Page 46 of One Eye Open (The BlackWater)

Maddie was fuming. She sat at her desk trying to focus but every file she picked up, every bit of paperwork only made it worse. She snarled in frustration and felt half the office glance at her. And especially Max who hadn’t stopped glancing at her every few minutes from the moment they’d gotten back.

Her phone buzzed and she saw the name flash up and she gritted her teeth.

‘See you soon Maddison. Let’s play nice together.’ It read and she deleted it without even bothering to reply. She knew he was goading her, winding her up, twisting the screw.

For fucksake, she thought, because she couldn’t see any other way out of it, she had to play along, she had to give in, because the alternative just wasn’t an option.

“I’m calling it a day.” She half muttered grabbing her coat, an hour before her usual leaving time and thankfully no one reacted in any way to suggest she wasn’t being perfectly normal.

She drove through the gates disappointed that Cole wasn’t back yet and decided to head to the basement gym. But after an intense workout she still felt like she was seething. She wanted Cole, she realised, she wanted him to be touching her, dominating her, distracting her. Where the hell was he? She wondered.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out frowning at the unknown number. Was it her dad she thought, was he testing her already?

“Hello?” She said picking it up.

“You said you would help me.” She hissed down the line.

“Who is this? Dani?” Maddie replied.

“You have to help me.”

“Where are you?” Maddie asked running back through the house and grabbing her keys. She was still in her workout gear, sweaty and in desperate need of a shower.

“Please. He’s going to kill me.” Dani cried.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me where you are.” Maddie snapped back as she slammed the door shut behind her.

“I’m at the house. My house. He’s here. He’s sent people to kill me.” She cried and a door slammed in the background before she screamed.

“I’m coming. Hold on.” Maddie shouted jumping in her car and reversing back on the drive as quickly as she could while the damn gates slowly opened.

“I’m coming Dani.” She shouted into the phone.

Her tyres screechedas she slammed on the brakes and pulled into the only available space. She jumped out, locking the door and looking round for where the hell Connor and Max where. She knew it wasn’t Max’s case but she’d called him anyway because she wasn’t about to make the same mistake she’d made with McCullough almost a year ago.

She was going to do this by the book, by BlackWater’s book.

“They’re in the house.” Connor said running up to her.

“They?” She said back.

“We counted five.”

“Shit.”

“What do you want to do?” Max asked as he and two other Agents ran up to them. They were barely metres from the door now and yet it seemed so quiet. Eerily quiet.

“We have to go in. Dani said they were going to kill her.” Maddie stated.

“Fine. I’ll call it in now.” Max said. “You two go round the back. Me, Connor, and Maddie will go through the front.” He added and the other two agents with him disappeared into the darkness.

“You’re sure about this Maddie?” Max asked and she nodded.

“Positive.” She said just as a scream rang out from the house they were approaching.

Max threw her a look before running up the path. The door was already open. Someone had kicked it in. They barged in, Max first, followed by Maddie and then Connor.

They ran through to the back of the house and someone immediately jumped them. Maddie threw the man off, slamming his body into the ground but another man grabbed her and she had to swing hard, punching them in the side before landing back awkwardly.

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