"She has started sleeping through again now she's used to the apartment, but if she does wake up then put her little radio thing on. There's already a CD in there," Madison said as she was pulling her shoes on. Lily rolled her eyes as Madison reeled off the information she already knew.
"Got it," she said, Madison looked up and smiled.
"And thank you for coming on such short notice, I know it's a long journey."
Lily shook her head. "It's only half an hour, it's no trouble and she's an angel anyway. Realistically you're paying me to watch TV." She omitted the fact that Mia filled a void, though Madison had her suspicions.
Lily had aided Madison in her escape from the house, offering a roof over her head whilst she got her affairs in order. Jase knew Lily hated her job and was willing to give her an out by getting rid of Adam and cutting her loose. It was during her time staying with Lily that Madison understood why Lily had done what she did. Why she'd convinced young girls to remain submissive to make her brother and his friends' lives easier. Tabitha, Lily's daughter, had an inoperable brain tumour. The money she made from her part in the house paid her bills and mortgage and travel to and from specialists. She had passed away a month after Madison had met Lily for the first time.
Besides Mia's regular babysitter, who was unavailable, there was no one Madison knew well enough that she trusted to look after her daughter. If trouble came knocking, Lily knew how to compose herself. She'd watched a lifetime of violence unfold from the sidelines, there was an understanding between the women. There was no need to ask why Madison carried a knife or why she couldn't stand the smell of toast because Lily knew.
"True. There's food in the fridge, I should be back by two. See you later," Madison said, halfway out the door. She worked in a bar twenty minutes away by car, factoring in the traffic on the bustling London roads. It was usually busy on Friday which meant she started early at six to set up. Madison never parked outside the club, opting for a side road around the corner. It was only a few minutes on foot which was slightly uncomfortable considering she usually finished in the early hours of the morning but her boss fashioned her hours around Mia and was understanding should she ever have to leave early, not to mention very good pay for what she did.
"Hey Greg," she greeted when she walked into the staff room. Greg had started working at the bar a month after her. He was bald, in his late thirties, and covered in tattoos but he had a friendly face with piercing blue eyes.
"Hello darling, you alright? How's the little one?" he asked, looking up from his phone. Madison beamed at the mention of her daughter, hanging her coat up.
"She's good, growing every day. You on close tonight?" Greg nodded and put his phone away, pouring the rest of his coffee down the sink and running the tap to rinse away the remnants.
"Unfortunately so. Another day, another dollar, hey girl?" he said cheerily.
"That it is," Madison sighed, taking her phone from her bag and heading onto the floor. Whoever had worked the shift the night before hadn't bothered to close down properly so she started with the plastic cups in the dishwasher before topping up all the spirits and sending Greg down to restock the bottles under the bar.
It was slow for a Friday, the bar only being half full at its peak time but Madison preferred it that way, fewer fights, and less rowdy men looking her up and down like a piece of fresh meat. A look she had come to know well at the house. By midnight, she was already wiping the bar down and emptying the beer mats in the sink, curling her lip at the smell of stale beer.
"You off soon?" Greg asked, slinging a damp cloth over his shoulder and leaning against the back bar. He'd asked Madison a question but his eyes didn't leave his phone screen.
"In about fifteen minutes. It's pretty much all done here though so I doubt you'll have a late one," she replied, not all that fussed whether he was listening or not. The last load of cups was put away and she clocked out, grabbing her leather jacket and leaving through the staff exit on the side of the building, into a small alley that led to the customer car park.
The crowds spilling out of the other bars thinned towards the road she was parked on. Madison was no stranger to the eerie feeling that loomed over her on her walk to her car, it had never left since the night she got snatched. But tonight was different, the air was tense and she had a gut feeling she was being watched, her skin prickled at the sensation. She reached her silver Fiesta parked directly under a street lamp and narrowed her eyes at the back right tyre. It was completely flat. Her stomach dropped and a cold chill ran over her, icy fingers gripped the back of her neck at the sight of the slash in the rubber.
"That doesn't look very good." Madison jumped at the deep voice. A man had appeared from seemingly nowhere and was leaning up against the lamppost. Madison felt her switchblade in her jacket pocket; a tool she'd clutched so many times it moulded into her hand.
"Who are you?" she asked, watching his body language, trying to place his face. Had she seen him in the club? The guy smiled menacingly.
"A friend of a friend," he replied with a casual shrug. A scrape sounded to her left. Someone else was walking out of the shadows from the other side of the road. She only glanced at him, acutely aware that the man in front was in a more advantageous position to attack. "You're coming with us, Madison." She scoffed incredulously.
"Like fuck I am." As she pulled her knife, the men rushed her, not giving her a chance to open it up and fight before they had her chest pinned against the car, her hands twisted up to her shoulder blades. "Get the fuck off of me!" she demanded but they overpowered her with ease, tying her wrists with cable ties and taping her mouth before dragging her to another car, avoiding her kicks and forcing her in the boot. It happened just as quickly as it had the first time and Madison was plunged into an all too familiar darkness as the boot was slammed above her head. Only this time, she had the benefit of being conscious. She tried with all her might to pull free from the ties but the plastic cut into her skin as she squirmed. She gave up fast, reserving her energy for when they reached their destination. Madison had a feeling she knew where they were headed. When the car started, she began counting.
It was just over 20 minutes before they came to a stop and the engine was cut. Her legs were dead, the cramped space making her body ache. She'd mapped out the journey in her head as best she could and was certain she knew where they were. The men were talking, laughing, their noises muffled by the thick steel separating them until the boot was opened and she was hoisted out with unnecessary force. The anger coursed through her as she stared up at the house. That damned house. It was as much an eyesore now as it had been back then. The windows stared her down intensely, greeting her with a cruelty she hadn't thought possible for a house to possess.
"Move," one of the men growled, shoving Madison towards the front door. They either had no idea who they were dealing with or every idea who they were dealing with, either way, Madison was fuming. She'd fought for her freedom and there was no way in hell she was going to give it up after all this time. She was going to fucking kill Jase as soon as her hands were free.
Mia flashed in her mind as a surge of electric anger bolted through her body when they pushed her over the threshold. The entrance hadn't changed much, a lick of white paint and a new grey carpet on the stairs replaced the ugly red, but little else was different to her. She could still see the shadows of her past seeping through the paint.
The table Jase had leaned against the first time she'd met Kieran was still there. The image of her younger self, standing at the top of the stairs was almost tangible, so clear in her head. She wasn't that girl anymore, refused to be that girl again. She turned sharply, surprising the one holding her wrists, forcing him to lose his grip. He didn't have time to register what was going on as she cracked her head against his nose. The strength of it sent him flying, his hands cupping his face, now pissing blood. The other made a grab for her arm but she jumped out of the way, stumbling back into a third person now standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Madison?" Kieran practically squeaked, his bulbous eyes flickering to the two men seething at her. Kieran shook his head frantically, his face paling. "Jesus Christ, have you two lost your fucking minds?!" He was already taking his switchblade from his pocket, slicing it through her restraints.
"What are you doing?" the one without the broken nose asked loudly as her hands were freed. Without a second thought, she swung for him. Her small fist connected with his jaw but there was no time to get in a second blow as his friend lunged for her, pinning her to the wall by the living room door, spraying her face with blood.
"Stop, Jase is going to go fucking mental," Kieran yelped, stress creases wrinkling his face. Madison was trying to control her breathing as she glared at the man gripping her with the scruff of her top, covering her in his blood. There was fire in her eyes, a burning, animalistic violence waiting for the opportunity to be released. Her nostrils flared, fighting to get enough air into her lungs whilst her mouth was still taped.
Last time, she hadn't had the chance to fight, she was attacked from behind and secured by the time she came around. This time, she felt she had the strength to tear their heads off with her bare hands. This time, she wasn't scared, she was enraged by the inconvenience of it. But then a knife was being pressed against her throat and the cold metal ensured she chose her next move carefully, keeping her fists clenched by her sides.
"This has nothing to do with Jase," the other one said, twisting and rubbing his throbbing jaw.
"Do you have any idea who she is?" Kieran questioned in a lowered tone, sparing Madison a panicked glance before he was thrust to the side. The guy with the knife to her throat was ripped away from Madison, and swung across the room. Confusion flooded his face as he staggered back and regained his balance.
Jase put himself between Madison and the men. At six feet tall and 190 pounds of pure muscle, he dwarfed the room. An effect she remembered him having so strongly. His chest expanded, his shoulders pulled back, his stance daring the others to challenge and test his strength.
"What the fuck are you doing?" His demand, rough and angry, boomed in the small space, sending a ripple of fear through all three men. Madison did not fear Jase, she wanted to gouge his eyes out with a hot spoon and choke him with them. She tore the tape from her mouth and shoved him from behind with all the energy she could muster. He barely rocked, turning to face her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she screamed hysterically, "I have a child!" Jase's brows furrowed and she kept pushing him, punching and slapping at his chest. It was like trying to fight a brick wall. There was no technique to her attack, it was blind rage. Jase grabbed her wrists, shaking her to snap her out of the frenzy.
"Whoa, what?" he shook his head, "Madison, I had nothing to do with this-"
"Like fuck you didn't," she cut in. "A friend of a friend? Are you fucking serious? I know I'm not supposed to be back in London but sending people to get me? Jesus Christ Jase, even for you, that's-" But Jase shook his head and Madison knew him well enough to know when he was being sincere. She huffed, yanking out of his grip and rubbing at her sore wrists. "Well if not you then who?" His face contorted, deep lines formed between his brows then straightened. He looked at the two men.
"Paul, Chris, who sent you?" he asked calmly. They looked at each other but were taking too long to reply for Madison's liking. She pulled the gun from the back of Jase's waistband and pointed it at them.
"Answer the fucking question," she growled, aiming at each of them in turn. The one with the bloody nose laughed.
"Do you even know how to use that thing, sweetheart?"
"Don't you sweetheart me, cunt," Madison responded, pulling the slider back. Jase's hand flew up, pushing the gun down before she had the chance to do some serious damage, sending a bullet into the clean white wall. Kieran, Chris, and Paul ducked, their horrified expressions would have been comedic if it weren't for the situation at hand.
"Yes, she does, and believe me she will, so please don't tempt her. Now, everyone just calm down-" Jase was cut off when the muzzle of the gun was turned on him.
"I'll give you fucking calm down. I have a daughter and I got out of this shit a long time ago. So tell me," the gun went around the room as she spoke, "what the fuck am I doing back in this house?"
"We got paid to bring you in," the bloody one said, smearing the slowing stream of claret from his nostrils across his cheek.
"By who?" Jase asked. The two of them shrugged.
"Some guy called Casper King." Madison's fingertips numbed and she slowly lowered the gun. Jase looked at her. The colour had drained from her face, her mouth dried. She licked her lips anxiously at the mention of the name.
"You know who that is?" Jase phrased it like a question but he knew from her expression that this wasn't the first time she'd heard the name.
"I need a drink," she replied quietly, pressing the gun into his chest and stepping past him into the kitchen.