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)
“That’s what I thought. You will tell Todd that he is never to touch me again. Our divorce will be final the day after the midterms, because I know you have the power to make that happen. You’ll continue to pay for my father’s medical treatments until he’s in full remission. And you’ll leave me, Matt, and Ethan alone for the rest of our lives.”
She so badly wanted to tell them that some of Matt’s colleagues still had video of Brent Westbrook’s murder, despite Todd’s effort to steal and destroy them, but she didn’t want to bring any trouble down on Jack Cole, Deke Trenton, the Edgington brothers, or anyone else. And she could keep that scandal as another ace in the hole in case this one fell through.
“Do I make myself clear?” she prompted.
“I don’t believe you. Let me see the footage.” Agatha hissed.
Madison had planned for this. She opened her phone and sent the email in draft to Winston. A minute later, she heard a ding on the senator’s idling computer.
The old man’s hand trembled as he launched the clip. She knew from handling and studying it that the footage ran just under a minute. But rustling clothing filled the air, then harsh breaths and moans. Winston cursed seconds later and ended the video, dimming his desktop.
For once, they both looked shaken.
“Do we have a deal?” she prodded.
They exchanged a glance and hesitated. Then Winston nodded. “I’ll give you what you want, but you’ll be sorry you fucked with the Pershings.”
Madison stood. “This whole family made me sorry years ago. I’ll be excusing myself from the rest of dinner.”
Jerking open the door, knowing that she’d finally wrested some power from these dirty, corrupt people was so, so gratifying. Yes, it might be temporary. And there was every chance they would think of something even more underhanded and disgusting that she hadn’t considered, but she allowed herself to bask in this moment, in taking control of her life. For herself. For her unborn child. Hopefully, for Matt, too.
“What’s going on?” Matt stormed to her side like he’d defend her from a charging army if he had to.
She turned to him. Honestly, she hadn’t thought about what she’d say to him in this moment. “We’re leaving.”
“What the fuck does that mean? You can’t just take off,” Todd snarled. “What did you do?”
From the doorway behind her, Winston lashed out. “Roger, Cynthia, we’ve never once asked you to do a responsible thing. Agatha and I let you party your way through your twenties and thirties, and we paid for everything, making sure Todd had the best child care possible. You’ve never held jobs, never needed to be productive members of society, and never had to parent. That ends today. Unless you can get your son under control immediately, I’m cutting you off.”
At his proclamation, the couple gaped like fish on a shoreline, slowly suffocating as reality set in. They turned identical glares on her, black with hatred. Madison refused to give them a single moment of her energy. She focused on Matt beside her and the millions of questions breaking across his face as she marched to the door, Ethan in tow.
The last thing she heard was pure music to her ears.
“Todd!” Winston shouted. “Get in here, you overprivileged brat. You’re going to change your behavior right now. Or I will fucking put you down.”
CHAPTER NINE
Matt chomped at the bit the entire forty-five-minute limo ride back to Alexandria. Madison had some explaining to do, but he couldn’t demand answers in the back of the Pershings’ limo, where every word would be recorded, replayed, and scrutinized.
The ride seemed like the longest three-quarters of an hour of his life. Finally, they reached Todd’s penthouse in tense silence. Ethan paused to pick up something from the floor, but Matt couldn’t spare him a glance. He swiped Madison’s purse off her shoulder, tossed it onto the sofa, then seized her arm in his grip. He dragged her through the open living space and outside, shutting the door in the kid’s questioning face.
“What the fuck was that tonight?” Matt demanded when he finally released her near the railing.
She shushed him, scanning the balcony as if searching for surveillance equipment.
Matt saved her the trouble. “I figured out a week and a half ago that Todd doesn’t have this area wired.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, and don’t change the fucking subject. What the hell happened at the Pershings’ and why didn’t you tell me first?”
Madison bit her lip, not like she was nervous but feeling guilty. And she hesitated a long damn time. As if it was taking her a minute to craft a believable story?
“Explain now,” he demanded. “Or I’ll punish you until you think better of lying and keeping me out of the loop again. Do you understand?”