Something crossed the redhead’s face. Disquiet? Then she sighed. “What do you want to know?”

  “Where can I find her? Our last couple of conversations…didn’t go well.”

  “So I heard.” She shoved her hand on her hip and glared. “You broke her damn heart.”

  Fuck. “I had a lot of shit going on.”

  But it was a knee-jerk excuse, and he knew it. He’d been scared, and he’d waited too long to get his shit together.

  “Which was clearly more important to you than she’ll ever be, so she pulled a ‘thank u, next.’”

  “A what?” Nash frowned.

  “You don’t know? For real?” When his pal shook his head blankly, she rolled her eyes. “The Ariana Grande.”

  Nash recoiled. “Not my kind of music.”

  “Another sign that we have almost nothing in common.”

  “Opposites attract, sweetness.”

  “I told you not to call me that,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Matt had more important shit to deal with than their banter. “Can we focus? I need to see Madison. We have to talk this out.”

  The redhead looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Um…it’s too late for that. Don’t you think?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  She looked taken aback. “You don’t know? You’re not screwing with me?”

  “No. I’m genuinely asking you where I can find your best friend because I fucked up, and I want to start over.”

  The uneasiness returned, followed by apologetic air that instantly told him he wouldn’t like whatever she said next. “It really is too late. She and Todd Pershing got engaged two hours ago.”

  As her words sliced through his brain, she held up her phone, displaying a picture of Madison in a fancy black dress with a smirking poser at her side, arm draped over her shoulders like he didn’t have a care in the world, and a giant oval diamond winking on her ring finger.

  Holy. Fucking. Shit. Madison Archer planned to marry another man.

  “She’s not kidding, buddy,” Nash uttered beside him. “TMZ is reporting the story. They apparently got engaged at a historic inn over champagne and a violin serenade. Word is, they’re talking about tying the knot in the spring.”

  Every part of him went rigid. Shock. Denial. Betrayal. Fury—all pelted him like a hail-fire of bullets, along with the searing certainty that happiness was forever beyond his reach.

  Matt opened his mouth, but he could only utter the one word chanting through his head over and over. “No.”

  Haisley’s face softened. “Based on everything she said, I really believed you didn’t give a shit. She did, too.”

  When he should have grabbed Madison and never let go, he’d retreated. He’d gone up in his head, worried about the wrong what-ifs, and let the only woman who’d ever meant a damn thing slip through his fingers.

  Why the hell hadn’t Madison told him how she felt?

  Matt swallowed and pulled his truck keys from his pocket. “Where can I find her? I have to talk to her. Now. I need to see if—”

  “Don’t. Please. She’s finally settled. Her fiancé is rich and well educated, but more importantly, he seems to want her and puts her first. You don’t know how badly she needs that.”

  But he and Madison had something special she couldn’t possibly share with Mr. Silver-Spoon. “She needs to know that I’m an option, too, and that I’ll put her first.”

  “But you haven’t.”

  No, but he would. And he’d teach her to communicate with him, goddamn it. He’d learn, too. But first things first. “Where. Is. She?”

  “Spending the night with Todd. It’s their first time together. He waited until she was ready, and he put a ring on it.” Haisley’s muted words were like a sucker punch, nearly doubling him over. “She already picked an option, Matt, and she swept all the others who have used and ignored her in the trash. If you’ve had a change of heart, you’re too late. In less than twelve hours, Senator Pershing will be making the rounds on the Sunday morning shows to tell the public all about her and Todd’s romantic engagement. And to fundraise. There’s no way Madison is going to change her mind now. I’m sorry.”

  With that, Haisley motioned to her girls. The trio of them all sashayed out the door and into the humid, August night. Around him, Matt was hyperaware of the lights flashing, the music thumping, the billiard balls clinking, and Nash staring with pity. He felt rooted in place, as if time had stopped because hope he hadn’t even realized he had for a future with her had abruptly died.

  “You look fucking white as a sheet. Let’s get out of here. We’ll hunker down at your place, polish off a bottle, and—”

  “No.” He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t fucking fathom how everything had gone so wrong so fast.

  “Okay, if you want to be alone, I understand. Let me make sure you get home. Once I know you’re good, I’ll come back. Haisley is gone, but I can still get laid. There are plenty of hot girls here. Hi.” He waved to a brunette wearing a microscopic T-shirt on the other side of the bar.

  Nash was willing to do without the woman he really wanted because she didn’t want him. Matt tried not to be bitter about the fact that, from now on, that would be his new norm. He failed miserably. All he saw, felt—ached for—was Madison.

  Goddamn it, he wished he could go back in time, to the days he’d been tied up with his father in Wyoming and answer her texts. Better yet, call her and tell her that he missed her, and instead of being embarrassed about his dad’s bullshit and worried about his own proclivities, admit what was on his mind. Hell, if he could even turn back the clock to their last conversation and handle things differently…

  But he couldn’t. Their ship had run aground and was sinking fast. Nothing remained but memories. Madison had grabbed onto a life preserver—one that just so happened to be connected to one of the richest, most powerful families in America—and jumped. She’d made sure she would be just fine.

  That left Matt with a choice: go down with the ship and let it drown him in pain or pull himself out of the wreckage and move on.

  For a long moment, he closed his eyes. This fucking wasn’t what he wanted. If Madison were still an option, he’d pick her every time. But she wasn’t. And Haisley had made it crystal clear that nothing he did could change that.

  “You stay,” he told Nash. “Go chat up the hot brunette. I hope you get lucky, man.”

  “Where are you going?”

  Matt clutched the truck keys in his fist. “Don’t worry about me.”

  Before Nash could say anything else, Matt squared his cowboy hat on his head, rounded the bar with a fake-as-fuck-smile and flashed his dimples, then stopped inches from Hannah Jamison. “You still want to fuck?”

  She took another sip of her margarita, then swallowed with a smile. “You offering?”

  “Yep.” He raked his gaze over her friend, another attractive blonde wearing too much makeup and not exercising enough caution, then stared at Hannah. “You mind sharing?”

  Her smile widened. “Not at all.”

  “Good. Bring her with you. It’s going to be a long night.”

  Chapter Six

  July 2

  Present day

  Lafayette, LA

  “Matt?” Madison shouldn’t look into his eyes. She would only lose herself there, but she couldn’t stop. His stare, not to mention his body heat, melted her. Being this close to him again was something she’d fantasized about. Now her most secret longing was coming true. “Say something.”

  He went rigid. His grip around her wrists tightened. “What else is important for me to know? I can’t ensure your safety if I don’t understand everything that’s happening.”

  She swayed into him for a forbidden moment, desperate for his comfort and so hungry for his touch. Then she backed away, because he was right; this was life and death. Her feelings weren’t important. “I’ll tell you everything I know. Just ask me.”

  With a sharp nod, he released her and tossed her a blanket, barely looking her way. Feeling small, Madison wrapped the fleece around her naked body and sank to the bed. He settled in the chair halfway across the room and breathed out as harshly as a curse. Clearly, he wanted distance between them. It hurt.

  Madison tried to swallow back tears. She’d been so raw and afraid for the past twenty-four hours, keeping herself together took effort she didn’t have anymore. Silent drops ran down her face. She thanked goodness for the shadowy room. In stripping herself bare, she’d made herself too vulnerable. Matt wasn’t interested. His rejection was humiliating…but it didn’t surprise her. From the beginning, she had been a sucker for him, and he’d walked away from her so easily.

  “Tell me about the senator’s security detail.”

  That wasn’t the question Madison had been expecting. “Day-to-day, Ivan is his cover man. He’s a mean Russian who hates the motherland. But when Winston does public appearances or travels, he has four. They’re two teams of two. Ivan is the lead.”

  “Strictly bodyguards or would they do wet work?”

  She nodded. “They definitely do wet work. I’m not supposed to know that, but when more than a handful of people suddenly off themselves, die of heart attacks at forty, or get violently mugged in upscale parts of town…the truth is fairly obvious. And based on frequency, I’d say Winston’s goons are busy.”

  “The senator has a lot of enemies?”

  “You don’t get as powerful as he is without stepping on some disgruntled people along the way. And you don’t stay powerful without breaking rules and having influential friends willing to turn a blind eye.”

  “What about Todd?” Matt asked, saying her husband’s name like he spit out something bitter. “Bodyguards?”

  “Not usually. He’s convinced he’s too manly to need his grandfather’s ‘babysitters,’ as he calls them. He’ll grudgingly take one along if he does a public appearance.”

  “You think your husband will hire muscle to come after you?”

  “I don’t know. This is personal for Todd. He wants to end me himself. But with Brent’s murder so recent, Winston will do his best to tighten his leash.”

  Matt shifted in his seat. “Your death would draw more attention. The senator is too smart not to realize that, so it makes sense that he’d stop his grandson from doing something that stupid.”

  “He’d try. Controlling Todd is like harnessing a tornado. Unlike his father, he won’t merely lick Winston’s ass for money. Todd uses his connections, and he’s got his own grift going. I don’t know what it is, but he’s too happy with himself for it not to be flourishing.” She smiled bitterly. “I was supposed to tame him, you know. When that didn’t happen, everything Todd did became my fault. I proposed an amicable divorce a few months back, but…”

  Matt sat up. “You asked Todd for a split?”

  “I approached Winston. Todd was too stoned. Honestly, he never gave a damn in the first place. But the senator refused to entertain talks of any sort of separation until after the election.”

  “How long have you felt this way?”

  She scoffed. “Since our honeymoon.”

  He swiped an agitated hand down his face. “Tell me more about Todd. What prompted him to kill his cousin? That’s why he threatened you, right? You know too much?”

  “Yes. And he resents me.” When Matt dragged in a rough breath loaded with anger, Madison nearly fell apart. “Look, you can tell me I was stupid and gullible and made an incredibly reckless decision when I agreed to marry Todd. Go ahead. You won’t be the first. Haisley has let me have it more than once. Gracelyn and Charli, too.”

  He scowled. “You didn’t tell them you’re in town, I hope.”

  “I would never…” She shook her head, fighting more tears. Her gal-pals would be a huge comfort, but she didn’t dare. “I can’t risk them.”

  “Good. Let’s go back to the murder. When Todd killed his cousin, did you see or hear anything that stands out?”

  “You can watch the video yourself.” She handed him the USB drive.

  He tucked it in his fist. “I will, but I want to hear from you.”

  “Besides screaming and the sounds of someone gasping their last breath?” She drew the blanket tighter around her. “Todd and Brent were arguing. I don’t know why. Like I said, Todd had a whole life I knew nothing about. He warned Brent not to fuck with him. Since I’d never heard them argue, I was shocked. I mean, they’ve shared cocaine and strippers for years. They even shared a mistress for a while.”

  “Any chance that’s what they were fighting about?”

  “No. She’s been gone for a few months. She was a model, and she moved back home to Brazil. Most recently, Brent was sleeping with his lawyer’s trophy wife. Todd moved on to fucking one of the barely legal interns on Winston’s summer campaign staff. He likes them young.”

  Disgust twisted Matt’s face. “Anything else?”

  “I actually didn’t see all of it, but I overheard Brent warning Todd not to threaten him. After that, Todd told Brent he was ‘fucking up a good thing’—whatever that means—and vowed to stop him. But Brent said people would ‘find out’ and that it was ‘a matter of time.’ That’s when Todd got really angry. He accused Brent of trying to ‘pin everything’ on him. Brent said, ‘it’s the swamp’ and that if he had to ‘drown a rat to get ahead,’ he would.” She shrugged. “From the second I escaped DC, I’ve been asking myself what they argued about. What would make Brent turn on my husband? What would make Todd kill his best friend? Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “Something shady.”

  “Knowing those two? Yes.”

  “If you knew what, you would have even better leverage.”

  “I wish I did, but Todd and I lived under one roof strictly for appearances. We haven’t been together in any capacity in well over a year. As long as I stayed quiet and didn’t ask questions, he left me to my own devices.”

  Matt’s fists clenched. “Do you have access to any of Todd’s electronics? Computer? Phone? Cloud storage?”

  “No. He’s very secretive. He rarely used his computer. His phone is always with him. I’m half-convinced he keeps a safe somewhere, but it’s not at our place. I doubt it’s at his grandfather’s estate, either.”

  “It wouldn’t be.”

  “It’s probably at his party pad, but I wasn’t there long enough to investigate. And I don’t know anything else.”

  “We’ll come back to this in the morning. Go to sleep. You sound exhausted.”

  Madison was—and not just by the day but by her very life. She was running just to survive, and there was no place safe for her in this country, maybe even the world. So where did she go next? She was well beyond hoping for a happy ending. She would settle for peace. But after what she’d witnessed, there was no way Todd would let her have that. Winston would probably want her offed, too, just to tie up loose ends.

  She risked another glance at Matt. “I need to be realistic. The Pershings won’t rest until I’m dead. I don’t know how to fight their money and influence. By coming here, am I just putting off the inevitable?”

  Her tearful question sent Matt vaulting out of the recliner and straight to her side. He sat beside her, then lifted her onto his lap, fisting her wet hair until they were nearly nose-to-nose. “No, you’re fucking not. Don’t ever think that again. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Madison ached. Of course he wanted to save her; that’s who Matt was. A defender. A protector. If she’d ever fooled herself into believing she’d stopped caring about him, tonight had proven her wrong. “I shouldn’t have come here. It’s not your fight.”

  “The fuck it’s not.”

  “Matt, that weekend was three years ago, and as soon as we got out of bed, it all fell apart.”

  “We’ll hash that out and assign blame another time. I’m not letting this go. I will make keeping you safe and getting to the bottom of whatever dirty business Todd is into a priority. Finding that out is how we shut him down.”

  “No, that’s how we get you killed—or worse.”

  “He can’t touch me.”

  “The family can. Maybe not with guns or fists, but…have you had your taxes audited in the last three years?”

  He grunted. “Twice.”

  “Of course you have. Because of me. That’s Winston, wanting you to know he can screw with you if you don’t keep your distance from me. I’m sorry.”

  “I survived. I keep meticulous records. It was just a nuisance.”

  “They’ll find something far worse to do to you if they figure out you’re helping the ‘enemy.’”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  She laughed bitterly. “I’ve done that every day since I realized how dangerous the Pershings are. So many times I wanted to reach out to you… But I realized they would only hurt you more. So I kept to myself.”

  “I thought about reaching out to you, too.”

  Madison’s breath caught. He’d actually thought of her? “It’s better that you didn’t. I’m sorry I put you on the spot. Propositioning you earlier was impulsive and wrong. I have no right to lean on you.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s fine.”

  “Then would you stay close until I fall asleep?” She felt guilty, but she needed him so badly. “I won’t ask you for anything else, ever.”

  Matt froze. He hesitated for a long moment before he finally stood, cradling her against his chest, then set her on her feet and unwound the blanket, exposing her naked body. In the dark, his eyes flared. His stare raked her. “Get in bed.”

  She shuddered. The need for his touch nearly crippled her, but she’d already begged. She refused to lean on him any further. “All right.”

  Slowly, she slipped under the covers and settled them across her chest, watching him through the dark, breath held.

  He stood over her, peering down, unblinking. Despite the shadows, she felt not just naked, but stripped to her soul. Next, he set down the USB drive, removed the holster she hadn’t realized he was wearing, and laid his gun on the nightstand. Then he shucked his shirt, revealing a torso that seemed somehow harder, leaner, and more powerful than ever. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught. One glance and every part of her caught on fire for him.