She jumped up. She couldn’t look at him. “I love you, Sean. But it’s over.”
His heart stopped. Love? She loved him? Oh, God, he’d really hurt her. He never wanted to hurt anyone, especially Maddie.
“Maddie—”
“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it, because you won’t mean it.”
He wasn’t going to say it. He liked Madison a lot, he cared about her, but love? He was seventeen. His life was fucked up. He was moving to Massachusetts. Love? Really? He didn’t even like himself half the time, how could he love anyone else?
“Let’s just see how it goes, okay?” he said. “You don’t know that we can’t make this work.”
“Good-bye, Sean.”
“Maddie—don’t leave like this.”
She left.
He didn’t go after her.
*
Sean hadn’t seen Madison since that Sunday afternoon. Until now. Almost thirteen years later to the day.
CHAPTER NINE
What the hell was Madison McAllister doing on his doorstep?
The bell rang again, forcing Sean to his feet. He strode out of his den and opened the front door.
“Madison.”
She smiled at him, a perfect smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Madison McAllister had been unattainable. He’d thought … well, what had he thought? He’d been two weeks shy of his eighteenth birthday when he was expelled; Madison was two years older. They’d had fun, which was all he’d wanted at the time. It was all she wanted. That was a lifetime ago.
“I should have called first, but I wasn’t certain you’d speak to me.”
“How did you get my address?”
“I can be persuasive.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“May I come in?”
He hesitated, just a fraction. She sensed his indecision and said, “I would never have flown out here if it wasn’t an emergency. I need your help, Sean. You’re the only one who can help. You’re the only person I can trust.”
A bit melodramatic, but his curiosity was piqued. He had cared for Madison once upon a time. They’d spent the better part of his freshman year together. She’d been a sophomore when they’d met in a French literature class. Sean hated French, but it was better than the alternative language requirement. Madison loved French. It was the only class Sean had ever struggled in, but he’d ended up with a B largely because of Madison.
“Come in,” he said.
She looked around, her back to him. “You have a lovely home.”
“Yes, we do.”
She was surprised. “You’re married?”
“Almost.” He closed the door behind her.
When she turned to face him, tears leaked from her eyes. He hated seeing tears; it always hit him in the gut. The last time he’d seen Madison she’d been crying, too.
“My husband is in trouble—but I wouldn’t come to you if it was just about Carson. It’s my son, Jesse. I didn’t want Carson to take him to Mexico—I told him no, it’s the beginning of the school year. But he talked me into it, said he’d only miss one day of school. They flew down Thursday afternoon. He promised me they’d be back Sunday.”
“Yesterday?”
She nodded.
“And he wasn’t.”
“I called Saturday because he didn’t tell me what flight he’d be on, but he didn’t answer. An hour later he forwarded me his itinerary. They were supposed to be in at eleven fifty Sunday morning. They weren’t on the plane! And the airport said they never boarded. I tried calling, no answer. I haven’t spoken to him or Jesse in forty-eight hours. Jesse’s phone goes straight to voice mail. I’m terrified.”
Madison was panicking. Sean steered her to the living room and she sat on the couch. Though she was dressed impeccably, with perfect clothes and makeup, she was playing with her fingers, twisting them around. Her fingernail polish had been nearly all scraped off, and all of the nails had been bitten to the quick.
“They may have lost their phones,” Sean said. “And I won’t lie to you—Mexico can be very dangerous. Depending where they are, they could have had their luggage stolen, or been pickpocketed; Carson could have lost his wallet.”
She was shaking her head. “I called the resort and they would not tell me whether they were registered! Said it was against policy, but I’m his wife! I flew down to Acapulco and finally the manager told me the truth—they’d checked out on Saturday. Saturday. Not Sunday. I’ve been calling and calling and sending emails and…” She took a deep breath and reached for Sean, squeezed his hand. “Sean, I called Carson’s employer. He works for a start-up in Orange County. They said he’d taken vacation time. That he wasn’t in Mexico for their business. I didn’t know what to do. I know your family rescues h-h-hostages.”
“Stop. You don’t know what’s happened, do not assume the worst. Did Duke give you my address?”
Why would his brother just share that information? And not tell Sean about it?