Search Me(31)

“Did you just admit to staring at a dude’s package?” I asked with a laugh.

He elbowed my legs. “Watch it.”

“Well, I’m really flattered and honored that you risked boredom to come and see me.”

“No, I’m really glad I did. I’d never seen you like that before. So graceful and confident…not to mention so incredibly beautiful.”

Heat rose in my face. “It’s the combination of the costumes, makeup and lighting. It can make anyone beautiful.”

“Trust me, it wasn’t all that other stuff. It was just little Lane I used to push in mud piles, and she was beautiful.”

Oh God, was this really happening? Was I alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with Maddox, and he was telling me I was mesmerizing and beautiful? “Thanks,” I murmured.

He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Trying to steer away from any more comments about my looks, I asked, “Why didn’t you try to find me afterward? We could have gone to dinner or something.” A look flashed in his eyes at my almost alluding to a date, so I quickly added, “My parents and I would have loved to have seen you.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been cool, but I didn’t have the time…you know, I had to catch a flight and all.”

I nodded. An awkward silence hung over us until I finally cleared my throat. “I guess we better try and get some sleep, huh?”

“Yep. Well, goodnight then.”

It was seriously unnerving that the only thing separating Maddox from me was the wrought iron coffee table. I didn’t want to lie facing Maddox, so I turned over on my side, facing the back of the loveseat. It was way too hot for blankets without any air conditioning on. After I curled my legs up, I shut my eyes, and in turn, I tried shutting out the day’s crazy events. But my mind still whirled with out-of-control thoughts. I tried taking a few deep breaths to clear my head. Once again, Maudie’s face appeared before me then Jensen and his men shooting at us. I wondered what was going on at the brewery after the fire…I wondered if my parents would find out what happened.

After what seemed like an eternity, I started envisioning myself on the stage dancing in the production of Sleeping Beauty. My dance studio was putting it on in the fall, and I had my heart set on Aurora, the lead. I’d been watching clips of past performances on YouTube. Concentrating on the plies and leaps were exactly what I needed to finally nod off.

I hadn’t been asleep long when I started to dream. At first I was lost in a choking fog, and I couldn’t find Maddox. I kept walking and walking, but I never seemed to get anywhere. Then that dream faded and was replaced by a more terrifying one. Maudie appeared before me, reaching her bloody hands out towards me. “Help me, Lane. Help me please!” she cried.

When I stepped forward, Maudie disappeared, and Jensen’s face rose in front of me. A menacing gleam flashed on his face. “Give me the treasure map. I want the gold. You don’t deserve it,” he snarled, wrapping his hands around my neck. His fingers pressed against my throat, cutting off my air.

“No! Leave me alone!” I choked, trying to pry his fingers away.

His eyes turned over to black, giving him the appearance of a demon. “I’ll hurt you. I’ll kill every person you love until I get that gold.”

I woke up screaming into the darkened room. Gasping for air, I tried to shut out the horrible images in my mind. The lantern light flicked on. “Lane, are you all right?” Maddox asked.

I was shaking so hard I couldn’t speak. At that moment, I didn’t care about him seeing me cry. Instead, I just let the hard sobs ravage my body.

“Hey, don’t cry. It was just a dream,” Maddox said.

I wrapped my arms around my waist and hugged tight, trying desperately to calm down. My frantic gaze met Maddox’s, and I could see the conflict in his. Without breaking eye contact, he started slowly scooting across the couch to me. Hesitantly, he held out his arms, and I practically dove into them. “Shh, it’s okay,” he murmured into my ear. He lifted me onto his lap, and I wrapped my arms tightly around his chest. As he rocked me back and forth, I finally stopped shaking. “That must’ve been one hell of a nightmare.”

“Yeah. It was a really bad one.” I shuddered and then buried my face in his bare chest.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked hesitantly.

“Maudie…she—”

Maddox tensed, and I could tell he wasn’t ready to hear anything nightmarish about Maudie. Instead, he murmured, “It’s okay. I’m here, and everything’s fine.” He began rubbing my back in wide circles, making me feel so safe.

After a few minutes, I finally calmed down. I pulled away to swipe away my tears before smiling up at him. “I’m sorry for freaking out like that.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“Ugh, but it’s so embarrassing.”

“Quit beating yourself up about it.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Think you can go back to sleep now?”

“Maybe…” I was sure the moment the lights were off and I was lying alone that my nightmare would continue to haunt me. “It’s just I don’t want to be alone.”

He gave me a lopsided grin. “You’re not alone. I’ll be right over here.”