Page 58 of Talon
“Hey,” Heather said when she spotted Madison in the doorway.“Did Lurch and Kerry make it back okay?She’s not showing any ill effects from the head blow, is she?”
Madison blinked.“Head blow?”
Heather nodded.“Seems he hit her in the head to get her to go with him.He didn’t knock her out completely, but it was adequate to disorient her enough that she didn’t scream, which was what he was after.I told her she should go to the ER and get checked out, but she’s been insisting she’s fine.”
“When I left the house, Lurch was hovering and acting like a mama hen.I’m sure if he sees anything out of usual, he’ll take her in,” Madison said.She could understand the not wanting to go to the hospital, especially if she wasn’t even knocked out.Not only was it expensive but Madison didn’t think she’d ever been to an emergency room that took less than six hours.That wasn’t something she’d sign up for if she had a choice.
Jake seemed to have realized that Madison wasn’t going to cower under his scowl, and that Heather was back because he came up, hooked an arm around her waist and tugged her close.
“How’s everyone?”he asked.
“They’re fine,” she said with a wave of one hand.“They’d found them and had them stopped by the time we got there.I checked Kerry over, gave her an ice pack for her head and that was all.They could have done it without me.”She tilted her head back to look up at Jake.He seemed to know what she wanted, because he bent and dropped a quick kiss on her lips.
“I’m still glad you went.It could have been worse.A lot worse.”Jake pulled Heather closer.She wrapped both arms around his waist while he hugged her close.
“Where are the guys?Madison asked after a minute.
“They’re at the other barn dropping off a package.They’ll be up in a minute or two.They said it wouldn’t take long,” Heather said, turning her head to look at Madison.“They saw you and said for you to stay here.Talon will be here soon.”
Madison wanted to ask when was soon.She had a million other questions she wanted answers to as well, but held back.She didn’t want to alienate her new friends by asking things they might not want to tell her.Things they might not think were her business.But if the ‘package’ Heather had referred to was what Madison thought it was, then it was her business.At least it was the way she saw things.She briefly considered marching her way down to the other barn and demanding to know what was going on and if it had been Billy.If the ‘package’ was Billy and to see him if it was.But as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she didn’t want to see him.So what would be the point of demanding to see him?Of even being down there?
Instead, she clenched her teeth and went back to the chair where she’d been before Jake came up.The two of them were close enough that even if the guys didn’t have Billy down at the other barn and he showed up, they could get to her quickly.
As she waited, she thought about the possibilities of what it could mean if it had been Billy, and he was the package they’d been referring to.Did it mean that the harassment she’d been dealing with was over?Could she go back to her home, the one she’d shared with her dad?Did she even want to?
One thought led to another, and she started to wonder if now that things were over, assuming they were, would Talon be done with her?They’d only started things between them because he wanted to help her, to make her feel safer.If Billy was no longer an issue, would he walk away without looking back?
She was starting to depress herself with the possibilities, not paying attention to what was going on around her and lost in her head when hands on her knees brought her mind back to the present.Shaking her head to shake loose her errant thoughts, she focused on who was in front of her and realized that Talon had crouched in front of her, his hands on her knees, as he watched her with concerned filled eyes.
“What?”she asked, certain something was wrong.
“Are you okay?”he asked, concern clear in his voice.
“Yeah,” Madison frowned.“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know but you didn’t seem to hear us come up, and you didn’t respond the first time I spoke to you.”
She shook her head.“I was thinking.”
“Must have been pretty serious to have you that engrossed,” Ghost said from where he sat on the edge of a picnic table a few feet away.
Madison shrugged but didn’t say anything.She wasn’t ready to spill all her insecurities to everyone.She wasn’t even sure she was ready to tell Talon.Or that he might be ready to hear them.She turned her attention back to Talon, who still crouched in front of her, hands on her knees and watching her.
“You sure you’re all right?”he asked.
“Yeah.I’m good.Tell me what happened.Was it Billy?What’s going to happen now?”She hadn’t wanted to say so much but once she’d started talking, it all seemed to pour out of her, and she’d been helpless to stop it.
41
TalonwatchedMadisonfora moment.Something was off, but he wasn’t sure what.It started with the way she was staring off into the distance when he and the others came into the clearing, then she didn’t answer when he spoke to her.She didn’t even seem to notice they were there until he’d touched her.
Now she wanted to know what was going on, if it had been Morgan that took Kerry but there was something more going on.Something he couldn’t put his finger on, but still not right.
He took a deep breath and tried to figure out the best way to tell her.
“Are you sure you want to do this here?Maybe we should go somewhere else.”
“Where?”She looked around, as if trying to see who he didn’t want to talk in front of.It wasn’t that he had anything to hide from his brothers but thought she might be more comfortable without the witnesses.
