Becoming Maddie (The Casterhouse series Book 1) (40 page)

“When I come out I will be walking to the building. I will look like I am by myself but I have people watching my back so don’t act the hero.” Miller said as his car parked in a space. “What happens next will be a rush but whatever you do don’t get out of the truck till I say so.”

“Fine.” Aiden barked and listened to the Detective hang up.

Never in his life had Aiden been the person that sat and watched things unfold. He was always in the mix of things. It was so much harder knowing that this drama had Maddie right at the centre. One day he would have her as far away from that drama as she could get.

Next to him Aiden heard Eddie sigh. Not taking his eyes off Detective Miller as he walked into the reception area, Aiden sighed too.

“This better fucking work.” Eddie muttered.

It was so totally out of character for Eddie to swear but Aiden still didn’t answer him because he couldn’t think about what would happen if this didn’t work. To never have Maddie safe in his arms was not something his brain could take in right now. Instead he just sat there and watched the man who had his future in his hands, walk down the long building to a door right at the end. 

The door he prayed Maddie was behind.

* * * * * * * *

The sun was just starting to touch the horizon as Chris took a deep breath and wished he hadn’t quit smoking just weeks before. The feel of nicotine filling his lungs and moving through his blood stream was exactly what he was needing right now. Especially before taking on whatever was behind the door.

The information he had been given was clear that Wallace wouldn’t be in the room. The receptionist had told them that the ex-husband left leaving a woman behind in the room. It had also been said that there had been a second male in the room but he had not come out in a couple of days.

That didn’t say good things to Chris. In fact he got a
really
bad feeling about that.

When Maddison Wallace, Maddie, had first gone missing he had sent a number of uniform officers to cheap hotels and B&B’s. They started in Casterfield and worked their way to surrounding towns. They were lucky that the receptionist felt like sharing.

As he reached the door the Detective let everything that was unimportant flow out of his mind. This meant he was a hundred percent focused on whatever he was about to face.

A hundred percent focused on getting Maddie safe.

* * * * * * * *

This was it, this was her life. Every ach in her body, every pain, was nothing to what was going to come next for Maddie. Any hope of a good life, a clean life, were gone. No more safety would be found in her life. Instead it was going to be filled with terror and suffering.

Her legs started shaking so she hugged them to her body that little bit tighter. It could have been the cold that made them tremble but it was more likely knowing what was to come.

Trying to steady her breathing Maddie filled her lungs and regretted it straight away. The smell of Craig and her own vomit filled her senses.

Craig.

A sob escaped from her throat. That poor man may not have been the best person to have ever lived but Maddie was still sure he didn’t deserve to die the way he had, nobody did. Then to just have his body stay where it was slowly decomposing on the floor. Another sob broke free. The poor bastard just got sucked into Charles’s strange and fucked view on the world and now he lost his life for that faith.

Maddie tucked her head further in her legs. It wasn’t a comfortable way to sit but she could look at his dead beaten body anymore. Plus if she stayed like this she could close her eyes and pretend she was somewhere else and not cuffed to a radiator, in a motel, waiting for her abusive ex-husband to come back.

Inside her head she was in a dream shop she would have set up with Jean. Then she went to the ice cream shop with Claire, Sarah, Ethan and Rosie. After that she popped in for some heart-warming food at Eddie and Fiona’s. Before ending her time wrapped up in Aiden’s arms on the sofa in their flat with Marvin at their feet watching a movie or something like that.

Oh God, who would look after Marvin? He had had enough loss and pain in his life this was just more broken promises for him. Maddie had promised that she would always be there for him. Look at her now. Sucked back into her living nightmare.

Already her face was swollen and Maddie knew that she must look bad but it felt so much worse. As she had showered Charles had stayed in the room and belittled her body. Told her how awful she looked now and how much she had let herself go since he had been gone. He pointed out every single flaw he thought she had and any curve he thought was too big. Little did he know that Maddie had only been so very thin before because she hated her life.

Happiness had come with food that she enjoyed and a table full of people she loved.

Trying to put a hand over her mouth to cover the next sob, it didn’t reach but instead rattled the cuff against the radiator. Turning to look at the offending cuffs she gave a useless pull. After Charles had first left she had pulled and yanked on the radiator. Honestly she didn’t know why she had bothered. Even if she had managed to get free there was no way she would have left this room, not if it meant risking Aiden’s health, his life.

Maddie was not going to let anything happen to Aiden. He deserved so much better than this mess. Hopefully after she was gone Aiden would let her go and find himself a nice normal woman. 

So really breaking free was just Maddie asking for a beating.

Bringing her head up she rested it gently against the wall behind her. Maddie’s scalp hurt from the hair pulling. It was strange, the pain that she had managed to forget. It wasn’t just the big painful punches that brought her low. It was the constant nagging pain from hair pulling and the cuts she got inside her mouth. When Charles punched her it slammed the inside of her mouth against her teeth making loads of little cuts, each of which turned into ulcers. The scrapes on her knees and hands from being on the floor or dragged around. The big pains were the worst but it was stuff like this that really wore down your soul.

When she next showered Maddie knew her body was going to be covered in bruises. It wouldn’t be long till her face was so badly beaten that she would be unrecognisable. Charles had two years to make up for and Maddie doubted he would be wasting much time.

A knock on the door made her sit bolt upright.

Her heart, that had just managed to calm slightly, went back to beating so hard and so fast it almost hurt. Her breath was coming short and fast. Who was on the other side of the door? Was it someone from reception?

If Maddie didn’t have Aiden to protect she would have screamed at the top of her lungs. She would have cried for help till her throat was raw and she could barely whisper. She would have made so much noise they would have heard her on the moon but Maddie did have Aiden to protect.

So instead she made herself breath as quietly as she could and froze like a statue.

There was another knock on the door.

Surely Charles would have fully paid up for the room. He was a smart man and wouldn’t have left her in a room that he didn’t think was secure enough for a couple of hours. Not to mention poor Craig.

Instead of another knock there was the sound of keys in a lock. Someone was unlocking the door. Could it be Charles testing her? What if he was just checking that Maddie was doing what she was told and not giving him away?

Maddie knew that he really wanted any excuse to get to Aiden. If she had to put up with a life with Charles to keep him safe then she would do that. It was her fault that Charles was threatening his life anyway.

Slowly the handle turned and the door opened. It stopped after an inch or so. Maddie guessed it was the smell.

Still sitting flat against the wall she took a deep breath and held on. Surely Charles wouldn’t have been surprised by the smell. Although whoever was behind the door seemed to not like it, or hadn’t expected it…Maybe it wasn’t Charles testing her.

Maddie lifted her free hand and put it on her chest. Her heart was beating so hard she was scared it was going to come right out of her chest.

As the door opened wider she felt tears stream down her face. Maddie wasn’t ready for more. She hurt. She wanted to be free, to live a good life. A life free of pain. The tears kept falling as the door kept opening.

“Fuck.” Detective Miller said under his breath as he looked into the room.

Maddie couldn’t believe it was him. It couldn’t be. She had to stay with Charles and protect Aiden. Maybe it was Charles dressed as Miller. Although it was a totally crazy idea she wouldn’t put it past Charles and his ways of testing her loyalty.

“Maddie.” Miller said carefully walking into the room a bit. “Is that Craig Chambers?”

She couldn’t answer, her heart had stopped working and she was shaking so much her brain couldn’t think straight. Was she going to be okay?

As the newcomer walked around the dead body and to her, Maddie kept her eyes on the open door. Charles could come back. He could walk into the doorway. He could do so much damage to Miller. Then somehow it would be her fault and she knew she would carry that with her always.

The Detective knelt down next to her and gently checked the cuffs she was attached to. Still Maddie said nothing but instead kept staring at the door, waiting for this to all go wrong.

“I think my key might work in these.” Miller muttered as he reached into his pocket for his key.

As he pulled them out and unlocked her hand. Instead of stopping it, Maddie let her arm fall to the ground. Her eyes were still focused fully on the door. A warm hand took a soft hold of her jaw and moved her head so she was looking straight in Miller’s eyes.

“I am really here.” He whispered. “There are police officers watching the door, car-park and surrounding roads. Wallace will not get in this room or to you. Now I need to focus on you. That means getting you out of here.”

Maddie’s mouth opened and closed. The tears that had stopped with the shock of seeing a friendly face in such a horrible place, started up again.

She was still totally unable to move, fear still held her in its firm grip.

“Aiden is waiting in his truck just outside for you.” Miller whispered the magic words.

Before she could talk herself out of it Maddie moved quickly to her shaky feet and started to move towards the door. But her legs were not strong enough, so much had happened in the last couple of hours and now it was taking its toll. Her legs started to give out and she couldn’t make proper steps.

Seeing this the Detective moved quickly and put her arm over his shoulder and together they made it out of the room. Standing on the threshold she blinked trying to get her eyes to adjust. It wasn’t just her eyes that needed a minute it was her body as the warmth from the sun and the Detective’s body penetrated.

Next to her Miller waved his arm and straight away the sound of two car doors opening and slamming shut could be heard in the quiet evening. Then running feet. Looking towards the noise she watched Aiden, Eddie and Marvin run towards her.

Maddie’s legs finally gave out as Marvin barked at her and Miller had to take all her weight to stop her from falling. Aiden reached her and took her from the detective’s arms in one smooth move. Holding Maddie tight he walked back to his truck Eddie on his heels and Marvin running ahead.

“Take her to the hospital.” Miller called out.

Maddie could feel panic start swirling in her body. She didn’t want to go to the hospital again. Maddie just wanted to go home, be surrounded by familiar things and feel safe with Aiden.

“No.” She croaked.

Aiden’s arms tightened on her, acknowledging her plea, but didn’t stop his fast pace.

“No.” Aiden shouted back to the Detective. “We will go to the police station.”

As they were just about to reach the truck Miller shouted again. “Straight to the station.”

Maddie had no idea if Aiden replied or not as she had caught a look at Marvin. The dog stopped at the truck, ears flicking around and alert, his eyes watchful. It seemed that Marvin would be pleased to be home too, his Mistress finally safe.

The chest around her and the arms holding her seemed to be shaking but that could have been Maddie. Her eyes were locked to Aiden’s face. It was set in stone and determined. There was something else but she wasn’t able to make it out. More than that she just wanted to take it in. She had honestly thought that she was never going to see Aiden ever again, never see those caramel eyes.

“You drive.” Aiden barked to Eddie. “Straight to the station. There is no way we are fucking up the case against this evil son of a bitch.”

Following his orders, Eddie jumped into the front of the truck and started her up. Aiden took himself and Maddie to the back of the tuck. He opened the door and got in without letting her go. Giving a short, sharp whistle, Marvin jumped into the foot well. The dog’s eyes were on his Mistress.

Aiden pulled a seatbelt round them both and held onto her so tight. Was this real? Was this really happening or was she still daydreaming inside her head? Maddie was so scared to blink in case she opened her eyes only to find herself still cuffed to that radiator. This was all happening so quick. She needed something stable.