Page 124 of Skin In the Game (The BlackWater)

“Because Cole hates politics and he especially hates it at events like this, when he should be wining and dining shareholders and instead he’s stuck with some stuffy bureaucrat who couldn’t tell one end of a fighter jet from the other.” Charlotte said.

Maddie smirked. “So you and Thomas?” She asked her and Charlotte shook her head.

“Nope, not a thing.”

“Really? He’s not bad looking?” Maddie said.

“He’s gay Maddie.” Charlotte stated.

Maddie felt her jaw drop because she hadn’t had the slightest suspicion. “Seriously?”

Charlotte laughed. “Yeah he keeps it under wraps because well, the industry we work in is so alpha male but yeah it’s a shame because he’s the perfect gentleman, but I guess that’s why, because he bats for the other team.”

“So there’s no one you have your eye on then?” Maddie asked and she laughed.

“I didn’t say that. I’m just making my mind up that’s all.” Charlotte replied and Maddie laughed.

“You’re still up for the riding right?”

“Yep. As long as you can get me the gear and provide me with an extremely strong coffee before and probably a stiff drink after.”

“I can absolutely do that.” Charlotte beamed.

Hours later and the ball had turned from a corporate event into something far more raunchy and Douglas made several comments about what exactly was going on in the gardens. Maddie laughed and then they both noted that they hadn’t seen Becky or Aidan in quite some time.

“You don’t think…?” Douglas began and Maddie burst out laughing at his face.

“Oh they absolutely are.” She said.

“At a work do?” Doug said shocked.

“Like that’s stopped anyone else?” Maddie replied.

“You mean you and Cole?”

“Er, not a fucking chance.” Maddie snapped and he laughed.

People started drifting away, most of the dignitaries had left and there were mainly just BlackWater and Black Industries staff left.

Cole took the opportunity to force Maddie into one more dance before the orchestra finished for the night and he spent almost the entire time detailing exactly what he wanted to do to her right there on the dancefloor. She managed to keep a straight face, to pretend he was simply talking about the weather or something equally as boring until she could hold it no more and when she saw someone nearby gasping in shock as they overheard a snippet of their conversation she decided it was time to go.

Douglas had left hours ago, disappearing off to a hotel to sleep it off before he went home the next day to detail how his sales conference had gone to his wife.

Becky and Aidan were still MIA and Maddie had a sneaky suspicion they may well have snuck off too.

She got in the car alone. Cole and Brandon were both staying to the bitter end as he put it and she was half grateful hoping she might even get a nap in before he walked through the door and got started with whatever he had planned. At the very least she wanted a hot shower and to take off her shoes.

The photographers were long gone, the streets were half deserted but she stared absentmindedly out the window, half drunk, half sober, watching as people walked past and trying to imagine where they were going, what they were doing.

She’d had a good night, all things considered and even though her dad been there and even though in that moment everything had felt horrific, she was almost proud of how she’d dealt with it, the quiet, almost defiant way she had faced him down. The old Maddie wouldn’t have done that, she realised, the old Maddie would have poured those drinks over his head before slamming his face into the bar. Damn, she thought, maybe she was mellowing out, maybe she was calming down, gaining more control over herself than she realised. Cole had said before that she had a calming effect on him but maybe it was the other way around. Maybe he was having a calming effect on her and she didn’t want to think about any of the implications if that was the case.

A screech of car tyres sounded ahead and she glanced up seeing a battered white Luton van diagonally across the road as if it had had a blow out and lost control. Her car slammed on its brakes to avoid colliding with it and she braced her arm against the seat in front to stop herself from face slamming into it.

Tyres screeched behind her and she turned seeing two black vans coming right for them.

Her driver cried out, the noise a mix between a cry and a shout and a man was stood almost up to the bonnet with a gun aimed at the window screen.

A single gunshot rang out and she didn’t need to look to see the driver was hit. He gasped, clutching his chest and she stared out at the gunman now staring her down, his gun pointed right at her. She wanted to move, to scramble over the front and try to help the driver, to stem the bleeding but the gunman held her gaze and kept her frozen in her seat.

More men appeared, men all in black and she felt her heart racing then because she had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. No way to fight them.

They smashed the windows then unlocked the door, dragging her out and she screamed, kicking and fighting them, but there were too many and they were too strong.

Someone struck her from behind and she felt her mind go blank for a second as stars danced in front of her. And then they threw a bag over her head and tossed her into the back of one of the vans driving off.

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