He doesn’t even try to pull away. “I understand.”
I toss him from me and turn, seething. I’ve never wanted to punch someone so much in my life. How could he do this to Madison? And it’s not like she can just walk away now. No, Baron will now come to her for payment... and I’m not going to let that happen.
I get into the rental car and pull out of the street. She’s quiet, but at least she’s not crying anymore. Which is good. I can’t handle a crying woman anyway, but Madison crying is a whole new ballgame for me. It makes me want to kill someone.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She starts to laugh, and I look over at her in shock, which makes her laugh even harder. She’s got a very unique laugh. Jenna always said it was like a hyena, which would always make Madison laugh even harder. I drive back toward the hotel, and when she finally gets her laughing under control, she answers me while looking out the window. “Yeah, I’m okay. I mean, it sounds like my brother brought me here to not only turn over my savings but it sounds like this Baron may want more than just money from me.”
“He won’t get it.” I reach across the console and grab her hand, pulling it to my thigh. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Madison. You have to know that.”
I pull into a Mexican restaurant that I remembered passing earlier. She looks at the sign and then back at me. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really. But we have to eat.”
I don’t even wait for her to agree. I get out and jog around the car to help her out.
We’re seated almost immediately, and our drinks and chips and salsa arrive just as we’re putting our food order in. “Talk to me,” I tell her. She’s so quiet, and that’s not the Madison I know. The Madison I know is fierce, and nothing gets her down.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry, John. I shouldn’t have gotten you involved in this.”
“You didn’t. Remember, you didn’t even tell us what’s going on. I sort of ambushed you.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you did. Can you imagine if I just rolled up there tomorrow and didn’t know all this? So what should I do?”
Surprised by the question, I sit back. I know Madison, and she’s not going to like what I have to say. “You are not going to do anything.”
She puts her hands on the table and looks at me with wide eyes. “I have to... you said it yourself. He’ll kill him.”
I reach across the table and grab both her hands to hold them in mine. “Madison, I can’t force your brother into rehab. I would if I could. But what I can do is protect you. You can’t go tomorrow.”
She stubbornly shakes her head. “I’m going.”
“Madison...”
She pulls her hands back. “No, John, look. I’m going. I’m going to pay him the money, and I’m going to figure out a way to get him the rest. I need you to let me do this.”
I start to laugh because how could I not, which makes her even madder. I stop laughing when the server brings out our food. I take a bite and point at her plate. “Eat up.”
She grabs the fork and pokes at the chicken and vegetables. “I’m doing it.”
I smirk and put a piece of steak in my mouth. “No you’re not.”
“I’m doing it, and it would be a lot easier if you’d just quit being stubborn and give me some tips on what I should do when I get there.”
That makes me stop. I lean forward. “Wait... you think I’d let you go by yourself?”
She puts another forkful in her mouth and nods. “Yeah.”
I just shake my head. “You have no idea, do you?”
She looks at me curiously. “What do you mean?”
How could she not know? Does she really think I’d let her go alone? I know I tried to hide my feelings for her, but fuck, she should at least know I care about her. “Madison, I’ll be going with you tomorrow.”
She does stop eating then. She swallows the food in her mouth and points her fork at me. “Oh no, you are definitely not going with me tomorrow. Jenna would never forgive me if something happened to you. Hell, John, I would never forgive myself. You’re definitely not going.”
Madison is stubborn, and I know that look on her face. There’s no changing her mind on this. It looks like I’ll just have to do things without her knowing about it. “You’d miss me, wouldn’t you? Just say it,” I tell her, switching over to flirting with her—hell, anything to get her mind off tomorrow.
She takes the bait and rolls her eyes. “Whatever. I swear your head is so big.”