“Whatever you say won’t leave this circle,” Deke assured.

  They were solid, and this argument was wasting time. He didn’t get to dictate to his bosses or Oracle’s owners how they helped, especially since this wasn’t a paying case.

  “Two days ago, Madison Archer-Pershing went to tell her husband that she wanted a divorce and saw him commit murder.” He handed Jack a fresh copy of Madison’s video. “He tried to kill her. She’s been running since. She appeared on my doorstep last night. I don’t have to tell you that her in-laws can be powerful enemies with long arms. She needs a place to hide while we think of a long-term solution to ensure her safety.”

  His words went off like a bomb in the gazebo, detonating an explosion of shocked silence. Matt knew they were all rocked.

  “Shit,” Deke muttered first. “I still have friends in DC from my CIA days. Winston Pershing is dirty as fuck.”

  “How else do you enter office with less than a hundred thousand dollars and be worth a hundred million forty years later?” Logan asked rhetorically.

  Jack and Hunter both launched into problem-solving mode.

  “Who is she with?” Jack wanted to know.

  “Where is she now?” Joaquin demanded.

  “Nash. They’re at his place.” When his trio of bosses all looked ready to object, Matt held up his hands. “I know it leaves the office unattended, but I called the person I trusted most who would come without question and swings by often enough not to raise brows if I’m being watched.”

  “Do you think you are? Were you followed here?” Logan insisted.

  “Hard to say. There’s a fucking horde of traffic out there today, and this is a residential neighborhood. Lots of coming and going.”

  “Fuck,” Joaquin hissed. “I’ll fix the office problem. One minute.”

  As the quietest of his bosses whistled at Ethan to get out of the pool, cut his holiday short, and head to the office, Hunter and Jack exchanged a glance full of silent communication.

  Then the Cajun took over. “If you asked Hunter to loop me in on this conversation, you obviously had a reason. What do you need from me?”

  “I’ve heard rumors that you’ve got a fishing cabin so remote it’s basically off the grid. If a bunch of boys from DC want to come to Louisiana and fuck with a lady, they’ll have a much harder time if they have to contend with the local wildlife.”

  Jack burst out laughing. “Absolutely. The swamp is tricky even for a seasoned man to navigate. But if you don’t know where you’re going…well, the gators are usually on the prowl.”

  “Is it a safe place to keep Madison while we figure out how to carve her a future?”

  “One of the safest,” Jack assured, filling Matt with relief. “I’m assuming you want to take her into hiding ASAP?”

  “Me? No. Either team have a spare guy? Madison would probably feel better if someone else watched over her. I’ll negotiate something with the senator. Her freedom for her silence.”

  “That’s stupid as fuck,” Deke blurted. “What do you know about someone like Pershing?”

  “Not much.”

  “Exactly. My contacts would be better equipped since they run in those circles. You should watch the woman. You obviously care whether she lives.”

  “I’m compromised.” When they all shot him narrow-eyed stares, he cursed. There was no diplomatic way to say this. “If you send me into hiding with Madison, I’ll spend way more time banging her than protecting her.” And losing his heart even more.

  Logan raised a brow. “Didn’t get that out of your system after Trees and Laila’s wedding?”

  “Not even close.” And he refused to explain beyond that.

  The men looked at one another. Jack shrugged regretfully. “Ghost and Trevor are heading out tomorrow night, along with the new guy, Corden. Remi is still in the hospital after he got shot on his last op, and Sawyer is recovering after an emergency appendectomy on Monday. You can use the cabin for as long as you need, but from a personnel standpoint, we’re tapped.”

  Deke nodded his agreement. “I’ll start talking to my contacts in DC about opening communication with Pershing’s people and get back to you.”

  “After the party, I’ll put my hands on the keys to the cabin and anything else you might need to survive the swamp,” Jack said. “I’ll have to lead you there myself or you’ll never find it. But it would be safer to wait until morning. We can head out just before sunrise.”

  Not the answer he wanted, but Matt understood. He’d already asked for a lot.

  As Deke and Jack disappeared inside the house, Hunter and Logan exchanged a glance, then stared at him.

  “We’ve got no one to give you but Ethan,” Logan said.

  Hunter jumped in. “One-Mile has a government contract I can’t discuss. Zy and Trees leave Friday morning to head back to the Texas border. Kane is already there. More problems with coyotes.” And they didn’t mean the howling kind. “Since you were supposed to go with them and your head is obviously fucked up, I’m sending Nash. So if you want someone to protect Madison, that leaves Ethan…or you.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “We’re not thrilled, either,” Logan put in. “Other than that blip of horrible fucking concentration you had right after you started three years ago—which I’m guessing had something to do with her—you’ve always been clean, solid, and reliable. You need to face whatever you have with her and deal with it.”

  Matt looked across the yard. Ethan toweled off next to the pool while Joaquin glared on. The kid was only twenty-one, but he was built big with a litter of tattoos that said he’d led a colorful life. He was brash and confident and a definite smooth talker. Fuck, Madison was so vulnerable right now…

  And the thought of that bastard touching her made him insane.

  “You’re backing me into a corner,” Matt growled.

  “We’re putting the business first. What’s your real problem?”

  Matt shook his head. He’d heard whispers the Edgington brothers were both Dominants and that their wives were their collared, pampered submissives. Good for them. But no way was he telling these two men he respected about his dad or his own degenerate proclivities. Nor could he risk exercising them again. He couldn’t have Madison ending up like Nicole, with her brains splattered all over his kitchen floor because he’d driven her to something awful and desperate for the sheer enjoyment of holding her in the palm of his hand.

  Matt clenched his fists, fighting against everything inside him. “There’s no problem. Send Ethan with her to Jack’s cabin. I’ll stay here and do whatever needs to be done.”

  Chapter Eight

  Later that evening, Madison stared sightlessly at the TV. Nash, bless him, had let her watch a stream of romcoms and K-dramas. He hadn’t left her side all day, and he hadn’t asked questions. Still, she couldn’t concentrate. She’d walked away from Matt twelve hours ago—after his unexpected kiss that had sent her reeling. Her heart was still breaking. How would she do without him for the rest of her life?

  “Dinner?” Nash prodded, sitting a few feet away on his brown sectional.

  “No, thanks.”

  “I have to insist. You passed on lunch, too. And I didn’t see you eat any breakfast before we came here.”

  She hadn’t. Honestly, she wasn’t hungry, but she understood his point. If Todd or Winston’s henchmen found her, she would need her strength to fight.

  Pasting on a smile, she turned to him. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I’m not much of a cook. Pizza? Chinese? Or I can DoorDash some burgers.”

  All of that sounded too heavy and too spicy for her churning stomach.

  “I don’t mind cooking. Let me prowl through your fridge and see what I can rustle up.” It took effort, but she found the will to get to her feet, cross his bare-bones bachelor pad, and yank open the refrigerator door. Maybe cooking would take her mind off the fact she missed Matt like a physical ache.

  What was he doing tonight? Was he even thinking of her? Or had he just laid that soul-crushing kiss on her, then gone on with his life?

  “Seriously? I’d love a home-cooked meal.” Nash looked excited. “I can’t tell you the last time I had one.”

  “Be nice to me, and I might show you how to scramble an egg or two,” she teased halfheartedly.

  “Or we could talk about you and Matt.”

  Her stomach clenched. “There’s nothing to say.”

  “You know I think that’s bullshit. You love him.”

  “I’m hung up on him,” Madison corrected. Because if she loved him, she would be doomed to a life of heartache.

  “Semantics. He’s ‘hung up’ on you, too. He has been for years.”

  Nash must not know that, after their weekend together, Matt had ghosted her and walked away. “I’d rather not talk about it. How come you don’t know anything about scrambling an egg?”

  Nash sighed in defeat. “If I did, then I couldn’t beg pretty girls to take pity on me and make me a meal.”

  Madison was grateful he’d segued to her new subject. “No wonder Haisley avoids you.”

  He leaned over the refrigerator door. “Because she thinks I want her to cook? If she was here, she wouldn’t have to lift a goddamn finger, I promise. I would treat her like the goddess she is. And I’d make sure her orgasm quotient was so ridiculously high, she’d never need to wear anything again except a perpetually loopy grin.”

  Despite the fact he was a behemoth, his boyish enthusiasm was adorable. “Um…that’s not likely. Haisley has a lot of past, and you probably scare the devil out of her.”

  “Really? Why?”

  Madison gripped his shoulder. “I’m sorry. It’s not my story to tell. I can’t break her confidence.”

  “Fair enough. But I didn’t piss her off or upset her or—”

  “Nothing like that,” she assured. “It’s too bad you’re not attracted to Gracelyn or Charli. They’re both great. Funny. Smart. Charli is an amazing cook and—”

  “Yeah, I’ve talked to them both.”

  “No attraction?”

  “What can I say? Maybe I’m like my brother, big guy with a hard-on for little things with lots of fire.”

  “That’s Laila.” Madison smiled.

  “Yep. I’m still not convinced Trees knew what he was getting into when he married her.”

  “From everything I saw, he did.”

  Nash shrugged. “The fact Haisley is also a redhead really revs my motor. Is there anything I can do to persuade her to even talk to me?”

  “Unless you can shrink a foot, probably not.”

  “I’m too tall?” He looked lovably confused.

  “I’ve already said too much.” She tried to distract him by peering into the refrigerator and taking stock. “How about a frittata? You’ve got some cooked chicken, tomatoes, spinach, cheese, and eggs…”

  “Sure. That sounds…really healthy.” His tone said he wasn’t pumped.

  “Too many vitamins for you? I thought all you He-Man types followed strict diets.”

  “Most of the other guys are good at that. Even my brother’s taste buds have grown up since getting married. Me?” He shrugged. “I still like a good drunken two a.m. Taco Bell run. What can I say?”

  “Ah, the good old days…”

  Nash sobered. “You’ve been missed since you went to DC.”

  “I’ve missed everyone.” So much that, when she’d been married to Todd, she’d fantasized about hopping on a plane to return home for more of the revelry-with-her-girl-gang weekends she’d once taken for granted. But she’d known that was impossible with social media and the press watching every move she made now that she was a Pershing. And she’d always been afraid she would run into Matt. If he’d even looked at her, she feared she would have been too weak to say no. “They’re all doing well?”

  “Yeah. The bosses have really gotten their shit together. We’re a more cohesive team. One-Mile still goes out on missions, but he’s spending most of his time doing secret shit the bosses won’t explain and teaching the other guys, especially some of the newer ones you haven’t met, the tricks of his trade. None of us will ever be snipers of his caliber. He’s got a great eye and fucking nerves of steel, but Brea has been really good for him.”

  “Softened him up?” she asked, plucking the ingredients for dinner from the fridge and making herself at home in his kitchen.

  “I wouldn’t say that. More social. A little.” Nash smiled. “It’s progress. Zy and Tessa are ridiculously in love. I poke fun at the guy all the time because he’s always thinking about his wife. And kids, too. He’s a great dad.” Suddenly, he winced. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I know you two…”

  Did everyone know? “It’s fine. That was a long time ago, and it didn’t mean anything. He and Tessa are great together, and I’m happy for them.”

  “You’re amazing. Really. And for what it’s worth, I think Matt is being an idiot.”

  Madison couldn’t talk about it. After having his hands on her and his body against hers last night, she was still too sensitive to sort through her feelings. Knowing that he’d passed her off and walked away again, even if it was for her own safety, left her feeling incredibly raw.

  She tried to shrug off Nash’s concern. “I’m not it for him. That’s not a new phenomenon for me.”

  “I think you are, but you don’t want to talk about it. I get it.”

  “I really don’t.” She began mixing things in the first appropriate pan she found.

  “What are your plans once you get free of Todd and his family?”

  “I don’t know.” Staying alive and one step ahead of the Pershings had been far more critical since escaping DC than deciding what came next. “I have to think about my dad. I’m hopeful that he’ll go into remission—God willing—and I’ll have the chance to take care of him until he’s back on his feet. Then I’ll figure out what’s next. How about you?”

  “I’m pretty set. I love what I do. I’m an adrenaline junkie from way back. Couple of weeks ago, a bunch of us got together to practice our HALO jumps.”

  “HALO jumps?”

  “High altitude, low open. You know, jumping from a plane at, like, forty thousand feet and free falling before pulling your chute open at the last possible second and gliding down to a rough-as-fuck landing.”

  Madison gaped. “That sounds insane. You think that’s fun?”

  “Yeah. Hell of a good time.”

  She wondered if Matt had gone, too, but bit back the question. Even though she intended to end her marriage to Todd, Matt’s life was still none of her business. “If you say so.”

  Silence stretched on. The TV droned in the background. Nash’s phone buzzed. He fired off a couple of texts, then shoved his phone in his pocket with a sigh.

  “Everything okay?” she asked as she plated their dinner.

  “Yeah, it’s all good. You want to watch something else?” He carried his food to the couch, then passed her the remote when she followed.

  She passed it back. “You’ve let me commandeer your TV most of the day. You pick something.”

  “Are you one of those girls who can’t watch gore while you eat?”

  Was he serious? “I’m one of those girls who can’t watch gore, like, ever.”

  “Then we can’t get married,” he quipped as he dug into his frittata.

  She raised a brow at him. “I didn’t know that was an option.”

  “Well, you’re cute, and you don’t take me too seriously.”

  “How can I?” She grinned back, picking at her food.

  Nash shoveled in a big bite, then groaned. “But you can fucking cook. How did you make this taste so damn good?”

  “Ever think maybe you’ve been eating too much Taco Bell?”

  “Hey, don’t diss my Nachos BellGrande.”

  She smiled. “You’re funny. And sweet. Some woman is going to snap you up someday.”

  “Hmm, not really interested in being collected and shoved in anyone’s purse.”

  “Not even Haisley?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about her. I would love to take her to bed over and over. A lot. But…relationships? I’m not super into those.”

  “Mind if I ask why?”

  “You don’t seem marriage-minded these days…”

  “I married the wrong person for the wrong reasons.” And she was suffering the consequences.

  “Well, I grew up in the middle of eight kids. Since marriage usually leads to children, I’m not hot to jump on that train.”

  Madison blinked. “I had no idea. That sounds like a lot.”

  “Total chaos, especially since I have five sisters. Did I mention that everyone, including my parents, all shared one bathroom?”

  Madison winced. “Yikes.”

  “Yeah. Why don’t I stop talking and flip channels while you eat? If I stumble on some show you want to watch, holler.”

  “Okay.” She forked in a bite for appearance’s sake.

  He surfed from the movie streaming service she’d been watching, breezing through lists of sporting events, cooking competitions, home decorating, travel shows, and other leisure pursuits. But it all looked dull and canned and ridiculous in the face of her very real problems. She wished her only issue was whether to paint the walls blue or if her pasta was appropriately al dente.

  Suddenly, Winston Pershing’s face filled the screen. Her whole body lurched. “Stop.”

  Nash did, sitting up beside her as he pumped up the volume.

  “…unlikely the bill will clear the senate without the support of its senior members, like Winston Pershing, who won’t be in attendance for the rest of the week, due to his nephew’s untimely death,” said the announcer.

  “No comment,” Winston snarled to the camera.

  “Sir,” one of the reporters shouted. “What do you say to the critics who charge that you’re not backing this bill until you get concessions for your state?”

  “More like kickbacks for his wallet,” Madison murmured.

  Another reporter jumped in. “And what about the allegations surfacing that your nephew didn’t die in a car accident but was murdered?”