Where to Belong
W.J. Smith
Copyright © 2011 W.J. Smith
For my sister, Gwen. Welcome back.
CHAPTER ONE
In This Life
The cramped helicopter rattled and wrestled with itself as it tried to gain altitude in the cloudless night sky. Madison glanced out the window behind her to confirm they were actually rising instead of falling. She then turned back to the narrow gurney and her wounded friend upon it. He looked rough.
"Hang in there, Skyler," she shouted over the ruckus of the chopper. His blue eyes opened for a moment as he grasped at the hand she had pressed to his bandaged chest.
Madison studied him as she thought over their failed assignment. She couldn't understand what had happened. It went horribly wrong. Someone must have set them up. Her team followed the rules and conducted themselves flawlessly. They walked right into a trap. It had to have been. Now, Skyler was hurt and Morgan made the choice to stay and complete their assignment on his own.
With her free hand, she tugged at the ring hanging from the delicate gold chain around her neck. She wasn't supposed to wear the engagement ring during assignments. It might give away her identity, or Morgan. Tucking it back into her shirt, she looked again to the window and wished her love to stay safe and hurry back to her.
On the outskirts of Miami, the light of the full moon glinted off the exterior of the abandoned factory building. There wasn't any illumination from within the three story structure beside the pier, but Madison knew it was active despite the darkness. She peered at it and searched for any hint as to where Morgan might be.
Then, without warning, there was an explosion. The building was engulfed by a fireball that sent debris in every direction as it reached skyward. The helicopter shook violently as the pilot veered away from the growing flames.
Everything went silent. She could no longer hear the struggling chopper or the desperate ramblings of the pilot or the concussion of the blast. She flinched away from the window and choked off a scream.
Madison awoke breathless from the repeated nightmare. The seemingly inescapable images stained her memory and held her thoughts. Another night lost to the eight-year-old haunting.
The frigid night air was an instant reminder as to where she was. She stared at the window she had left open to the Chicago winter once again. A breeze drifted to where she lay beneath the refuge of blankets. She shivered and watched as wisps of her exhaled breath danced lazily, giving her frantic pulse time to calm. The warm body curled against her back didn't move.
"I think it's snowing, Victor." She reached back and petted the charcoal-gray coat of the large cat. He only purred in response, still not relinquishing his shelter from the cold.
A glance at the clock on her nightstand told the time. Three-eighteen. It was too early to head to her usual bakery for a fresh breakfast, but not too early to start the day. She had given up long ago on trying to go back to sleep after the unrelenting nightmares.
Madison dragged the heavy window shut and latched it. She pulled on her sweats in the dark, managed to get the sock cap over her thick, brown curls, and laced up her sneakers. An early morning run would fill her time until the bakery opened.
The slushy streets of her Little Italy neighborhood were far from inactive. That was one reason she loved the area. She wasn't Italian or even related to any Italians, but she still felt welcome in the family-oriented community. Everyone knew everyone. In her five years of living here, she had become comfortable.
It was still earlier than she hoped by the time she rounded the block of her favorite bakery. It was not yet time for the family-owned establishment to open, but they invited her in anyway. They were there, already working on the offerings for the day. She sat at the counter with a cup of hot coffee and chatted lightly with the husband and wife team as they moved easily about the open kitchen.
The two never slowed. Gloria tended to trays of pastries, her graying hair pulled tight in a bun on the back of her head. Her plump, red cheeks always made her look cheery. Gerry, much taller and thinner than his wife, had his sleeves rolled up and kneaded dough vigorously.
Their conversation was mainly about the weather and the few happenings in the neighborhood. Madison stocked their newspaper shelf when the day's edition was dropped off. She then returned to the counter and related the headlines to the couple as they finished their first batch of goodies.
"How is Victor doing these days?" Gloria asked as she passed a buttered scone to Madison. The cat was originally from the alley behind their bakery. He was a just kitten when they found him. They couldn't keep him themselves and Gloria nearly worried herself sick trying to find a safe place for the tiny kitten. Madison took him in readily and had him ever since, shy of three years now.
"He's a cat, Gloria. He's fat and happy," Gerry called from his place beside the large oven.
Madison laughed and thanked Gloria as she took in the aroma of the scone. "He is fat and happy," she said. "He is also under house arrest."
Gloria shook her head, "That poor cat. What did he do to deserve that?"
"He roughed up the chihuahua from the first floor. I'm sure it asked for it, but it is the landlord's dog, so Victor got in trouble."
"As much as I don't like cats," Gerry said lightly, "I like those yappy dogs even less."
Madison shrugged. "Yeah, well, at least it finally convinced them to replace my window screens. No more Victor going out and no more flies coming in."
Gloria smiled and set a brown paper bag on the counter. "I made him some breakfast as well. I'll have to stop by some time and see how big he has gotten."
"Any time." Madison nodded. "I'm sure he says 'Thank you' for the goodies."
Gerry grumbled at the two, "It's just a cat." They chuckled to themselves as Gloria scooted the bag closer.
Madison visited with the couple a little while longer, finishing her cup of coffee and welcoming a few more early morning regulars. She ordered two more of the fresh scones to go and went her way. The jog back was brisk. The streets were alive with the start of a new day.
Back at her building, she made her way up the three flights of stairs toward her floor. The familiar smells and sounds varied at each level. The first floor always smelled of bread and sausage and not just in the morning. She could hear the landlord's little dog barking until she started up the second flight. That floor offered a more smokey smell mixed with coffee and a hint of fresh laundry. It was also a quieter floor even though the canary two doors down sounded out its happy song.
The third floor was home. She tip-toed past the first door in hopes of passing undetected. Holding her breath, she fumbled for her keys and turned the lock. The sound of the neighbor's door opening told her she was caught.
"Morning, Enzo," she chirped before the young man next door could come with his usual greeting.
He stepped out into the hall and shook his head. "I offer to run with you in the mornings and you still go alone. It isn't safe for a nice, young woman like yourself to roam the streets. Madi, I mean it, I'm only looking out for you."
Madison paused in opening her door and turned to him with a shy smile. She was running out of excuses. Enzo was a nice guy and a friendly neighbor, but he had made it clear he was interested in much more. She had made the mistake of striking up conversations every time she saw him when she first moved into the building. It was his thick Italian accent that she loved. But now, he was the one dropping by unannounced and looking for reasons to spend time together.
"It's ugly out there this morning," she started as she met his honey brown eyes. "It's so cold and wet I regretted going out." Madison held up the bag of scones and handed it to him.
"But I brought you some breakfast, Gloria and Gerry's special."
Enzo took the peace offering and shifted towards his door. He inspected the contents, then looked back to Madison with a nod. "It is a little cold out. I didn't hear you leave so I thought you finally took a morning off. Maybe next time."
"Maybe next time," she said and stepped into her apartment.
She leaned on the door as she closed it, breathing a sigh of relief. She listened carefully to the happenings on the other side. Enzo hadn't shut his yet, unless she already missed it.
There was a light rapping on her door, startling Madison as she concentrated on the hall behind her. "Lock your door, Madi. Just looking out for you."
"Thank you, Enzo," she called through the door that divided them as she engaged the three locks, doing so loudly just to satisfy the man.
After giving Victor a portion of the goodies Gloria sent, which he ate while purring thunderously, Madison moved about her modest apartment to get ready for the day. She didn't mind the cramped kitchen where she ate her meals alone at the counter. Nor did she mind the sparsely furnished living room with its small television and the matching potted plants beside the two windows. Even the humble bedroom which was just big enough for her queen size bed and a nightstand was all she needed.
Her little apartment had the one thing she was looking for in a home. It had a beautiful view. At night she could see the lights of the Chicago skyline in the distance over the top of the buildings across the street. It wasn't a waterfront or a park view, but the lights were dazzling. She didn't have to be in the heart of the bustling city to get that.
She was a city girl. She would never deny that. She had grown up on the east coast and spent her most memorable years in Miami. There she knew she would spend the rest of her days with Morgan. Her plans didn't include their line of work getting him killed and her being run out of town. She didn't even know what she was running from, but she didn't stop until her lack of funding prevented her from catching another plane.
Madison took on a new identity and picked up honest work. No more safe cracking. She learned that one has to work twice as hard when it's honest. Her identity card said she was now Meredith Turner, but she still went by Madison. She never was any good at false identities. But she played by the rules and kept her nose clean and now had a life of her own to prove it.
She blended in on the bus and the train, even in her work uniform. Her coworkers respected her. She was yet to take a sick day and never turned down overtime. Her boss regularly teased her about the vacations she never took. She was always looking at travel brochures claiming they were for time away, but she was simply keeping her options open. She had been in this city for some time now and being still made her nervous. After running for three years straight, it was still hard for her to feel safe.
As a security guard at a privately owned treasury, Madison used her knowledge of safes in a different way. Where she once discovered a safe's weakness and exploited it, she now insured no one would be able to access a safe or vault without the proper means. She didn't have any specialized titles or classification, but she had nonetheless gained recognition within the company. They recently placed her in charge of the security detail concerning certain items trusted to the facility. She took her job very seriously.
The day at work passed rather uneventfully as usual. A quiet day was a good day. The newest recruit felt otherwise, drilling the other workers for their knowledge of more hectic times with the company. Madison and another coworker, Bradley, didn't give the new guy anything he was looking for. Only two of the older officers could recall minor incidents during their time but nothing worthy of the evening news.
Bradley started the same time she had four years ago. They attended the same night school where they received their certifications and then were recommended to the company. Madison considered him a friend. He was a single dad with two kids who demanded much of his time. She admired his focus. His kids were obviously the reason for his existence. She adored his kids and they seemed to return her sentiments. Jeremy was fourteen going on thirty. Evelyn was nine and surprisingly sweet despite being the only girl in her house.
Madison clocked out at the end of the day and stopped by the office to confirm the schedule for next week. She was given the day shift of Sunday to Thursday once again. She preferred working nights though her boss insisted on her taking the days. He said it was because of her better people skills.
She made her way to the bus stop and was surprised to find Bradley waiting. The noticeably tall man was looking at his watch and huddling against the post as she approached him, his sandy brown hair tousled by the wind. She called to him over the noise of the passing traffic, "Need a ride home?"
He looked up and smiled. He always appeared nervous to Madison when she would catch him off guard. "No," he stammered as he gestured at the parking garage, "I was just making sure you could still make Jeremy's ceremony tonight. I understand if you're busy. I should have said something earlier."
"I'll be there," she said with a shake of her head. She had forgotten about it, but would have remembered when she saw the note she left on her closet door so she wouldn't stand up the fourteen-year-old genius.
Bradley's smile heartened. "Good, he is so excited. Evelyn too. They have big plans for tonight. Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No, thank you. I'll take the train."
"All right then, see you there," he said as he started for the garage.
"See you there." She watched him trot away as it began to snow.