only thing he could do right now was to hold her, to be here for her.
Later, when he got the chance, he’d make sure that Morgan never had a chance to do this to another woman.Talon suspected Morgan had seen Madison’s father, as well as his wife, as an obstacle to what he wanted — Madison.
Talon and his brothers would make sure no woman was in danger of suffering the same loss as Madison had, at least at the hands of that worthless fuckwad.
26
Madisonwokewithaheadache.She hated crying herself to sleep.She lay there for a few moments, Talon’s arms snug around her middle as she tried to decide if she was ready to get up or not.
Her painful bladder made the decision for her.At least for the moment.It took her a moment to slide out from under Talon’s arm, carefully so she didn’t wake him, then grabbing an oversize shirt, she pulled it on over her head before leaving the bedroom.
When she’d finished in the restroom, she realized there was someone moving around in the kitchen.Had she woken Talon?What time was it anyway?
She made her way down the stairs then into the kitchen, watching for a clock to let her know the time, but not spotting one.In the kitchen doorway she froze.It wasn’t Talon in the kitchen but a woman she didn’t recognize.
“Good morning,” the woman said, spotting her.“You must be Madison.I’m Kerry.Lurch’s woman.I hope you slept well.”The woman was friendly, but something kept Madison from stepping forward and greeting her.Maybe it was because she was still half asleep, or maybe because she hadn’t slept worth shit.
“There’s coffee in the pot if you want some,” Kerry motioned to the tall coffee maker like Madison had only ever seen in restaurants.“Cups are in the cabinet beside the pot.You’ll have to excuse me for keeping working.Robyn’s not feeling well this morning, so breakfast is all on me.”
Madison didn’t know how many people she was feeding, exactly but from the number of men she’d met last night, and the table Heather had shown her last night, she guessed at least fifteen.Cooking for that many was a big job even for two people.
“Let me get some of that coffee then if you’ll tell me what to do, I’ll help.”
“You don’t need to do that.You’re a guest.You should be sleeping in and enjoying that guy who brought you here.”
A grin crossed Kerry’s face that made Madison think that even though she was with Lurch, who from what little Madison had seen, all the members of this club were built and more than a little attractive, she could still appreciate a hot guy.And Talon was hot.
Not that what Madison liked about him was just his looks.No.He was sweet.Kind, at least to her, and protective.She’d known a few guys since she’d been out of her father’s house.And a few more before, and none of them would have just held her while she cried like Talon had done last night.The one boy she’d been seeing who had ever seen her cry had high-tailed it out of there as soon as he could.That had been before Dad had died.
She had been inconsolable when Dad had found her.He’d done much like Talon had, and just pulled her into his arms and let her cry.When she’d exhausted her tears, Dad had convinced her to tell him what was wrong.Now, she didn’t even remember what she’d been crying about to begin with, only that the boy that she’d been seeing had gotten the hell out of dodge as soon as he could.And then her father’s words.‘If he can’t stand by you for your tears, sweetheart, he’s not worth your smiles.And if he’s the cause of your tears, send him my way.I’ll make him see the error of his ways.’She’d laughed so hard, she’d almost forgotten the tears and the boy who hadn’t been worth her time.
The smell of coffee pulled her back to the present.And reminded her that she wasn’t alone in the room.
“Sorry.He’s asleep and I don’t want to wake him.I don’t mind helping, really.”Madison went to the coffee pot, opened the cabinet, and found, not the shelf of porcelain mugs like she’d expected, but a full shelf of insulated to go style mugs.She stood staring at the cabinet for a moment as her brain seemed to reset, then pulled a cup down and filled it.“Sugar?”she asked turning to look at Kerry, who was elbow deep in what looked like some kind of sticky dough.
“That canister behind the pot.We go through too much of it to mess with a sugar bowl.And the cream is in the fridge if you want it.”Kerry kept working the dough on the countertop.
“Thanks.”Madison finished fixing her coffee then turned and leaned her butt against the countertop, watching as Kerry patted the dough out on the counter and started cutting out discs.Biscuits.She was making biscuits.
Madison took a couple more long drinks then set her cup aside and clapped her hands.
“All right.Tell me what to do.”
Kerry’s gaze skimmed down Madison.She wasn’t sure if the other woman was taking in her clothing, or lack thereof, or trying to decide the best job to give her.
“On the stove is a big skillet.Can you brown the beef that’s on the top shelf of the fridge?”
“Sure.”Madison got out the white paper wrapped meat and took it to the stove.“The whole package?”she asked as she turned on the burner beneath the big cast iron skillet.
