“Appreciate it. Getting anything out of Toddhole was impossible.” Matt had tried.

  “He’s making it difficult on purpose.”

  “No shit.” Since Matt had rejected Graciela and the multitude of “power” jobs, Todd had gone from confrontational to contemptible.

  “Good for us that Agatha Pershing’s press secretary’s assistant is an absolutely adorable little redhead who looks like she’s been out of college for ten minutes, so I’ll bet she’s overworked and barely paid. And probably undersexed, too. If she’s looking for someone to help her with that problem, I’ll volunteer as tribute.”

  Matt hoped he did. Time with another woman meant that Ethan wasn’t thinking about Madison. “So what did she give you? I’m betting it wasn’t a blow job.”

  “Sadly, no. But the day is young.” Ethan winked, then got down to business as they crossed the giant room, dodging people. “Agatha will take the stage with one of the big Russian’s lackeys. He’ll hang to her right while she kicks off things with a brief introduction of her ‘beautiful family.’ Roger and Cynthia will appear together next, no extra security detail. They’ll be holding hands because someone smuggled Cynthia a bottle and she’s tipsy, to put it nicely. The makeup artist and Agatha’s secretary are pouring coffee down her throat as we speak. Then Todd and Madison will join on stage. We’ll hang behind the ‘happy couple’ while Todd says a few aw-shucks words about how great his grandpa is. Then Madison will recite some scripted lines about the senator’s fantastic educational programs. Agatha will take over again and introduce the senator himself. He’ll speak for about twenty minutes with the family behind him, then the processional will head off the east side of the stage, Madison first. Winston will bring up the rear, waving his way off. Reception to follow for community leaders, party officers, and donors in the upstairs hall you scoped out earlier, so I’ll follow your lead. Questions?”

  “Too many,” Matt grumbled. “But first, I have to help Madison. She may be dehydrated and have a touch of heat exhaustion. Hey.” As they reached her, he set the bottle and packaged food in front of her. “Water and snacks.”

  “Thank you.” She sighed. “You’re a magician.”

  “I don’t think it was a hat he pulled those goodies from,” Ethan quipped.

  Matt glared at him. “It wasn’t my ass, either. I found them in a volunteer’s plastic bin.”

  Madison laughed as she unscrewed the water bottle, then downed half of it before she pulled it from her lips with a long sigh that made Matt hard. Grimacing, he watched her attack the package of crackers. Her fingers shook like she wasn’t quite steady.

  “Let me.” He ripped open the plastic and handed her the crackers with peanut butter slapped between.

  She took it gratefully. My hero, she mouthed.

  He gave her a tip of his imaginary cowboy hat since he wasn’t wearing his real one today. “You’re welcome.”

  “Five minutes!” yelled a petite redhead with a loose braid swinging over one shoulder of her delicate yellow blouse, at odds with her loud houndstooth pants and black patent heels. Then she spotted Madison and frowned. “Five minutes, Mrs. Pershing. Are you okay?”

  “I-I’ll be fine,” Madison assured as she stood, then stumbled back, nearly falling into her chair. “Oh. I’m still a little dizzy, I guess. The heat…”

  The redhead frowned. “Let me get you a fan.” Then she withdrew a walkie-talkie from her stylish belt, sparing Ethan a blushing glance, then barked into the unit. “Frank, give me a fan back here. The youngest Mrs. Pershing is melting.”

  Within moments, an older man rushed in, carrying an oscillating fan. The redhead plugged it in and made sure Madison got the breeze.

  “Finish that,” Matt demanded, nodding at the water bottle.

  “Yes, Matt.” Madison did as she polished off another cracker and bit into the candy bar.

  He was gratified to see her color slowly returning.

  She was still reapplying her lipstick when the introductory music began blasting. Madison and the redhead both gasped. Agatha’s minion dashed off. Madison hopped to her feet, thankfully stable this time. Matt led her to the side of the stage where a smirking Todd waited and the eldest Mrs. Pershing was just taking the microphone, waiting for the applause to die down.

  What a fucking shame that these adoring voters had zero idea that, under the grandmotherly exterior of the senator’s wife lay the heart of a dragon.

  Matt tuned the woman out, watching the choreography on stage, everyone’s placement, along with the movements of the cheering crowd.

  Less than two minutes later, Roger and Cynthia were taking the stage, both wearing plastic smiles. As the cloud of perfume someone had applied on her, probably to cover the smell of booze, wafted past him, Matt nearly choked.

  “I see you got my wife here on time,” Todd said to Matt as he eyed Madison up and down. “You look like shit. Your suit is wrinkled, your pants are still too tight, and why are you so fucking pale?”

  Matt leaned in so no one could hear. “The heat outdoors sapped her, you asshole. Between that and the fact you’ve barely let her eat for two days, she almost passed out. She needed to sit.”

  “Hmm.” Todd raised a brow, sounding bored as fuck. “She’s about to have bigger problems.”

  Before Matt could ask what the fuck that meant, Agatha introduced her grandson and his beautiful wife to the crowd. Todd seized Madison’s hand, and they strolled onto the stage. Ethan slinked behind them before aligning himself back from the podium, where he could look beyond Agatha and watch for incoming threats.

  But Matt wasn’t nearly as focused on the rallygoers. Right now, they weren’t the danger. Her fucking husband was.

  As Todd stepped up to the podium, he smirked Matt’s way one last time, then grabbed the microphone like someone very comfortable in front of an audience and declared he was about to get the party started. The younger voters in the crowd responded immediately, whooping and cheering.

  After Todd blathered a few words about Winston Pershing’s decades of distinguished service in the senate and that he and his whole family would be proud to serve the public again, reinforcing the values Americans hold dear while driving needed changes to make the country and the world a better place, he thanked the crowd, introduced his wife, stuck his hand in his pocket as he stepped back, then let her talk.

  Matt glared. What did the little prick have up his sleeve?

  Still pale and her voice unsteady, Madison approached the microphone. “Thank you, everyone, for coming out in support of this family. I’m a former kindergarten teacher who joined the senator’s team as an education advocate because I’m so passionate about early childhood learning…”

  Matt wasn’t listening to her words but watching her. He glared at Toddhole—his tense body language, his eyes glittering with malice, his shit-eating grin.

  All of Matt’s protective instincts went on high alert. His thoughts raced. What could the fucker possibly do to her in public with close to a thousand people staring on?

  Matt didn’t know, and he didn’t like it.

  He exchanged a glance with Ethan. The cute redhead was a handful of feet away, but thankfully the kid wasn’t flirting. He was completely focused, and his darting glare and concentration said he felt the tension, too.

  “We hope you’ll join us for another six years of progress, benefitting all the people, but especially the littlest ones, in our communities and this great state.”

  At the audience’s polite applause, Madison stepped back. But she still wasn’t steady and stumbled back, nearly losing her balance and toppling over.

  Matt lurched forward, reaching out to catch her. Todd got there first and grabbed her by the shoulders. The audience twittered and gasped. Todd all but shoved Madison upright, then pasted on a smile as he leaned into the microphone. “She’s fine, folks. The heat just got to her. It’s a hot day…”

  The audience nodded, every eye seemingly on Madison as Matt stepped away from the microphone, behind her.

  “You okay?” Matt asked in a low voice.

  She turned and opened her mouth but no words came out. She looked flushed and confused. Her pupils constricted before her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Then her entire body collapsed in his arms.

  The crowd gasped again, this time louder. Matt fucking tried not to panic, but his heart started gonging a thousand miles an hour. What was going on? What the fuck had Todd done?

  “Holy shit. Is she okay?” Ethan whispered.

  Fear razing through his system, Matt lay her on the stage and tried to assess what was happening. “Madison?”

  No response. Nothing. Not a twitch. Not even a hint that she heard him.

  “Madison!”

  “Told you that you should have taken me up on my offer,” Todd drawled in his ear, then stooped over Madison dramatically, like the terrified husband.

  It hit Matt then. She wasn’t passed out from the heat or nerves. She’d been drugged. And he had no idea what the fuck Todd had given her.

  He was going to kill the son of a bitch. No waiting for the system to do its job or hoping the voters weren’t duped by this shit. Matt resolved in that moment that Todd would die, and he’d be the one to off the bastard. Soon.

  “We need paramedics,” Matt yelled as his CPR training kicked in and he made a terrible discovery. “Her heart stopped beating!”

  Chapter Eight

  Madison became aware of scratchy sheets, of beeping, of her pounding head, of a heat and a pull she couldn’t place, demanding her attention. She lifted her heavy lids slowly. Where the hell was she?

  “Wha…?”

  “Madison?”

  That voice. The deepness of it. The command. The way it filled her with warmth and safety while insisting she give it all her attention.

  Matt. She gathered her strength, opening her eyes to a fuzzy room and the man she loved hovering over her with wild eyes, looking half-ready to crawl out of his skin.

  “Are you all right?”

  She blinked again, trying to bring him into focus, and nodded. “Head hurts.”

  He pulled her hand under the cover and clasped it with his own. “The nurse was just here. She says the doctor is coming. Just a few more minutes. Water?”

  “Please. What happened?”

  “Heat exhaustion to start.” He dropped his voice and leaned closer.

  Now that her vision was clearing, his abject fear was obvious. He’d been terrified for her. He still looked ready to tear apart the hospital and beat up the world if it would heal her.

  She tried to smile. “The girl from Louisiana can’t handle the heat. Figures…”

  “Did Todd say anything to you before you two walked out on stage?”

  That was an odd question. Madison tried to remember, but her memories were muddled. She recalled the canned food drive, then her relief when she finally got inside, followed by exhaustion. Someone had brought her lunch while the makeup artist had touched her up, but the heat had sapped her energy. Queasiness had killed her appetite. Vaguely, she recalled Matt bringing her water and something to eat. She had fuzzy memories of struggling to read the teleprompter on stage…then nothing.

  “I don’t think so. I don’t…” She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t remember.”

  Matt’s face hardened.

  “Don’t be angry. I’m sorry. It’s just…everything is hazy, and I⁠—”

  “It’s not you I’m pissed at.”

  Then who? But even her sluggish mind pieced it together. He was asking questions about Todd, about what he’d said to her. “You think he had something to do with this?”

  “I know he did. He all but told me.”

  Madison gasped, searching the room. She didn’t see other people in the giant, private suite, but that didn’t mean this place didn’t have ears. “Shh. People might be⁠—”

  “I swept the place when I got here. Clean. We can talk.”

  She let out a relieved breath. “What did he tell you?”

  Matt hesitated, looking out the window at the people coming and going, some peering in too curiously. They’d be gawking if it wasn’t for Ethan outside the door, passing out the glowers left and right. “Give me a minute.”

  Then he rose and shut all the drapes, enclosing them in total privacy. This time, when he took her hand again, he pulled it close to his heart and kissed her fingers, like he was so fucking relieved mere words couldn’t express how much. “Night before last, he tried to bribe me into walking away and leaving you here with him. It wasn’t the first time, and I told him to go fuck himself again.”

  Madison gaped. “Bribed? I don’t even know why I’m surprised. Money, possessions, and power is all Todd understands.”

  “Since we’ve been in DC, he tried all three. I made it clear that, no, I don’t want eight million dollars, shit that doesn’t belong to me, or the job of sheriff in my hometown.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Eight million dollars? Oh, my god.”

  “It’s pretty fucked up.”

  “But you turned it down.” For her? That touched her.

  “I don’t want his dirty money. But once I refused, he fucking came unglued and threatened you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah.” The wrath on Matt’s face would make a normal man cower, and Madison knew it was all directed at Todd. “I didn’t think he’d do anything brazen in public, but just before you walked onto that stage, I pointed out that you looked pale and rumpled because you’d gotten overheated outside. He said you were about to have bigger problems. Then he dragged you to the podium. A handful of minutes later, you passed out. Your fucking heart stopped beating. Thankfully, it started up quickly, but I had to give you CPR.”

  “I had no idea.” And it disturbed her that she couldn’t remember.

  “Now that I know how far Todd is willing to go, I won’t underestimate him again. Neither should you. It’s taking every ounce of my restraint not to kill the motherfucker.” He hesitated then looked at her, his expression grave. “It’s time we got you out.”

  “Out?” Did he mean give up? “Like, stop pursuing my divorce? Stay married to Todd?”

  “Who cares if you get a divorce? We’ll live in sin. I don’t give a shit. The press, the public, the political figures—I refuse to give two fucks what any of them say about us. I love you. You love me, right?”

  “Of course, but⁠—”

  “No buts. We’re leaving tonight. No more of this bullshit. I’m done playing his games.”

  “Matt—”

  “No. You’re not talking me out of this. If you stay here, Todd will kill you. It’s a matter of time. And no one else’s opinion about our personal lives is worth dying for.”

  Madison saw his point. She’d known since the early days of her marriage that Todd had a dark, twisted side. That was why he loved drugs, hookers, orgies, and underage girls. He was addicted to the forbidden, and she’d always figured that was because, in public, he’d had to be perfect all his life. He’d also grown up both too indulged and too headstrong. Together, that made a dangerous combination. But Matt’s response also proved that he didn’t understand politics…the way she hadn’t when she’d first agreed to marry Todd.

  “We can’t. I have to stay.”

  “But—”

  “No. I’ll never be free if I don’t divorce him. First of all, he’d never tolerate the hit to his pride. If the press forever calls him a cuckold or whatever the new Urban Dictionary term for a man whose wife cheats on him is, he won’t accept that. He’ll make our lives hell every single day. And while that might be something we could live with in the short-term, think beyond that. I don’t want to be known as Todd’s wife anymore. Someday, he’s going to get caught doing something truly horrible. I’d rather not have my name smeared with his or people wondering if I approved of his crap, or—worse—if I was involved. And what happens if you and I have kids someday? I don’t want to explain why Mommy is married to one man but procreating with another. You shouldn’t want to be the back seat guy to Todd.”

  “I don’t. But I want you in danger a whole lot fucking less.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t like this. I hear what you’re saying, but I’d rather get you out, then devise a plan to finalize your divorce. At some point, he’s got to give you up. He can’t hang onto you forever.”

  “But he would for spite, and that puts Todd in the driver’s seat—exactly where we don’t want him. He’s a wild card, and⁠—”

  “He fucking is. I can’t stand having you near him even when I’m around. When I’m not, I lose my goddamn mind. I worry about you all the time…”

  She squeezed his hand. “I know. I worry about you, too. He’s got a cruel streak.”

  “That he’s going to take out on you.”

  “I’ve handled it this long, but he’s not even my major concern. Winston is. You don’t understand the things that man can do to you. Those IRS audits you’ve been threatened with? It can get worse. If we leave here together and make a mockery of the Pershing name—which is exactly how they’d take it if we ‘lived in sin’ together—there isn’t a hole remote enough for us to hide in. He can pressure your bosses to fire you or risk losing their government contracts. He can have cops drum up charges and have you arrested. He can come after all your friends, your loved ones, your coworkers… And he’d do it all without blinking.”

  Matt sat back, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Goddamn it.”

  She dropped her voice. “He’s the reason people think politicians are corrupt. I always suspected it, but seeing it in action over the last few years… None of them want to solve our problems. If they do, they have nothing to run on.”

  “Fuck. And I thought I was cynical.”

  “I never was until I moved here and married into this family.”

  Matt sat back, his thoughts obviously racing. Then he shook his head. “I don’t care. Let the senator do to me whatever he wants. If I get fired, I’ll figure out another way to make money. I’ll keep my nose as clean as possible and hire good lawyers. I’ll warn all my friends and coworkers. The only ‘loved one’ I have left is Dad, and he’s…Dad. I will do what I need and sacrifice whatever it takes to keep you safe. As soon as they release you from this fucking hospital, we’re leaving DC and not looking back. Todd, along with all the other Pershings, can go fuck themselves.”