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)
“Thankfully, we also have a survivor who’s willing to share her harrowing story. She was taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night just over two months ago. She identified pictures of the coyotes involved in her kidnapping. She also ID’d her handlers and is willing to testify that those scumbags delivered her directly to a warehouse in Virginia…where she was picked up by Todd Pershing himself and set aside for an upcoming virgin auction. Think about that. In the twenty-first century, we still have people buying and selling others for their innocence.”
When Genie waved to the side of the stage, out walked Graciela, Matt’s new girlfriend. The sight of the Latina beauty stabbed Madison in the chest. But Graciela had been rescued from terrible circumstances. She couldn’t begrudge the woman for wanting a man who would never let harm befall her. And Matt must truly care for her…
Madison wanted to be jealous. But it felt petty.
Matt retreated to take Montrose in hand. The bearded man who had been detaining him stepped forward and gestured Graciela beside him. Genie handed him the microphone.
“Name is Kane Preston. I’m employed by EM Security Management based out of Louisiana. I’ve been investigating the claims of the rancher south of McAllen named Whit McFadden, who discovered the remains of the child you’ve seen, along with others. Graciela would like to tell her story. I’ll translate.”
He nodded at her. Then the beauty launched into rapid-fire Spanish. Every few sentences, Kane would interpret for the crowd. Madison saw their shock dawn, followed by horror, then tears for the fear and threats of abuse she’d endured.
At the end of her remarks, Graciela leaned toward the microphone and looked Matt’s way and spoke in a thick, halting voice. “I would like to thank my friend for rescuing me at great expense to his safety and his heart. Without you, I would be caged and harmed. I can never repay all you have done. Because of you, I can go home.”
Kane escorted her off stage.
Madison blinked and gaped, trying to understand. Go home? Graciela didn’t want to stay with Matt? Unless…she had never been with him in the first place. Had he been making the best of a terrible situation and saved the poor woman while he could? That sounded like something Matt would do. Madison didn’t understand why he had been so cruel when he’d walked out of her life. But she knew the most likely answer. Everything came back to Todd.
She might be ridiculous and dooming herself to more heartbreak, but her hope renewed and surged.
“What do you have to say to all this, Senator Pershing?” one of the men in the audience sneered.
Logan and Joaquin railroaded him forward, directly toward the mic in Kane’s hand. Winston shot Madison a filthy glare that promised retribution, then spoke to the crowd. “I had no idea what my grandson was into. We never talked about his dealings. We played golf and enjoyed family time. I would never have approved of such a scheme. Those poor people… I’ve always fought for the rights of others, and I value humanity far too much—”
“You might want to stop lying before you get lynched,” Genie drawled. “I’ve got you, you son of a…beeswax. Excuse my French, parents. Speaking of, you might want to cover your kids’ ears for this.”
At the woman’s wave, an audio file began playing from the speakers. The first thing Madison heard was Todd’s laughter. The evil in that familiar sound made her shudder.
“Business has been especially lucrative this year, Grandpa. Good thing you know some really horny bastards who frequently want new toys and have the cash to buy them.”
“Just make sure you keep everything discreet and untraceable.”
“Always do. Your cut of the money will be routed around a few of the usual channels, but it should hit your Cayman’s account early next week.”
“Don’t forget to include extra to repay me for cleaning up the Brent situation. Making a murder disappear was fucking expensive. I shelled out a lot of cash and called in a lot of favors. You need to learn to cool your hot head. Since all you seem to understand is pussy and money—”
“I got you, Grandpa. Lesson learned. We just didn’t have a choice. He wanted to go public with our operation.”
“You should have left shutting him up to me.”
“Yeah. Next time…” Todd almost sounded contrite, but Madison had heard that tone too many times to believe it. “Can I throw in something special to spice up your afternoon. I just took possession of a hot one. She’s virginal, not quite legal, and has a set of tits designed to make a man sweat. You could break her in good and rough…”
“Why don’t you do it for me and tell me how good it was later?”