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I stumbled back to my chair and sank weakly into it.
The governor. The fucking governor, who was eyeing a presidential run on the Democratic ticket next term, had done this to her. Not only did he have family money, he had the sort of connections that would get and keep him in office by any means necessary.
She pulled in a deep breath. “That’s when I got my wings.”
“Huh?” It was the only word I could manage, and in slow motion she wrapped her fingers around the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.
“My wings.”
Words. I had none.
The entirety of her back was covered in an enormous, intricate tattoo depicting a full pair of unfurled angel wings, stretching from the caps of her shoulders all the way down to her lower back, where the tips of the feathers dipped into her jeans.
Sweet mother of God.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” I vowed in a low voice, the words coming out like a snarl.
If she heard me, she didn’t seem to register what I’d said.
“I can’t change what happened to me and I can’t change what happened to her,” she said, shivering a little, “but I can be her guardian angel. I can keep some of the terrible things from happening to her.”
“Madelyn.” My voice cracked and I stood again, taking swift strides across the space to wrap my arms around her from behind. She flinched at first, like I’d startled her, then relaxed with a deep sigh, sinking back into my chest.
“He’s already dead,” she whispered, tapping the side of her head, “in the ways that count.”
I had no idea what that meant and I didn’t want to push her, but as far as I knew the man in question was very much alive, living in Albany, and still running the state like a crime boss.
Neither of us ate the dinner she’d prepared that night. Instead, I gave Bailey a low command before scooping Madelyn up and carrying her down the hallway to the bedroom that had given me some very impure thoughts while I’d been hanging curtains and putting together the bed.
“I’ll be back,” I said, setting her down on the bed and hurrying back down the hallway to put away the food.
Bailey still sat, firmly anchored to the floor where I’d left him, his tail swishing across the tile in anticipation of praise.
“Good boy.” I smoothed a hand down the side of his head, grabbing the plates filled with food and wrapping them quickly to slot into the fridge.
There was a little kitchen cleanup, but it took only a few moments and quickly I took the dog out to the backyard to do his business before locating his food in the pantry. I fed him while I finished loading up the dishwasher, then checked to make sure the doors were locked and turned out the lights.
There was a small voice of reason somewhere in the back of my brain, telling me it was a very bad idea to allow myself to be so close to Madelyn when she was in a weakened state. The last thing I needed to do was take advantage of her, even if it was something she indicated she wanted right now.
I didn’t listen to that voice, the one that told me I should make sure she was settled for the night and go home.
I listened to the voice that told me Lucy would be fine, since I’d fed her as soon as I got home from the market and put away the groceries.
I listened to the voice that reminded me of how wonderful it would be to fall asleep with a woman in my arms.Madelyn.The woman who’d infiltrated my every thought these last months.
The voice that told me I’d have to go to confession on Sunday to fill the priest’s ears full of terribly descriptive fantasies and the lucid dreams that plagued me in my sleep.
The room was silent when I crept back in. She was so still in the bed, I thought perhaps she’d fallen asleep in the short time I’d been in the kitchen.
I stood there, stock-still for a long moment. I was conflicted: crawl in with her, or save her from me and go home? This was dangerous. I was choosing to walk into a minefield.
This is going to go badly. You’re going to make a very big mistake.
There was a soft rustling noise as she shifted in the bed.
“Oh.” Her voice was soft. “I was sure you’d left.”
“Should I?” I asked hesitantly, frozen to the spot in the dark room.
