What a bastard, and Todd’s snickering proved he not only knew it, he took pride in his deception.

  “I love how you managed to make yourself the victim in this scenario. Wouldn’t all those same constituents be shocked to know the last girl I caught you in bed with was a full two years from being legal.”

  “You can’t prove that ever happened. If you said that publicly, I’d bury you in the press.”

  Exactly the reason she’d never bothered to tell anyone. “Todd, I don’t care what or who you do anymore. Just…get out of my sight. I don’t want to deal with you again until I have to.”

  Her husband looked her up and down, his stare lingering on her tender nipples prodding the front of Matt’s oversized T-shirt, making her want to cover herself. “I’ve seen more than enough here. Who’s getting me out of this shit hole?”

  Jack Cole, the cabin’s owner, looked at Todd expressionlessly, despite the fact her husband had derided the place the Cajun’s beloved late grandfather had built with his own two hands. Clearly, Jack didn’t give a crap about Todd’s opinion.

  Madison related.

  Jack motioned to the door. “You’re coming with me. Pierce and I will make sure you find your way back to your hotel.”

  “That hillbilly hovel?” Todd sneered like dealing with his lessers and their trappings exhausted him. “No, I’m going back to civilization.” With a last dismissive glance, her husband looked her over, his eyes narrowing when Matt stepped between them again to protect her from his raking gaze. “It’s fitting that my backwater bride is getting railed in the swamp by her cowboy lover. You two deserve each other.”

  Then he was gone. Madison didn’t even bother being offended. She was too relieved to see him go. But she had no illusions. She’d negotiated a few concessions and a temporary reprieve. Todd would have her under his thumb for the better part of three months. And she had no doubt the experience would be hell. She just hoped that she and Matt got out of it alive—and still together.

  The second the door shut, Matt spit some choice curses and paced. He had to get his shit together. If he didn’t, he’d punch the wall since he couldn’t demolish Todd’s face. As his footsteps ate up the floor, he did his best to swallow down anger—good practice for the next three months—then faced Madison, who looked apprehensive as hell. She was his biggest concern. Though her husband hadn’t touched her, the son of a bitch had gone straight for her emotional jugular.

  “You all right, honey?”

  “Fine.”

  Matt didn’t believe her subdued murmur, but he gave her credit. She’d defended herself well, despite having zero time to brace for the asshole’s cruelty. He wished he could have protected her more, but anything he could have done would have made her a bigger target.

  Todd was playing a long game. He’d been willing to make a minor concession or two in today’s battle, but he’d been awfully fucking confident he would eventually win the war. What did the cockbag have up his sleeve?

  “You sure?” Matt asked her.

  “Yeah. The good news is, Todd is usually more vile, but knowing he had four highly trained operatives willing and eager to kick his ass and throw him to the gators constrained him. The bad news? Once we’re in DC, Todd will do everything possible to discredit and torment me. And he’ll try to pit us against each other. You watch.”

  That had already occurred to Matt. “If we refuse to take his bait, he can’t cause us strife.”

  Deke approached, shaking his head. “He won’t make it that simple, kids. He ignored you for so long, Madison, because you were his. He didn’t question that. No one did, so losing you never concerned him.”

  “It shouldn’t now. He doesn’t want me.”

  “But he doesn’t want to lose you to any other man, either. Seeing you with someone else, looking so obviously well pleasured… That rankled his pride. Over the next few days, the possibility of his ‘backwater bride’ slipping through his fingers will gnaw at him. Over the next three months, he’ll do whatever necessary to chain you to his side. Since he grew up in DC, he only knows the dirty way to play the game. From what I observed, he’s shrewd, and he has no qualms about using coercion or deceit. Most of all, he refuses to lose to someone he thinks is beneath him. His ego won’t tolerate it.”

  “You’re right. Todd was livid when he lost a sous chef to a junior congresswoman from the other side of the aisle last year. So he found some of her college classmates willing to say she liked group sex, the kinkier the better. She’s currently down five points in her reelection bid.”

  “That was Todd’s doing?” Deke looked reluctantly impressed. “Damn…”

  Matt scowled. “Is it true?”

  “Does it matter? The damage is in the accusation. No one waits for the truth before they judge.” Madison wrung her hands. “I can only imagine what Todd will do to me. And to you.”

  Matt wished like hell he could erase her anxiety. Impotent fury beat at him.

  “She’s right,” Deke added. “Start thinking underhanded and put countermeasures in place, or you two will never defeat Todd. He’ll be ruthless. And he won’t stop coming at you until he succeeds…or he’s forced to relent. You have to be smart every moment of every day. Don’t give him any ammunition, for fuck’s sake,” Deke warned before he addressed Madison. “Don’t wear your emotions on your sleeve.” Then he turned to Matt. “Don’t be all caveman and let your protective instinct flatten your self-control. When you’re there, you’re her bodyguard, not her lover. You can’t shield her from every snide stare and degrading comment, so learn to let them roll off your back.”

  Rage roiled in Matt’s gut. “I’m supposed to do nothing while he hurts her?”

  But he knew the answer.

  Deke raised a brow. “If you were bodyguarding someone you weren’t fucking, how much would you do to stop a nonthreatening verbal punch?”

  Grinding his teeth, Matt resisted the urge to argue that Deke was incredibly protective of his wife. But he and Kimber weren’t about to be holed up for three torturous months with a vindictive sociopath. Oracle’s co-owner was dispensing valuable advice. Matt swallowed down his yeah-buts and listened.

  “I’ll keep my shit wired tight.” Even if he would hate every minute of it.

  “And I’ll do my best to hide my feelings.” Madison clasped her hands in front of her nervously.

  “I got your backs,” Ethan swore.

  Matt wiped the knee-jerk scowl from his face. If the punk was willing to circle the wagons when it counted, he needed to bury his annoyance. “Thanks.”

  The tatted-up operative nodded, for once sidelining his snark.

  “You know that by the time you reach DC, the apartment you share with Todd will be wired for visuals and sound in every room,” Deke said.

  “I think it always has been—except his bedroom.” Which was also key-fob restricted. “That would explain a lot.”

  Matt whirled. “He’s been spying on you since you married him?”

  “He always seemed to be one step ahead of me if I ever thought about going against his wishes. Thank goodness I was in public when I talked to Sadie about my go-bag. Do you know if she’s okay?”

  “Does anyone suspect her?” Matt asked Deke. If the coed had helped Madison escape, he owed the housekeeper’s daughter to keep her safe.

  “We contacted her shortly after Madison arrived in town,” Deke said. “She thanked us for letting her know you’re okay. At that point, she said no one suspected her of lending you a hand. We told her to contact us if she ran into a problem, but she’s been radio silent.”

  “Sadie is smart. A lot smarter than I was when I first got to DC.”

  “She was raised in the shadow of the figurative swamp. You growing up in a literal one didn’t prepare you for their perfidious shit.” Deke turned to Matt. “Same with you. Stay suspicious. Err on the side of caution. Assume that anything you say or do in that apartment will be recorded and used against you.”

  If he couldn’t touch Madison—or even talk to her—how was he supposed to take care of her? Thank fuck she had negotiated one day a week away from the apartment. The rest of the time? Goddamn Todd. Already, the asswipe had outmaneuvered them, forcing them to live in the prison of his making. “We’ll need a place to…decompress. Someplace beyond private.”

  That would be the only time he and Madison could drop their facades. Knowing he couldn’t lay a single finger on her otherwise, even to reassure her, chafed Matt raw. Fuck, how would he resist her for six days when he could barely stand not touching her for six hours?

  “Decompress, huh?” Deke grinned. “Yeah, don’t do that—or anything you don’t want made public during the divorce proceedings—at the apartment. Todd will plaster it all over the tabloids.”

  “And brand me a whore.” Madison looked overwhelmed, as if the scope of their separation in all but name was hitting her like a ton of bricks.

  “Exactly,” Deke concurred. “Let me put out a few feelers, figure out where you can ‘decompress’ each week. I’m sure your vehicle is bugged and tracked, too.”

  “No doubt.”

  “I’ll get you some wheels, too,” Deke vowed. “Just give me a few days.”

  “Anything else we need to know?” Matt focused on facts—and forcing down his fury.

  “Apparently, Winston Pershing is not thrilled with this divorce.” Deke faced Madison. “He hand-picked you for Todd.”

  “And he doesn’t like to lose.” Her acid smile told him she’d run into the brick wall of the senator in the past.

  “So before giving you up, he’ll try to make you heel.”

  “Good luck. I’m not a dog.”

  “What about the rest of the family?” Matt inquired. “Any potential allies at all?”

  “His wife, Agatha, will be somewhere between chilly and hostile. She was friendly early on, but when I wouldn’t blindly overlook Todd’s faults the way she pretended not to notice Winston’s, she turned cold. She smugly thinks she’s ‘won’ because she outlasted five decades of mistresses and is still his wife. All she did was swallow her humiliation until age overcame the senator’s ability to sustain an erection.”

  That sounded bent as fuck. Matt shook his head. “Cynthia and Roger?”

  She scoffed. “Todd’s parents are completely dependent on Winston, so they’ll toe the line. If Cynthia inadvertently expresses empathy, they’ll supply her with more valium.”

  “What about your Uncle Martin?” Matt remembered Madison mentioning the man. “Could he help?”

  She shook her head. “It was a bitter pill when I realized he was in Winston’s back pocket. I stopped talking to him.”

  Jesus, from the moment she’d been duped into saying ‘I do,’ she’d been surrounded by vipers. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks. I was so shocked and disillusioned. Growing up, he was my favorite uncle…and he sold me out for a better job and a little pile of green. For months, I prayed karma would strike him down.” She sighed. “Then I worried I was becoming as jaded as everyone around me.”

  She wasn’t morally bankrupt, but Matt didn’t reassure her. Madison wouldn’t hear him, and holding back was good practice for the next three months.

  “In the DC swamp, scruples are a weakness. Thinking with yours is like wielding a butter knife to take down a firing squad,” Deke warned Madison. “Todd knows you. He’ll use every bit of that knowledge to twist you until you capitulate.”

  “I know.”

  “Ethan and I should go,” Deke said. “You two figure how you’ll communicate without words or your usual…um, nonverbal strategy. While you’re at it, strengthen your connection so you function as one unit. Your lives may depend on it.”

  Fuck. He was right.

  Matt nodded Deke’s way. “Anything else?”

  “Jack will be in touch when it’s time to go. For now, Ethan, bring in the cooler of groceries.”

  Garrison grumbled but headed out to grab a giant red container from the boat.

  “Thank you for everything,” Madison murmured. “You didn’t have to help me—any of you.”

  “None of us like bullies, and after seeing that video of your husband straight-up murdering his own cousin, he deserves to go down. Besides, my badass brothers-in-law value Matt more than they’re willing to let on. Keeping you safe keeps him happy.” Deke shrugged and his gravelly voice turned rueful. “Not to mention the fact both Hunter and Logan are married to ladies who would skin their balls if they threw an innocent woman to the wolves.”

  Despite the grim situation, Matt smirked. “I don’t know Bailey well since she’s quieter than Kata and Tara, but she’s no less likely to string Joaquin up for not helping a lady in need.” He turned to Madison. “The bosses are protective like that.”

  “Everyone at EM and Oracle is.” Deke’s expression said he had zero fucks to give anyone who called them overbearing or sexist. Then he glanced out the window at Ethan wrangling the cooler from the boat. “Well, the verdict is out on the kid.”

  Knowing the little bastard would be his backup on this mission chapped Matt’s ass. “And there’s no one else available? From what I’ve seen, he’s only interested in getting laid and isn’t above trying to poach.”

  “I was a punk at twenty-one, too. But you and Ethan need to hash out your shit and bury whatever hatchet is butchering your cohesion. Or Todd will cleave a wedge between you. And Madison will be the one to suffer.”

  “Then Ethan needs to stop being an asshole and leave her the fuck alone.”

  “It takes two to tango,” Deke reminded as he headed to the front door to hold it open as Ethan stumbled in with the cooler. “Figure out whether you’re leading or following, then fix it.”

  Once Garrison plopped the insulated container on the counter with a grunt, Deke clapped him on the back. “Ready?”

  “Yeah.” He turned to Madison. “You good, sweet pea? Need anything?”

  “I’m fine. Thanks.”

  “Positive? A hug, maybe? A shoulder to cry on? A full-body massage?” He grinned. “A real man?”

  “Shut the fuck up.” Matt batted the backward ball cap off his head.

  The kid caught it, sputtering.

  Madison sent him a quelling glance, but she didn’t hand him his ass and tell him to shut the fuck up. Matt wished she would, but she seemed to think Ethan’s hardcore flirting was harmless. He needed his ass kicked, and Matt itched to do the job.

  “What I need is some time to figure out how I’ll deal with Todd.” She sighed.

  “You married a real tool.” Ethan shoved his ball cap on again and slanted an annoyed glance at Matt. “Maybe you should reconsider your taste in men.”

  Deke pivoted to Ethan, wagging his finger like a parent would a child. “If you can’t shut your trap, I’ll talk Hunter and Logan out of sending you on this mission.”

  Matt doubted Deke had that kind of sway, but if Ethan believed he did…that might be enough to shut the jerk-off’s big mouth. “Is your dick really that hard for my woman or do you just get your jollies by pissing me off?”

  Ethan’s expression soured. “You’re EM Security’s golden boy. You figure it out.” He turned back to Deke. “I’m ready.”

  Deke gestured him toward the door. “Let’s leave before the swamp gets hotter or you say something stupider.”

  Then the former CIA agent all but shoved the mafia killer’s kid in the boat and sped off with a wave.

  Trying to turn off his temper, Matt lifted the lid on the cooler and peeked inside, glad to see enough food for another few days. But the boxes of condoms nearly made him weak-kneed with relief. If these were truly his last days alone with Madison, he needed to make her feel closer to him while proving that she could rely on him. To Deke’s point, he needed to strengthen their connection and make sure their trust was as close to unbreakable as possible.

  Then he cast a glance at Madison. Given their messy-ass history, he couldn’t help but wonder if it would be enough.

  After Deke and Ethan’s departure, the horror of their situation washed over Madison. She and Matt would be stuck under her husband’s roof—under his thumb—for three excruciating months.

  Matt approached her with a stare full of gravity. “We have to talk.”

  “We do. Have you lost your mind? Or do you just have a death wish? If you come to DC with me, you’ll be an even bigger target for Todd. More accessible, too.”

  “You’re his prey of choice. If he tries to make me his whipping boy and I take some of his attention off you, that’s a win.”

  Madison gaped. “You don’t know what you’re inviting. Did you forget he’s capable of murder?”

  “No. That’s why I won’t leave you alone with him.”

  His protectiveness melted her heart, but he wasn’t hearing her. “He’ll use you to get to me.”

  “So you think I should just save myself and let you suffer alone with punk-ass Ethan and some unnamed muscle who doesn’t give a shit what happens to you?” Matt’s eyes narrowed. “Or did you just assume I’d cut out when things got tough? That I’d just leave you, like every other guy?”

  Once, she’d thought precisely that. She’d never questioned Matt’s bravery in the face of danger, but in the past, he’d found their budding relationship too emotional and too unsettling. And she’d never had good luck with guys hanging around once the pleasure had faded. Somewhere in the rubble of her broken heart, she’d figured she hadn’t been worth the hardship. Since coming to the swamp, she was questioning that. Matt had made her feel like the center of his universe. He’d opened up about his fears and accepted his needs while embracing hers. Still, that niggling part of her, where her insecurities lived, wouldn’t stop worrying that the price he paid for being with her would become too high.