Page 45 of Eye of Her Storm

“How did she get to the airport?” Seth asked suddenly. “It wasn’t her sisters, and she didn’t drive herself.”

“Her dad’s still in town.”

“Do you think he’d drive her for that?”

“No. Madison then?”

Seth nodded. “I think it’s our best bet.”

Tai was already dialing the phone. He waited, tapping a hectic rhythm with his foot. He went still, straightening when someone must have answered the phone. Before he spoke, Seth knew it wasn’t Madison.

“Hey, Doc. Tai Cauldwell, here. I’m trying to reach Madison.” His knuckles whitened around the receiver as he listened. “Thank you,” he replied then hung up. He bowed his head. “She took today off. Told the doc she had to drive River into Gillette. He thought she might be back at her apartment by now, though.”

Seth was already headed for the truck, keys in hand.

Though it usually took forty-five minutes to get to town, Seth and Tai were banging on Madison’s door less than a half hour later.

“Madison!” Tai yelled, the side of his fist hammering on the door. “Open up.”

“What’s going on?” Connor Quist demanded, halfway up the steps and no doubt drawn by Tai and Seth’s ruckus. They weren’t exactly quiet or inconspicuous in their demands.

“Madison,” Tai bellowed again.

“Hey, leave my girl alone,” Connor yelled just as Madison opened the door. Tears streaked her cheeks, and the rims of her blue eyes were red and swollen. Connor pushed past them and pulled her into his arms.

“Not your girl,” she muttered.

“Yeah, whatever,” he replied.

“Where’s River?” Seth demanded, unmoved by the couple’s moment. He needed to find his girl before she did something stupid.

“I dropped her at the airport this morning.” Madison reached to the table next to the door and held out an envelope. “She didn’t want to burden you with it, and she made me promise to bring this to you in the morning. I don’t agree with her, but she’s my best friend. I promised, and it might—” A sob caught her words, and her shoulders shook. “It might be the last thing I can do for her, so I did. She loves you. She’s just doing what she thinks is best.”

“Where is she?” Tai ground out, taking the letter.

“I don’t know. All I know is she had a flight to California, and she was meeting with some doctor there this afternoon.”

This afternoon? Cold horror sank through Seth. It was already after five. It could already be too late.

“I think she told you everything in the letter,” Madison continued. “I didn’t read it, but she said everything you needed to know is in there.”

That wasn’t comforting. She obviously hadn’t thought he and Tai needed to know much.

She tried to shrug away from Connor. “Get off me, you big buffoon.”

His grip seemed to tighten. “I don’t like seeing you upset or these two harassing you.

“They’re not harassing me. I’ll explain it to you after they go.”

“You’re going to let me come in?” Seth heard as he and Tai headed back to the truck.

“God, no,” Madison replied. “We can go to Leena’s.”

Unable to find amusement in the exchange, Seth got into the truck. Tai hopped in on the passenger side and slammed the door hard.

“Open it,” Seth muttered, his fingers tight on the steering wheel, his anchor. He had a feeling if he let go, he might start screaming.

Nodding, Tai ripped open the envelope and started reading.

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