I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.
Two
Madison
It’s been twenty minutes since my manager officially closed the bakery, and Joker and I are hiding out behind one of my cabinets. It’s pitch black, so I can’t see much. And true to his word, Joker must have brought every type of candy he could get his hands on. Before my manager, Bianca, left, I had her make us some coffee to leave in my office. At least now I’ll have something to keep me awake.
“You doing okay, Madison?” Joker whispers, scaring the crap out of me. We’ve been silent for so long I wasn’t expectingit.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just want this to be over with. What happens if it is a child and they need help?” The thought of someone going that hungry just breaks my heart.
“Then we will help them with whatever they need. There is no sense in worrying until we know for sure what is going on. I promise you, we will fix this.”
“Thank you.” I whisper. I know he may joke around all the time, but Joker is taking this seriously.
He grabs my hand in the dark and gives it a squeeze. “Anytime, and I mean that.”
He picks something out of his bag and opens the package. “Gummy worm?”
I can’t help but snort out a laugh. “These are my favorites. I ate so many of these during nursing school I gained so much weight.” All those late-night snacks were a killer on my hips and ass.
I can hear him moving around. Trying to get comfortable on the hard floor. “Wait, you're a nurse?”
Crap, I never meant to share that. I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this before. “Technically, yes, I am, since my license hasn’t expired yet. Graduated early at the top of my class. I was working at an old age home. Got a little too attached to a few of the patients. I just couldn’t handle the death that comes with it; it broke my heart each time one of them passed. I guess I wasn’t tough enough to hack it. I already had my business degree, so I just turned my love of baking into this place. Honestly, I felt like such a failure when I didn’t go back.” It was the hardest decision I had ever had to make.
“Hey, you're not a failure, far from it. You graduated top of your class, and not many people can say that. You turned one success into another. You should be proud of yourself. I have a quote that I’ve used in the past to keep me going. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: itis the courage to continue that counts. And you look at what you’ve created here. You're not only a nurse but a damn good baker. So be proud of how far you’ve come.”
I have to swallow the lump forming in my throat from his words. Which hit me hard, but it’s something I’ve needed to hear. “Thank you, Joker, that meant a lot. You know you're not so bad.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. All it took was a little stakeout for us to finally have that date. I’m a great catch. You really should have listened to me before.” Even in the dark, I know he's smiling big.
I swear I’m going to throttle this man when this is over. “You just had to ruin it, didn’t you?”
Before I know what’s happening, Joker has his hand over my mouth. “You can tell me how awesome I am later. The show is about to start. Be very quiet, and whatever you do, stay behind me.”
My body shakes with fear, and I nod my head as he removes his hand. I can hear the back door opening and tiny footsteps coming our way, making my heart pound so loud. The person heads into my kitchen, and I can hear things being moved around. We purposely left some things out for them to take. Joker quietly gets into a crouch and silently moves. It all happens so fast. Joker moves silently and swiftly, and that’s when I hear a scream.
“Son of a bitch.” Joker yells, and I spring into action, turning on the kitchen lights, blinding me for a split second.
As my eyes adjust, that's when I see a scared little girl standing there with a pocketknife in her hand. I quickly look at Joker and see he has a big gash on his arm that’s definitely going to need stitches. I turn my focus to the girl who looks like she’s ready to bolt.
I put my hands up and give her a smile. “Hey it’s okay. No one is going to hurt you. My name is Madison, and this is Joker. I promise you that you're safe. Can you tell me your name and how old you are?”
“Bailey Grace Fisher, and I’m thirteen.” Her voice shakes with fear as she keeps side-eyeing Joker, who gets a strange look in his eyes, but as fast as it was there, it’s gone, making me wonder what it is. I know by now that the rest of the guys are on their way.
I keep the smile on my face and point to the knife still clutched in her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Bailey. Do you maybe want to put the knife down and I can get you something to eat?”
She looks at the knife that’s still in her hand and at the blood that’s dripping from the gash on Joker's arm, and her eyes widen in horror at what she's done. The knife clatters to the floor, and she starts crying. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t send me back. I promise I won’t come back again. Please.”
My instincts kick in, and I take slow movements towards Bailey, and before I know what’s happening, she jumps into my arms, holding on for dear life, sobbing. Shattering my heart into a million pieces, right along with her. Whatever is going on can’t be good for her to show this much fear. I know one thing: I'm not sending her back.
“It’s okay, Bailey.” I rub her back in soothing circles, trying to calm her down. I look at Joker and see a pained look in his eyes. He walks over slowly, grabbing a towel and wrapping his wound.
“Hey Bailey. I promise you, whatever is happening at home, we will help you fix it. I’m going to let a few of my friends in and we can talk, okay?” Joker says with a smile on his face.
She peeks her head out, her tears tracking down her dirty face. “So you're not sending me back?”
Joker gives her a reassuring smile. “Hey, would I lie? We are practically besties now. I wouldn’t let just anyone stab me.” He sends hera wink, which makes her smile. I watch him walk away to let the guys in.
