Page 64 of Chased

Shit. Somebody please tell him he wasn’t going to have to finish his morning by beating the crap out of Boomer. Couldn’t he fucking give Madison a minute before he started messing with her?

Sanchez opened his mouth, but Madison put her hand on his arm and shook her head to stop him. He got the message. This was her mess; she had to deal with the fallout. But he didn’t like it.

“What?” she called.

Boomer said, “I heard a rumor your rabbit beat up Cisco again last night.”

This time it was Cisco who opened his mouth, and Matéo who nudged him in the ribs and shut him up.

Madison took a deep breath, then deliberately shrugged. Keeping her tone light, she called back, “What can I say? He pissed me off. Don’t mess with Murder Bunny.”

The guys under the tree laughed. Boomer said to Madison, “I keep telling you, blowing people up is less work. You know, that offer to teach you how to make bombs is still open.”

Well, fuck. Boomer had stayed out here to show everyone that Madison was still okay in his book—that he still had her back.

Madison swallowed hard. He could tell she was trying not to cry again. But her voice was almost steady when she answered him. “Thanks, Boomer. One day soon I’m going to take you up on that.”

“Any time, Snowball.”

As they walked away, Sanchez said, “You know you’re going to be stuck with that nickname forever.”

Madison blinked to keep the tears back. “I can live with that.”

Next thing Sanchez knew, Madison was talking some shit to Breanna about going into the office and working. For fuck’s sake. He’d seen her almost start to cry three times this morning, and Madison never cried.

She was a wreck, no matter what everyone thought. Yeah, okay, she was hiding it well, but being actually hunted had to have taken a big toll on her, especially with that fucking video in the back of her mind, and the knowledge that asshole Levesque was out looking for her.

Maybe had been this whole time.

He interrupted her and Breanna to say, “Madison can’t work today. I’m taking her shopping.” Everyone stared at him.

He’d been thinking about it, and it just came out of his mouth. But it was a good idea. She needed a day off, and for someone to treat her like she was special.

Madison started to say, “But you can’t—” but before Sanchez could tell her he fucking well could, Breanna got involved.

Folding her arms and giving him one of her patented Breanna looks, she said, “What for?”

Duh. What did women always want to shop for? “She doesn’t have any fucking clothes.”

Breanna nodded thoughtfully. “True, she doesn’t.”

“I ran away from home!” Madison protested. “And I did it really well, too. Partly because I didn’t try to bring my whole damn wardrobe.”

Sanchez was still focused on Breanna. “So I’m getting her some.”

Mikey chimed in, “I at least hope you’re taking her to Marilyn’s boutique, and not just to Wal-Mart.”

Madison was looking back and forth between them all. “Do I get a say in this?”

“No,” everyone chorused.

Sanchez said, “Not Marilyn’s. Somewhere better.”

“Where?” Breanna said suspiciously.

“None of your business. Go file something.”

But Mikey’s face had lit up with unholy glee, so she’d obviously figured it out. She grabbed Breanna’s arm and whispered in her ear. Breanna’s eyes opened wide and she said, “Oh my god, I have to see this.”