Witness Protection: Hide and Seek (11 page)

"Are you ready boss?" Manny asked.

"Yes I am." Castillo grinned and dropped the last
of his luggage at Manny's feet.

"Let's get going. It's a long drive to West
Virginia." He commanded his men and slide into the back seat of the
Suburban.

Just hours after he'd noticed that the personal locator had
stopped moving, Castillo ordered his small group of thugs to get ready. He told
them that it was time; Madison West was no longer on the move. He wanted
everyone ready to make the nine-hour trek to Summerbridge.

Not wanting to stand out in the small town of Summerbridge,
Castillo took no chances. He told Manny to get in touch with some of his
contacts at the local auto shop. Within a couple of hours, someone had
delivered a set of West Virginia license plates. So, if they were pulled over,
the plates on the 2010 Chevy Suburban would show up registered and insured to
Manuel Ortega.

"You've thought of everything boss." Manny
couldn’t conceal his excitement. He loaded the rest of the supplies into the
back of the Suburban. And located in a hidden compartment near the rear cargo
area, were several boxes of ammunition, rifles and shotguns.

"I never miss a beat," Castillo said and slid into
the back seat.

"Now Vamonos!"

****

When she'd finished unpacking, Madison found Cole in the
kitchen.

He was busy preparing a salad and he looked good while doing
it.

"I see you've managed to find your way around the
kitchen." She grinned.

"Yeah well after the divorce, I got tired of take-out,
night after night. So it was
       
either, learn to cook or starve." He grinned back and handed her a
glass of wine.

"Do I have time to take a shower?" She asked him.

The thought of her taking a shower in
his
bathroom, made his body ache with need. He was glad that his
back was towards her. He closed his eyes briefly as if awaiting some divine
intervention. "Of course." He tried sounding as calm and collected as
he possibly could.

Madison took a sip of wine and set the glass down on the
countertop. "I won't be long," she said and trotted off into the
bedroom.

****

Twenty minutes later, just as Cole was setting the table,
Madison strolled into the kitchen looking soft, sexy, and relaxed. She was
wearing a thin tank top and casual linen shorts that showed off her shapely
legs. He stood there, with cutlery in his hands, staring at her like a teenager
staring at his first crush.

"Feel better?" He struggled to get the words out.

"Yes I do. Thanks. This looks delicious." She
smiled when he pulled out her chair.

"Caesar pasta salad, a bottle of wine, and for dessert,
I have blackberry Cantaloupe salad."

 
"All the things
I like." She grinned at him.

"You remembered."

"I remember everything about you. Three years ago it
was my job to know. Now it's my privilege."

Instantly, she felt the weight of his gaze.

"In fact," he said before reaching into his back
pocket. "Once I give you these, I hope that you won't forget who you
really are."

He flipped open his wallet and pulled out a driver’s
license, passport, social security card, and a couple of credit cards. 

The name on each piece of identification read: Gabriella
Wintersmith.

"How did you…" Her eyes narrowed as she figured it
out.
"The older man back at the diner." She reached for the ID cards.

"Very observant." Cole nodded his head in
approval.

"I learned from Tristan," she sighed heavily and
turned away from his gaze.

Cole leaned towards her and caressed her cheek. "I'm
sorry," he said.

She closed her eyes for a moment and relished in his touch.

"You learned a lot from him, so I don’t have to tell
you not to carry all of these items together, right?"

Madison nodded her head. "No, you don’t have to tell me
that. Don’t worry. I know to keep everything in separate areas. Good thing I
brought along a few pairs of cargo shorts. I need the pockets." She
grinned.

"Gabriella Wintersmith?" The questioning look made
him smile.

"Hey," he said and threw up his hands in
surrender.

"It was the only name available on such short notice
Miss Wintersmith." He smirked at her.

Madison shook her head and playfully punched him in the arm.

"Thank you for doing this for me." She gave him a
bright smile.

The small dining area was suddenly full of raw, sexual
energy. Cole moved closer to her. "Anything for you Madison." His
eyes told her what he wanted and she wasn't yet prepared to give him what he
wanted. No matter how much she'd wanted the same thing.

She avoided his glance, staring at the red liquid in her
glass instead.

"Dinner was wonderful," she said, quickly changing
the subject. When she reached for their empty plates, he caught her hand and
set the plates back on the table.

His thumb stroked the back of her hand while he spoke.
"It's okay to want this." His eyes held hers and a gentle smile
played at his lips.

"You know he would want you to be happy."

It took her a while to respond.

"You know that right?" He asked, lacing his
fingers through hers.

She couldn’t muster up the words. She lowered her head and
slowly nodded.

Genuine concern settled on his face. "Madison, look at
me." He lifted her chin with his hand.

She sniffled back tears. "Cole, it's been a year since
I lost him, and I still don’t know whether I'm coming or going. I thought I had
everything together, you know? I thought that while Zoe and her grandparents
went away on their trip, I would come and spend some time with Hank and Donna.
Well, we all know what happened when I tried to do that now don’t we?

And now look at where I am." She said spreading her
hands out. "I'm here in West Virginia with you because there's another hit
out on me. None of this makes sense. I'm just trying to wrap my head around
everything and being here, alone, with you is not helping."

Cole leaned back in his chair and ran a finger across his
lips in seductive contemplation.

"If nothing had happened, would you have come out here
with me?"

The mood was no longer light and Madison began to wring her
hands in nervousness.

Cole was being persistent. He wanted an answer and wasn’t
going to be happy until he got one. He placed his hand on top of hers,
instantly calming her.

"Well, are you going to answer my question or disregard
it all together? It's just me and you here Madison. No one else. Now answer the
question."

Needing to avoid his glare, she got up from the table and
made her way into the living room where she stared out into the night. He
followed right behind her and she felt the warmth coming from his body.

"Madison, I know what the answer is, but I need to hear
the words come out of your mouth. Tristan is gone and nothing is going to
change that. You need to stop punishing yourself and live your life." He
turned her around, his blue eyes darkened as they locked with hers. "You
don’t have to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid!" She barked and pulled away from
his grasp.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm tired Cole. I'm going to bed."

"Madison, I really think that we should…" The
sharp snap of a branch outside snatched their attention away from one another.

Cole reached for his weapon and quickly led Madison towards
the bedroom. "Madison, get in there and lock the door behind me."

"No. I'm coming with you," she said and turned
around.

"I don’t have time for your games Madison. Now go into
the bedroom, please!"

His tone was demanding, but she didn’t budge.

"What if it's a trap Cole? What if the plan is to take
you out so that they can come in here and kill me? No. I'm not taking that
chance, and I would think that you wouldn’t want to either."

The muscles in his jaw clenched and Madison could see that
he was contemplating.

"I don’t suppose you know how to use a gun, do
you?" He expected to hear the word no. But when she nodded her head, he
was surprised.

"Tristan taught me tactical shooting," she
whispered. "I can shoot whatever you give me," she said and held out
her hand.

"Stay here," he said and quickly disappeared into
the kitchen.

She heard the snapping sound again, and this time the sound
was closer.

"Here." Cole returned from the kitchen and handed
her a gun.

"Stay behind me," he said and opened the door.

Madison nodded and gripped the butt of the gun. Her mind
flashed to the time when her husband had told her that,
if you are going to use a gun, then you need to know how to use it the
correct way. The bad guys might have a gun just to scare you, but it makes no
sense at all for you to try the same thing with them.

Doing that could get
you killed. When you pull out a gun, it raises the stakes in the game. It means
that you are ready to shoot them to defend yourself. And you most definitely
don’t want to send that signal if you can’t do that.

The moonlight was faint and gave off a slightly eerie
feeling. The adrenalin was coursing through her body like the rush of a rapid
stream as she stayed close to Cole. Even though the gun felt heavy in her
hands, she knew that she would not hesitate to use it.

As they neared the corner of the cabin, Cole whipped around
and shoved her behind him. "What is it?" She whispered to him.

Cole kept quiet and swiveled his head towards the forest
behind them. From the corner of his eye he spotted movement. "Don’t move
from this spot!" He said and darted towards the direction of the sound.

Madison leaned against the cabin and let out an exasperated
breath. The gun she'd been holding steady now shook in her hands.

Several minutes went by and her nervousness grew.
"Cole?" Her voice cracked in the darkness.

When he didn’t answer, she made a move towards the clearing
that was awash in the paleness of the moon, and stopped in shadow, just before
the tree line of the forest.

A loud rustling sound made her jump, gripping the gun
tighter.

"It's me," he said as he came out into the
clearing.

"I think I found the culprit." He turned and
motioned towards a family of deer.

"It's been a long time since you've been out in the
woods hasn’t it?" She chuckled.

Cole nodded his head. "I suppose I got so used to being
around human animals that I'd forgotten all about the woodland ones. Come on,
let's get you back inside." After taking a quick glance around, the two
walked back inside.

"I don’t suppose that you'd like to finish our
conversation."

She felt the heavy weight of his gaze and she stepped back,
out of his reach.

"It's been a long day. I'm exhausted, and I know that
you must be too. Plus, you've got a big day tomorrow. Dinner was delicious.
Good night," she said and made her way into the bedroom.

As she laid her head down on the pillow, Madison grew afraid.
Things were heating up between she and Cole. Things were heating up just like
they had three years ago, except there was one difference, one huge difference.
Three years ago, Cole was a married man. That had been the colossal barrier
that forced her to keep her distance. But now, he was divorced and she was a
widower.

She wanted him. There was no denying it. But she was afraid
to say the words aloud. Afraid to think it. Her guilt-ridden desires rippled
around in her head, like the swirls of a puddle, right after it's been stepped
in. Part of her still felt like she was cheating on her husband. But the more
time she spent with Cole, the more the ripples seemed to build up, overflowing
into a guilt free, remorseless river.

After driving all night, Castillo and his crew finally
reached Summerbridge. Manny turned around, reached out his hand, and gently
nudged Castillo awake.

"We're here boss, what now?"

Castillo opened his eyes and glanced out the window.
"Pathetic," he mumbled. "Just pathetic. But being in a place
like this will make it easy to find her."

"Not if she's off hiking or living out in those
mountains it's not." Manny peered out the window and pointed towards the
woods.

Castillo smacked him in the back of his head.
"Mountains, woods, or a fucking convent. No matter where she is, we are
going to find her and when we do, she'll wish she never opened her fucking
mouth. Now find us some place secluded. I need to rest before we go
hunting." He said, before closing his eyes.

****

After making a few phone calls, they were able to secure a
cabin rental. Someone had canceled last minute, the clerk told Manny.
"You're very lucky," she said and smiled warmly at him. It wasn’t
until the rest of the group walked into the rental office that a cold chill ran
down her spine.

"Where are y'all from?" She asked. Her hand shook
nervously as she reached for the identification that Manny produced.

Manny turned and looked at his boss who stood near the door.
He was flanked by Carlos and Reggie. He knew why the old woman had gotten
spooked. The three of them looked like a bunch of gang bangers.

"Sorry about that," Manny retrieved his license.
"We're from the city. I told them not to dress like that." There must
have been something about Manny's smile, because the old woman smiled back and
handed him the key.

"Now you all will be staying in a cabin at the far end
of the lake, the other side is private property, residential homes. There are
no other cabins around and the office closes at 3 p.m.

I suggest that you stop in town and load up on supplies
before you head out there.

You'll find clean linens on all the beds and wood for the
fireplace if you need it. Although I don’t imagine that you'll be needing a
fire in this heat. But, you never know. Oh and one last thing, the place is
sparkling clean and I expect it to be that way when you leave." She peered
over Manny's shoulder and eyed Castillo.

"Of course ma'am," Castillo said and rolled his
eyes.

"Good. Well then, welcome to Summerbridge and enjoy
your stay."

"Old bat! She's lucky I didn’t shoot her. Now come on,
let's get those supplies."

****

He wasn’t sure if it was nerves, or the restless night
sleeping on the sofa that he'd had, but Cole was awake before the sun crested
over the horizon. After he made coffee, he went over to the bedroom to find
Madison still asleep. Her face was contorted, giving the appearance of hurt and
pain.

She was having a nightmare and he went to her, whispering
her name and wrapping his arms around her.

"Madison." His tone was gentle and soothing.

Her mouth opened up to silent screams and her head thrashed
about wildly.

"Baby, wake up. It's just a dream, a very bad
dream," he said and brought her closer to him.

A single scream managed to
escape her mouth and her eyes sprang open.

"It
was just a dream," he repeatedly told her until her breathing slowed down.

She pressed her head to
his bare chest and quietly sobbed.

"Do you want to tell
me about it?"

"I've been having the
same dream for over a year. There's this man and he's trying to kill me. He has
his hands wrapped around my neck and no matter how hard I try; I can't get him
off of me.
          

He's squeezing so hard and it hurts so much." She let
out a shaky breath.

More tears slid down her cheek and his heart ached at the
sight of her in tears.

He held her tight until her tears were spent and her body no
longer trembled.

Gently, he raised her chin. "Have you recently had this
dream?"

"No." She shook her head.

"The last time I had it was the day that Tristan was
killed. Do you know that very morning, after he woke me from the nightmare, he
was so worried that he thought about staying home? But I told him not to. If I
had agreed, he would still be alive and I wouldn’t be here, having nightmares
and holding you back from your life."

The last thing that Cole wanted to do was bring another man
into his bedroom, but there was no avoiding it.

"What happened to Tristan was not your fault Madison.
He loved what he did and he loved his family. He's gone, but he wouldn’t want
you to blame yourself, not for a second."

He pulled back, looked into her eyes and said, "And you
are not holding me back from my life. I want you in my life and the sooner you
realize that, the better off we'll both be."

His gaze was warm and gentle, as he caressed her cheek.

"I made coffee. Do you still want to come into town
with me, or would you like to stay in and rest?"

"Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek.

"I can be ready in half an hour." She smiled and
got out of bed.

****

The morning sun brought with it a slight haze and high
humidity.

"It's going to be a hot one today. Perfect day to go
down to the lake for a swim," Cole said as they walked to the car.

 
"Sounds like
fun."

 
Madison smiled and
noticed an older gentleman and his dog, walking towards them.

Cole stepped in front of her and the man nodded his head in
kindness.

 
He extended one of
his hands and held onto the dogs leash with the other.

"You must be the new sergeant. I wanted the job, but
some folks around here seem to think that I'm too old." The man's voice
was very matter- of-fact, making Cole shift uncomfortably.

"May I?" Madison interrupted and held out her hand
for the large, black lab to smell.

"Go right ahead pretty lady. I've had Anubis here,
since he was a pup. And he is a sucker for a pretty lady, always has
been."

Cole exchanged glances with Madison and smiled at the man.
"Word travels fast. I haven’t even gone into town yet and already people
know that I'm here. Cole Harding by the way. Nice to meet you Mr…"

"Tanner. William Tanner." The two men shook hands.

"Well it's nice to meet you Mr. Tanner. And you too
Anubis." He smiled down at the dog and petted him heartily on the back.

"Oh, look at that tail go. He likes the two of
you." William said and gave the dog a pat.

"She your wife?" The man nudged his head towards
Madison.

Before Cole had a chance to answer, Madison stopped petting
the dog and stood up to introduce herself.

"No. Just a friend." She eyed Cole before
continuing. "My name is Gabriella sir. It's very nice to meet you."
Madison reached for the man's hand and gave it a strong, confident shake.

"Tell me William, do you live around here?"

"Yes I do." The man pointed to a heavily wooded
path.

"Just over yonder. Not too close to be a bother, but
not so far as to be inconvenient to get to, should you or your wife ever need
anything."

Madison thought about correcting the man again, but saw no
point to it. Something told her that William Tanner was going to think what he
was going to think. No matter how many times she corrected him.

William continued talking.

 
"There aren’t
many year- round residents around these parts and Anubis and I like it that
way." He pointed towards the other side of the Lake and told them that the
cabins over there were all rentals.

"Nothing but tourists on that side of the Lake. But
they know that this side is private property. Anyone gets caught trespassing
over here; they get the privilege of meeting my two best friends, Anubis and
Bessie. There's nothing we hate more than trespassers and some of them don’t
know that West Virginia is a stand your ground state. Ain't that right?"
The old man patted Anubis on the head.

Cole folded his arms and leaned up against his truck.

"I take it you have a permit for Bessie?" He
cocked an eyebrow.

William nodded his head. "Course I do. Got all the
necessary paperwork for all of my weapons."

"Sounds like you've got yourself an arsenal Mr. Tanner.
Expecting something big to happen?" Madison asked.

"I've seen enough in my lifetime to always expect the
unexpected and that's all I'm gonna say about that." The man nodded his
head in politeness, ending that part of the conversation.

"Since you haven’t been in town yet Mr. Harding, I
should warn you. There are some quirky people here in Summerbridge. Most keep
to themselves, but there are a few who eat, sleep, and drink on what everybody
else is doing. Nosy busybodies are what I call 'em. That's why I make it a
point to stay away from town. I go in for supplies once a month and to take
'ole Anubis here to the vet. Other than that, I stay away."

"Nothing wrong with that," Cole said. "Mr.
Tanner, It was a pleasure meeting you and thanks for the heads up."

"Nice meeting you, both." Madison smiled warmly
and patted Anubis once more before saying goodbye.

As Cole backed out of the driveway, Madison spied a small
cabin on the other side of the lake. From this distance, it looked like a tiny
dot of a place. But quaint just the same.

"That must be one of the rentals that Mr. Tanner was
talking about."

"Let's hope that whoever is staying there stays over
there. Wouldn’t want any vacationers running into old man Tanner and
Bessie." Cole grinned.

****

Madison received a text from Zoe. A smile spread across her
face when she read that they were all having a great time and that they had
some exciting news to tell her. When she asked what it was, Zoe told her that
all would be revealed later on in the day when it was there time to Skype.

"It really is gorgeous here," she said and sighed
pleasantly. "I can see why you chose this place."

"More like this place chose me. To be honest, I was
looking to start a career someplace else. Someplace far away from
Tennessee."

"Oh really? Where did you have in mind?"

Cole slowed the truck and met her gaze.

"Somewhere further north," he said and returned
his attention towards the road.

Madison's cheeks flushed at the comment and all of a sudden,
she felt anxious.

She needed to change the subject, and fast.

"That Mr. Tanner seems like quite the character."

"Yes, he does. But I wouldn't be worried about him. He
seems harmless enough."

"I'm not worried." Madison spat out the words. She
didn’t want Cole thinking that she was worried about everything and everybody.

"I'm not completely helpless you know? I can take care
of myself."

"That's not what I meant Madison and you know it,"
Cole said. His voice tight.

"I know and I'm sorry. I'm just tired. So… how does it
feel knowing that you will have such sway over all the townspeople?" She
changed the subject, again.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t know about the sway
part, but being sergeant in a small town like this? I can definitely get used
to it. I imagine that there will be lots of idle time. But still, if my only
problems are the occasional run away cat, bar room brawls, and illegal
moonshine distilleries, then I will be a happy man." He grinned.

Madison turned to him and placed her hand on top of his.

"Just promise me that you'll be careful."

"Of course I will." He smiled at her.

"Good. Because something tells me that even in a town
like Summerbridge, there is no such thing as idle time."

****

As they pulled up in front of the small police department, Madison
told Cole that she'd rather wait inside the truck.

Zoe had texted her again, asking if she wouldn’t mind
skyping right away. She had some good news and it just couldn’t wait.

Madison was glad that she'd downloaded the app weeks ago so
that no matter where she was, she and Zoe could stay in touch.

"I won't be long," Cole said and headed into the
Summerbridge Police Department.

Madison eased down the window and shouted out, "good
luck!"

Ten minutes later, she was having a face-to-face video chat
with Zoe, Helen, and George. After the I miss you's, and questions about the
trip were taken care of, Zoe could hold her excitement no more. "I'm going
to study abroad Madison!" The young woman exclaimed. "I'm going to
travel the world. I want to see and learn about it all!"