DOUBLE TROUBLE WITH THE TWIN WOLVES 9

C H A P T E R N I N E - - - M A D D I S O N

"Kara, are you all right? I know that was terrifying, but relax, girl! We'll be alright," Sofia murmured, glancing at Maddison.

"Just bring us home as soon as you can, Sofia," Maddison said, shifting in her seat to check on her sons and peer out the back window.

She was expecting to see a massive black SUV or a terrible assault chopper materialize beyond the horizon, racing in with only one objective in mind: to murder her and her children. When she tried to put it into words, it sounded silly, and she didn't try it again. But something in her gut told her she needed to leave Laguna as soon as possible.

There were cameras set up. What if I was captured by one of them? What if they know where I am already? I cannot allow anything to happen to Ryker and Reidan... I must protect them.

She was clenching her teeth into her lower lip so hard she was sure she'd draw blood shortly. Her hands were clammy, and she had goose bumps on her skin. In many respects, she was more afraid now than she had ever been on the train. Everything was unfolding in the present time, with all of the possible possibilities put out neatly in one row for her to consider. There are no other options but life or death. Now? She had no idea what to anticipate.

"Kara, be sincere. You must not allow a few lunatics to ruin your day. No one was even wounded, I've heard! You're OK, even though I know leaving town was difficult. The children are OK. Sofia reassured her that everything was OK.

Maddison gave Sofia a sidelong glance as she silently nodded, doing her damnedest to keep her composure.

No need to freak out. She reminded herself to be calm while taking slow breaths and collapsing into the plush passenger seat.

"I apologize. I suppose that having children has made me take all of those risks much more seriously, she said.

There was a lot of truth in that, but it was clear that it wasn't just that she avoided unstable individuals for apparent, logical reasons. She had been feeling secure and even normal for some time, but she couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that someone may be keeping an eye on her or at the very least waiting for her to get there.

She wanted to be sincere and say she couldn't recall the faces of the men she had seen on the train, but she was really able to. They had been ingrained in her mind. She knew she could never completely feel safe as long as they weren't taken in by the authorities.

Even though it didn't take that long to travel back to the suburbs, it seemed to take forever. It appeared like the distance on the road was double. She got out of the car before it even fully stopped when they approached Maddison's tiny house. She moved the stroller in front of the house while working quickly, grabbed the infants with Sofia's assistance, and hurried after them. Maddison could virtually sense her friend's anxious thoughts as Sofia brought Ryker inside the home as she assaulted the door with her keys and twisted them into the latch.

"Hon, I don't know if I should leave you like this. Will you be alright? Sofia questioned.

"Honestly, I'll be OK. Maddison said, grinning over her shoulder, "I need a cup of tea, to get the boys into their cribs, and perhaps a nice, soothing bath.

Maddison led Sofia out while giving her a hard embrace at the door as they entered, placing the sleeping twins on the couch with their backs.

"Sofia, I swear I'll be OK. Do not worry about me. You know, the explosion was really unexpected. There is currently nothing to worry about. Everything is good and we are secure at home. ”

Sofia appeared to find some comfort in the grin, even if it felt awfully phony on her lips.

"Call me, all right? Let's have some wine and put the world's lunatics behind us! ”

"We have a date! " Maddison said as she shut the door.

She sprung into action as soon as she heard Sofia's steps back. The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, and her heart was still racing out of her chest. She and Sofia had been on a trail they had chosen to walk with the kids when the explosion occurred, just fifty yards away at a little store. Everything had been brought back in Aces by the terrible boom. Maddison had experienced the same anxiety, terror, and panic on that train. The fear of something possibly happening to her boys, though, had this time made everything worse.

A second revelation struck her as soon as she noticed the TV crews already swarming the site and the scores of cell phones filming the burning debris of the store after she had recovered from the initial shock. The Firm had informed her in great detail that she needed to put herself first and keep herself out of sight and mind no matter what she did. She was then forced to stay on the local television broadcast since she was unable to navigate the throng with two strollers for two sets of twins!

I was aware that I shouldn't have gone to town. She ran into her room and grabbed a suitcase from the closet after berating herself.

She began cramming necessities, her few valued items, and her new identification information into it. She then proceeded to load the baby bag and dispose of anything that didn't fit into her own shoulder bag before entering the nursery. Maddison's years of academic study had given her the ability to work fast and systematically. Her pulse rate had somewhat decreased by the time she returned to the living room, and she was able to think more clearly.

I have to call a taxi. We'll travel to the airport and take a flight anyplace. Anywhere but here, she thought, securing the bags over her shoulders so she could call a cab.

She heard a loud, urgent tap on the door as she was dialing the number. Madison froze, her hand resting on the figures. Another thud. Her throat felt tight with fear, almost suffocating her.

Oh my, she thought, feeling sick to her stomach.

She realized she hadn't secured the door when she saw the doorknob being pulled down. In an effort to prevent whatever it was on the other side from entering, Maddison ran for the front door and tried to shove it shut and lock it before it was too late. Tom stepped in with a revolver drawn, his bright green and golden eyes flashing with anxiety as she came to a stop just in front of him.

“Are you alone, honey? " Quickly waving Tim inside, he inquired.

Tim placed his rifle away and quietly and nearly soundlessly closed the door behind him.

“Tom, she's by herself.” He responded quietly, "Put that away. “

Maddison's eyes were so stunning. Her twin loves, whom she had never anticipated seeing again, were both present. the men who fathered her kids. The only males she had ever experienced making her heart race and her mind spin. She pulled herself up with a hand on the wall as she continued to look at them in horror for a moment after feeling her eyesight begin to blur at the edges.

"What are you doing in this place? " When she eventually said a few words that weren't just broken syllables, she inquired.

"Oh, you're aware. We were in the area, so we thought we'd stop by," Tom remarked with his signature wolfish smile, winking at her. "Aren't you relieved to see us?" " he questioned, quickly putting his gun in the holster on his hip and pulled her into a tight bear embrace.

Maddison exclaimed, her eyes wide as saucers as she met Tim's stare over Tom's shoulder, her body squashed against his. He felt so warm and safe, and despite the mounting confusion in her thoughts, she felt fully at rest in that moment. When Tom pulled go of her, she felt a quick and intense sensation of loss, and she smiled uncomfortably as Tim chuckled and shook his head.

He took her hand and softly kissed the top of it before saying, "We should cease meeting like this, Miss Maddison," which caused butterflies in Maddison's tummy. Other than coincidences caused by explosions, I suppose there are other methods for people to come into contact.

"So the explosion is the reason you're here." Tim let go of her hand as she asked the question.

Because she was with Tom and Tim, she was desperately trying to keep her mind on the game and keep the pleasant, cooing fluffiness out of it.

“Yeah. On the news, we saw you. I assumed we wouldn't be the only ones. You've already packed your belongings, right? Before Maddison had a chance to respond, Tom nodded in appreciation and removed one of the bags off her shoulders.

She held onto the baby bag and quietly said, "I can manage it."

“Where are you going? Do you have any location in mind?” Tim enquired as he passed her and headed towards the living room.

She yelled, attempting to get ahead of him and stop him before he got close to the sofa and the sleeping boys, "I am not sure yet where to go," but it was too late.

Tim waved Tom over after coming to a complete halt at the entrance. Maddison was standing in between them and the couch, unsure of her next move or how she should behave. She didn't want them to learn that much about the males. The silence that lingered in the air felt endless, as if Maddison had time to grow old and die 10 times over during it. She had, after all, expected they would never find out, but not in a circumstance when there was likely danger lying around every corner.

Tim eventually remarked, darting a questioning glance at Maddison, "We need to get them out of here.”

She had a hard time understanding it. Was it elation? Worry? Annoyance? As Tim grabbed Reidan, Maddison bit her lip once more and nodded before carefully taking Ryker. Reidan shifted while in Tim's arms and yawned briefly before pressing his small face on Tim's chest. The large shifter commando appeared to be completely enamored with the infant. The first time a father hugs his son was the moment Maddison most wanted to capture in a mental picture.

Tom had a little smile on his lips as he stared in astonishment at his brother."

"Dammit, bro, let's leave before we both start crying and snuggling the babies!" but it was clear from the expression in his eyes that Maddison was precisely where he would have chosen to be.

Tim abruptly recovered and curtly nodded, extending a hand to Maddison as she continued to carry Ryker on her hip. She accepted it and allowed him lead her outside, with Tom checking the door first and sneaking out in front of them although continuing to shoot them sidelong glances. They virtually sprinted across the yard to the large SUV that was parked in front, where Tom assisted Maddison in buckling up as she held both infants on her lap and placed the luggage on the ground at her feet. By the time they slammed the doors shut and shot off like a bullet, her world had already begun to spin.

What in the world is happening? As she struggled to get her mind around the course that the day was following, she asked herself.

She had first left the house for a short stroll with a companion when she somehow found herself caught in the center of an explosion in the heart of St. Rosa. When she was set to go for an unknown location, her babydaddies arrived at her door with their weapons drawn and were prepared to fight for her. Could her day possibly be any weirder? Can someone please give her a knife so she can break the tension in the car? Electric, anxious, and anticipatory energy filled the SUV.

Maddison was about to say something—really, anything—when Tom abruptly jerked the car to the side and Tim yelled a string of obscene epithets that were so incredibly colorful that Maddison was relieved Ryker and Reidan hadn't progressed to the point of language comprehension to be able to understand any of it.

"What's going on?" Maddison questioned, but she didn't require a response. She immediately understood what was happening when the first bullet was heard and the back window hit with a soft thud rather than breaking.

They had located her. not only her wolves, but also the others.