The Formidable

6*

"She has started sleeping through again now she's used to the apartment, but if she does wake up then put her little radio thing on. There's already a CD in there," Madison said as she was pulling her shoes on. Lily rolled her eyes as Madison reeled off the information she already knew.

"Got it," she said, Madison looked up and smiled.

"And thank you for coming on such short notice, I know it's a long journey."

Lily shook her head. "It's only half an hour, it's no trouble and she's an angel anyway. Realistically you're paying me to watch TV." She omitted the fact that Mia filled a void, though Madison had her suspicions.

Lily had aided Madison in her escape from the house, offering a roof over her head whilst she got her affairs in order. Jase knew Lily hated her job and was willing to give her an out by getting rid of Adam and cutting her loose. It was during her time staying with Lily that Madison understood why Lily had done what she did. Why she'd convinced young girls to remain submissive to make her brother and his friends' lives easier. Tabitha, Lily's daughter, had an inoperable brain tumour. The money she made from her part in the house paid her bills and mortgage and travel to and from specialists. She had passed away a month after Madison had met Lily for the first time.

Besides Mia's regular babysitter, who was unavailable, there was no one Madison knew well enough that she trusted to look after her daughter. If trouble came knocking, Lily knew how to compose herself. She'd watched a lifetime of violence unfold from the sidelines, there was an understanding between the women. There was no need to ask why Madison carried a knife or why she couldn't stand the smell of toast because Lily knew.

"True. There's food in the fridge, I should be back by two. See you later," Madison said, halfway out the door. She worked in a bar twenty minutes away by car, factoring in the traffic on the bustling London roads. It was usually busy on Friday which meant she started early at six to set up. Madison never parked outside the club, opting for a side road around the corner. It was only a few minutes on foot which was slightly uncomfortable considering she usually finished in the early hours of the morning but her boss fashioned her hours around Mia and was understanding should she ever have to leave early, not to mention very good pay for what she did.

"Hey Greg," she greeted when she walked into the staff room. Greg had started working at the bar a month after her. He was bald, in his late thirties, and covered in tattoos but he had a friendly face with piercing blue eyes.

"Hello darling, you alright? How's the little one?" he asked, looking up from his phone. Madison beamed at the mention of her daughter, hanging her coat up.

"She's good, growing every day. You on close tonight?" Greg nodded and put his phone away, pouring the rest of his coffee down the sink and running the tap to rinse away the remnants.

"Unfortunately so. Another day, another dollar, hey girl?" he said cheerily.

"That it is," Madison sighed, taking her phone from her bag and heading onto the floor. Whoever had worked the shift the night before hadn't bothered to close down properly so she started with the plastic cups in the dishwasher before topping up all the spirits and sending Greg down to restock the bottles under the bar.

It was slow for a Friday, the bar only being half full at its peak time but Madison preferred it that way, fewer fights, and less rowdy men looking her up and down like a piece of fresh meat. A look she had come to know well at the house. By midnight, she was already wiping the bar down and emptying the beer mats in the sink, curling her lip at the smell of stale beer.

"You off soon?" Greg asked, slinging a damp cloth over his shoulder and leaning against the back bar. He'd asked Madison a question but his eyes didn't leave his phone screen.