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“Take care of her.” Hunter’s parting shot was as much a warning as a demand.
Then the brothers were off, taking his truck and his phone.
Matt turned to Jack. “We’re ready.”
“No go-bag?”
Matt shrugged. “No time.”
“You’re lucky my wife thinks ahead. She packed you two some clothes, necessities, and creature comforts.”
“Thanks. By the way, Jack, this is Madison.” He turned to her. “Madison, Jack Cole, co-owner of Oracle Security.”
“Nice to meet you,” she murmured automatically, as if etiquette had been drummed into her.
The Cajun studied her for a long minute across the darkened parking lot. “If you’ve lasted this long with the Pershings, you’ve got spine. That’s good. You’re going to need it. This will get worse before it gets better.”
“They’ll never let me go quietly.” Admitting that seemed to take every ounce of her strength. “I know too much.”
“At least you’re under no illusions. Do you know how to use a gun?”
She nodded. “My father taught me. He took me hunting, took me to the practice range…”
“Good. Neither of you have anything trackable? Not that there’s any cell signal that deep in the swamp…” When they both shook their heads, Jack climbed in the Jeep, and they headed out together, Matt and Madison huddled in the backseat under a big hunting blanket to avoid facial recognition cameras around town.
Curled around Madison, Matt lost himself in thought. If she had tied the knot with Todd because he’d seemingly wanted her, and she was distressed that Matt had apologized for fucking her brains out, what did that say? Maybe the twisted, perverse things he did to Madison—the acts he’d been beating himself up for—made her feel more desired.
“It’s safe now,” Jack said finally. “Come on out.”
Together, they shoved off the blanket just as Jack’s phone buzzed. The seasoned operative lifted it along the deserted two-lane road thick with pea-soup mist and read. “That’s Deke. He’s in touch with an old CIA buddy who now works as a consultant in the swamp. He’s opened a line of communication to the senator’s chief of staff.”
“Osment is a snake.” Madison shuddered. “He’s a champion liar, he loves blackmail, and he lives to hurt people.”
“No wonder he’s been with your grandfather-in-law all these years. What parting gifts do you want?”
Madison bit her lip, not like she had to think before she answered that question, but as if she feared she was asking for the moon. “Obviously, a divorce. He won’t agree to one until after the midterms. That’s fine. I realize I might have to make an appearance or two in DC before the election, but I will never spend another night with Todd. In fact, I refuse to ever be alone with him again.”
“You won’t,” Matt agreed. “I’ll make sure of that.”
Jack raised a brow, then turned his attention back to Madison. “What else? Money?”
“I don’t care about cash. I want them to keep the proceedings quiet and contain the story until the divorce is final. There won’t be a word in the press about why we’re splitting, other than irreconcilable differences. Any smear pieces, both during or after the divorce, will be squashed immediately.”
“Smart. Otherwise, the old man would have the press torment you on his behalf.”
“Exactly. They also continue to pay my father’s medical expenses for the duration of his treatments. I’ll take that in lieu of money.”
“Yep. And no following her. No keeping tabs on her. No harassing her friends,” Matt added.
“They’ll deny doing any of that, but duly noted.” Jack dictated all the terms into his phone, then sent the message back to Deke. “If you think of anything else, let me know.”
“I will. Thanks for your help,” Madison murmured.
Jack shot them an amused stare in the rearview mirror. “I would never miss an opportunity to give a crook like Senator Pershing exactly what he deserves. I only wish we could expose him for what he really is.”
Unfortunately, the video she’d taken of Brent’s murder only proved Todd was a killer, not that the senator was corrupt.
“If I could, I would lose my leverage.” She sounded disheartened by that reality.
