The Formidable

27

They drank in silence. Both thinking, neither speaking. Jase knew Madison, he didn't know everything, but he believed anything he needed to know, he knew. That didn't mean he knew everything and he was uncomfortably aware of this fact.

She knocked back the brandy and slid off the stool, pouring another, turning, and topping Jase up.

"I know what you're thinking," she said.

His brows twitched. "Is that so?" he asked, tilting his head.

She nodded as she sipped the brandy. "You think I'm hiding something." Jase mulled over her accusation. She wasn't wrong. He pressed his lips together, feeling guilty. He was still figuring out the communication part of the new version of himself.

"It's hard not to. Greg said it had nothing to do with me and it was bigger than just you. And now that I know your dad's out of jail..."

Madison puffed her cheeks. It was bound to come to this topic of discussion eventually. Only she genuinely didn't have anything to tell him, nothing of importance or relevance at least.

"Yes, he's out of jail. He's aware of Casper, as you know. Other than that, there's nothing to talk about concerning him. The closest thing I've had to contact with him is the letter telling me to return to London and a short talk with him, that's everything. If there was anything I needed to know about Casper then he would find a way to reach me but he hasn't so I'm going to assume there isn't." She hoped she was telling the truth.

Jase believed her, but something still didn't sit right. If her dad knew she was in danger, why hadn't he reached out to check up on her? He knew if Mia was in Madison's situation, he'd want her with him 24/7. He thought of Ramon, and Greg's words. It wasn't Casper that had killed him. This was bigger than Madison. Nothing personal.

"Does your dad know? About the house, and me, and Mia?" he questioned. Anyone else would have missed it but Jase had spent enough time in Madison's personal space to pick up on the little things. Her eyes darted to the right for a fraction of a second and she crossed her legs, shrugging.

"He knows bits."

What bits did he know? It dawned on Jase slowly at first, then all at once, an asteroid penetrating his minds atmosphere. Did her dad know who he was and where to find him? Did he understand that Jase had helped Madison escape or was he planning on coming after him? And what better way to draw him out than use his daughter as bait? If Madison was anything to go by, her dad wasn't the kind of person you wanted to be on the wrong side of. Freshly out of prison and finding out the men that kidnapped his daughter are still breathing can't be an easy thing to swallow for a guy like that.

Puzzle pieces started slotting into place. Greg not handing over Madison's dad suddenly made sense. Greg getting a job where Madison worked to keep an eye on her for her dad made sense. Getting taken by Paul and Chris back to the house to ensure Jase new she was in danger, the tracking device in the car, everything was taking shape. Her dad sending her a letter to go back to London where he likely knew Jase was, and then not following up to check on her could only mean he already knew everything that was going on.

"What if Casper is working for your dad?" he said. Madison stared at him, doing the maths in her head. "Think about it. What if your dad is looking for me and he knows I'm going to refuse to take no for an answer when it comes to helping you?"

She shook her head. There was logic to his thinking but it had holes.

"His parenting skills are questionable but he wouldn't put Mia in the firing line."

"Or, maybe he knew I'd be more inclined to help knowing she's mine," he said, believing his theory more with each passing second.

"He wouldn't do that-"

"Do you know that for certain?" he pushed. The more he asked, the less sure she felt. Would he do that? She hoped her dad had more sense because if he didn't, she'd bury him in the same pit as Rebecca. "Would you be in this situation if it wasn't for the house?" She frowned, looking down at her lap. "Because if you wouldn't then-"

"Then you're the one in danger and I'm the bait," she finished for him quietly. Jase nodded slowly, letting everything process, rubbing his jawline. Madison sat up abruptly. There was one flaw in his conclusion; if her dad wanted him dead, they wouldn't be stood in his kitchen. Her dad wouldn't need her for any of it. "Casper doesn't work for my dad."

"How do you know for sure?"

"If my dad wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here. And I'd have stayed out of London, blissfully unaware of your death. They aren't on the same team, but I won't deny the fact that my dad has something to do with this. I'm constantly living in his shadow and enough people know it." She rested her elbows on the counter, running her fingers through her hair. "The only thing that would be different right now if I had never been in the house, is you wouldn't be involved and if it wasn't Casper, it would be someone else."

"You need to get in touch with him," Jase said, lighting another cigarette.

"No. If he's who Casper really wants then I don't want to lead him directly to him. If Casper wants us to find him eventually, then he's probably waiting for me to get my dad involved. I'm not bait for you, I'm bait for him." Madison had reached the idea as it left her lips but it didn't shock her. It had been Mitch's plan as well. She was just bait.

"He wanted us together as well, remember? You were brought right to me." That was the only part she couldn't figure out. Jase sighed, running a hand through his still damp hair. "It's late, I have to be at the club tomorrow." He was right, they were both too exhausted to make sense of all the details.

Greg had given them more questions than answers. There was one positive though, Casper no longer had Greg keeping tabs on Madison for him. Sooner or later, he'd have to come out of the woodwork and get his hands dirty. Jase didn't mind waiting and laying low until then, he had time to kill.