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)
She wrapped her fingers around his hand. “I will. Don’t worry about me.”
“I’m a dad. Worrying about you is my job.”
“I’m a grown woman.”
He nodded. “But I’m still a dad.”
“And I couldn’t have asked for a better one.”
His smile turned sad before he took her hand with a fatherly pat. “Have you seen Matt since you returned to Lafayette?”
Normally, she would confide in her father. But after Todd admitted he’d been surveilling the apartment they lived in, she was feeling paranoid enough to wonder if he’d arranged to have her father’s hospital room bugged, too, especially knowing she was coming today. “What makes you think I’d do that?”
He leveled another keen glare her way. “Maybe I’m suspicious. I couldn’t think of another reason Caleb Edgington would have driven all this way to visit me twice in the last three weeks.”
Had that been Matt’s doing? Madison wanted to hug the man she loved for being so thoughtful. “Maybe Caleb just likes you. Didn’t you two golf together in that tournament last year? And you’ve gone fishing a few times since, right?”
“Uh-huh. But he also used to own that security firm of badasses Matt works for. So be honest… Did you or Matt ask Caleb to come check on me?”
“No. I wish I’d thought of it. Maybe Mr. Edgington is just a genuinely good friend.”
Her father grunted. “Maybe. But he sure got lucky when he married Carlotta. That’s one fine woman…”
“Daddy!”
“What? I’m getting older, but I’m not dead.”
After his last divorce, she’d assumed he was done with romance. Apparently, just with marriage. Even sick, he still had a sex drive. As much as Madison didn’t want to think about her father doing…that, she was happy he had enough energy and enthusiasm for life to even think about more than illness.
An orderly entered the room with a tray of food and set it on the hospital table in front of him, lifting the lid with a smile. “Roast turkey and green beans with sugar-free lemon meringue pie for dessert. I’ll set your iced tea on your right.”
As soon as the young man left, her father scowled at the plate. “See? They’re trying to starve me. Turkey? Without gravy? And sugar-free pie? Blasphemy.”
Despite knowing their visit was coming to an end, Madison laughed and sank into the moment, clutching the knowledge that so many things in her life had changed, but thankfully, Daddy hadn’t. “They’re trying to make you eat healthier.”
“Bullshit.”
“Just…eat a few bites, promise? It’s not what you would have chosen, but it might be better than you think.”
“Thanks for trying to cheer me up, baby girl. So what are you and trouble there”—he lifted his chin toward Haisley—“up to tonight? A hot night at Highrise?”
“No.” Madison sighed. Now came the part she dreaded. “I’m leaving for DC tomorrow. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
At that, her father’s face tightened. “Damn it, baby. I hate that you’re going so soon. I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” Tears filled her eyes.
“Will you be okay in that cesspool with that asshole?”
Once she’d confessed she’d caught Todd cheating on multiple occasions, he’d stopped hiding how much he disliked her husband. “I’ll be fine. I only have to put up with the Pershings for another few months. Then, you’ll be out of here, and I’ll be home for good.”
“Baby, are you really sure that Todd and his family will just let you go?”
Just before midnight, Matt sneaked around the back of the darkened bungalow in an established neighborhood on the outskirts of Lafayette. He dropped his duffel, then knocked softly on the back door twice. He’d barely finished when someone jerked it open. In the gaping portal, Caleb Edgington stood, swathed in shadow. The retired colonel might be in his midfifties and a grandpa several times over, but he was cut like a guy who worked on his physique daily. He was covered in tats and had a serious don’t-fuck-with-me vibe. He was still dangerous.
“Montgomery.”
“Sir.” Matt nodded.
When the older man stepped back, Matt retrieved his bag and shouldered his way into the dark safe house. After a suspicious glance into the night beyond, he shut the door. “Your phone off?”
“Yep. It can’t be tracked. Where is Madison?”
“Back bedroom. She’s been holed up there most of the day, usually asleep when I peeked in on her. She did all right until after her father’s visit. Since then, she’s had nothing left to focus on except dreading her husband’s bullshit. The stress is getting to her. I can barely coax her to eat.”
Damn it, Matt wished he could have been here for her. “I’ll fix that. Anything else I need to know?”
Caleb shook his head. “It’s been quiet. I’m not expecting problems, but I’ll stay to be safe. I’ll just…um, be on the other side of the house.”