Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Grinding his teeth, Matt resisted the urge to argue that Deke was incredibly protective of his wife. But he and Kimber weren’t about to be holed up for three torturous months with a vindictive sociopath. Oracle’s co-owner was dispensing valuable advice. Matt swallowed down his yeah-buts and listened.
“I’ll keep my shit wired tight.” Even if he would hate every minute of it.
“And I’ll do my best to hide my feelings.” Madison clasped her hands in front of her nervously.
“I got your backs,” Ethan swore.
Matt wiped the knee-jerk scowl from his face. If the punk was willing to circle the wagons when it counted, he needed to bury his annoyance. “Thanks.”
The tatted-up operative nodded, for once sidelining his snark.
“You know that by the time you reach DC, the apartment you share with Todd will be wired for visuals and sound in every room,” Deke said.
“I think it always has been—except his bedroom.” Which was also key-fob restricted. “That would explain a lot.”
Matt whirled. “He’s been spying on you since you married him?”
“He always seemed to be one step ahead of me if I ever thought about going against his wishes. Thank goodness I was in public when I talked to Sadie about my go-bag. Do you know if she’s okay?”
“Does anyone suspect her?” Matt asked Deke. If the coed had helped Madison escape, he owed the housekeeper’s daughter to keep her safe.
“We contacted her shortly after Madison arrived in town,” Deke said. “She thanked us for letting her know you’re okay. At that point, she said no one suspected her of lending you a hand. We told her to contact us if she ran into a problem, but she’s been radio silent.”
“Sadie is smart. A lot smarter than I was when I first got to DC.”
“She was raised in the shadow of the figurative swamp. You growing up in a literal one didn’t prepare you for their perfidious shit.” Deke turned to Matt. “Same with you. Stay suspicious. Err on the side of caution. Assume that anything you say or do in that apartment will be recorded and used against you.”
If he couldn’t touch Madison—or even talk to her—how was he supposed to take care of her? Thank fuck she had negotiated one day a week away from the apartment. The rest of the time? Goddamn Todd. Already, the asswipe had outmaneuvered them, forcing them to live in the prison of his making. “We’ll need a place to…decompress. Someplace beyond private.”
That would be the only time he and Madison could drop their facades. Knowing he couldn’t lay a single finger on her otherwise, even to reassure her, chafed Matt raw. Fuck, how would he resist her for six days when he could barely stand not touching her for six hours?
“Decompress, huh?” Deke grinned. “Yeah, don’t do that—or anything you don’t want made public during the divorce proceedings—at the apartment. Todd will plaster it all over the tabloids.”
“And brand me a whore.” Madison looked overwhelmed, as if the scope of their separation in all but name was hitting her like a ton of bricks.
“Exactly,” Deke concurred. “Let me put out a few feelers, figure out where you can ‘decompress’ each week. I’m sure your vehicle is bugged and tracked, too.”
“No doubt.”
“I’ll get you some wheels, too,” Deke vowed. “Just give me a few days.”
“Anything else we need to know?” Matt focused on facts—and forcing down his fury.
“Apparently, Winston Pershing is not thrilled with this divorce.” Deke faced Madison. “He hand-picked you for Todd.”
“And he doesn’t like to lose.” Her acid smile told him she’d run into the brick wall of the senator in the past.
“So before giving you up, he’ll try to make you heel.”
“Good luck. I’m not a dog.”
“What about the rest of the family?” Matt inquired. “Any potential allies at all?”
“His wife, Agatha, will be somewhere between chilly and hostile. She was friendly early on, but when I wouldn’t blindly overlook Todd’s faults the way she pretended not to notice Winston’s, she turned cold. She smugly thinks she’s ‘won’ because she outlasted five decades of mistresses and is still his wife. All she did was swallow her humiliation until age overcame the senator’s ability to sustain an erection.”
That sounded bent as fuck. Matt shook his head. “Cynthia and Roger?”
She scoffed. “Todd’s parents are completely dependent on Winston, so they’ll toe the line. If Cynthia inadvertently expresses empathy, they’ll supply her with more valium.”
“What about your Uncle Martin?” Matt remembered Madison mentioning the man. “Could he help?”
She shook her head. “It was a bitter pill when I realized he was in Winston’s back pocket. I stopped talking to him.”
Jesus, from the moment she’d been duped into saying ‘I do,’ she’d been surrounded by vipers. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. I was so shocked and disillusioned. Growing up, he was my favorite uncle…and he sold me out for a better job and a little pile of green. For months, I prayed karma would strike him down.” She sighed. “Then I worried I was becoming as jaded as everyone around me.”