Page 31 of Defending Madison

She holds up her hand. “He’s who CPSP picked. I tried to convince Banner and Maxim to no avail.”

Gritting my teeth, I stand up. “I don’t trust him.” My little voice scoffs in my head. I do trust him to protect me from danger, but my heart is a different story.

Lily stares at me with that knowing look that’s well beyond her years. “This is for your safety.” Cocking her head, I see the smallest smirk. “Protecting your heart is up to you.”

“Whatever. Should I take anything special to New York?”

“Nope. Just your wonderful self.”

I pull her into my arms and hug her. “And to answer the text you sent, I know I don’t have to work my side job with you anymore, but I want to.” I stare at her pleased expression. “Unless you don’t want me to.”

She shakes her head. “No. You’re an excellent paralegal, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Great.” I stroll out her door and get into the elevator. The doors close as I clench my fists, grit my teeth, and growl. “Fuck.”

DIXON

Madison’s teammates swarm her at the end of the game. She scored an impressive goal that vaulted the Dauntless ahead of the Seattle Thunder. It’s not her first goal, but it certainly isn’t typical. She made a critical save on a penalty kick that led to a teammate tying the game. The four-three win puts them at the top of the standings for the playoffs. She nods at me as she walks with her team to the locker room. I sigh. Let’s see if she puts on her security necklace without my having to nag her.

Twenty minutes later, Madison strolls out of the locker room. I’m used to killing time, waiting. I clocked eleven people walking out of the locker room. Three didn’t seem like they should have been in there. I texted Ella at CPSP to get me access to thecameras outside the locker room. There’s one on the other side of the locker room, by the offices and this one. Madison steps out and nods at me as she waves to teammates.

“Ready?”

She nods. “Can we get food?”

“Of course. We’ll grab a sit-down dinner on our way to the airport.” I stare at her for a moment before turning to walk with her down the stark hallway. “Is the necklace on your neck?”

“Duh.”

I reach for her bag and gain a scowl. “I’ve got it.”

“Of course. I just thought I’d stow it in the back of the SUV.”

She casts her eyes to the vehicle and hands me her bag. “Okay. Thank you”

I’m not sure I like the forced formality any better than her typical annoyance. Blowing out my breath, I set her bag in the back and shut the lift gate. I get into the driver’s side and tip my head. “You had an awesome game.”

She beams. “It was good. We play Phoenix next and I’d love to have this kind of game repeat.”

“I get that. I’m sorry about how that all shook out.”

Annoyance flits across her face. “Life is a small fishbowl. Even if I could have seen the future and known my freshman coach would come to Phoenix and mess that up, I still wouldn’t have stayed. She was toxic for me.”

“I’ve known people I wish I could have gotten away from. It’s interesting that someone like that can move into a role with a professional team.”

“It’s not really. It’s all about politics of who you know. She knew the Phoenix owners, and that made all the difference.”

I nod, not really sure what to add. I turn into the parking garage for the Il Terrazzo Carmine, an upscale Italian restaurant, right by the stadium. Madison is busy checking her phone and hasn’t asked where we’re going. It will be a nicesurprise. I turn off the engine as her eyes ping to mine. “Oh. We were close.”

“Yep.” I open my door, trying to get around to open hers before she does. I miss the chance, but meet her at her door to close it.

She looks up at me and for a second the typical annoyed face is absent. My heart beats faster until the look arrives. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Of course. I thought you’d like Italian.”

A half hour later, Madison’s face shows contentment. She devoured her dinner. It’s no wonder considering the number of calories she burns during a game. She looks up and a blush starts to rise. I race to find a question that won’t piss her off. “What do you do for Lily Dornan?”

The blush ebbs as she reaches for her lemon water. She takes a drink and sets it down. “I do paralegal work for her company.”

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