Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
M adison smoothed her fingertips over Alex’s arm when they stepped into the ballroom of the downtown hotel, her pulse quickening at the sight of the glittering crowd. She wasn’t surprised by all the heads turning their way.
Beside her, Alex was absolutely devastating in his tailored tux. Her gaze wandered to his perfectly trimmed beard and the curve of his lips—lips that had been on her skin less than an hour ago. Her stomach fluttered at the memory, and happiness filled her chest.
Things had changed, just as she had told Cami they would, once Alex knew how she felt. It just hadn’t been in the way she thought they would. At first in the middle of her lust-filled haze, she was horrified that Alex had heard her tell Cami that she loved him. But the minute the words were out of her mouth, Alex’s expression had gone practically feral. He’d stroked and caressed every bit of skin he could reach while his mouth claimed hers until Madison thought she might have passed out for a moment.
After that night, everything was different. Alex seemed—happier wasn’t the right word—lighter. He hadn’t said the words back. She’d known he wouldn’t, but every night, he showed her how he felt, and every night, she repeated the words when he asked for them.
Maybe it should bother her more than it did that he couldn’t reciprocate, but she understood why he couldn’t. And if his daily care of her and Jax didn’t show how he cared, his insanely hot response to the words from her did. It told her what she needed to know.
Madison’s lips curled with a smile when she thought about why they were late to this fundraiser tonight. Putting on her new heels that looked so cute at the store had been a nightmare. No matter how she contorted, she couldn’t get the thin, crisscrossing leather straps to attach properly.
After watching her struggle, Alex had knelt, his large hands surprisingly deft as he secured them. He’d lingered, tracing his fingers along her ankle, his eyes darkening.
“Too sexy,” Alex had murmured.
“It’s just a shoe,” she’d teased, already breathless from the way his fingers trailing up her leg made her feel.
“I wasn’t talking about the shoe.”
Now, as they entered the ballroom an hour late, she shivered at the echo of his touch.
“Are you cold?” Alex murmured in her ear.
“No.” She beamed up at him.
His gaze swept the room, his shoulders suddenly turning rigid before he returned to his relaxed posture. “Mikhail’s here,” he said, using the champagne flute they’d been given at the door to hide his lips.
Her eyes followed his, spotting the dark-haired man in a perfectly tailored suit. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were sharp as they tracked her across the room.
“Really? He comes to these things?”
“I didn’t know he’d be here. We generally try to not be at the same events, and we don’t speak in public,” Alex said, his voice low. “Just ignore him. He’s only staring right now because he’s an ass.”
A chill ran down her spine. “Okay,” she said, with more confidence than she felt.
After thirty minutes of Alex introducing her to several business associates, Madison was ready to leave. It wasn’t that the event was boring—it was. The problem was she really didn’t like the women in the room openly ogling her husband.
“I’m sorry. I know this isn’t your idea of a fun night out. Do you want to go check out the silent auction? I have a few more people I need to talk to, and then we can go.”
“Yes!” she exclaimed, with just a little too much enthusiasm.
Alex chuckled quietly and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll come and find you in a few minutes.”
“I’ll be fine. Go handle your business, Mr. Kovalyov.” She shooed him with her hands, glad for the reprieve. If she had to hear one more conversation about the problems with shipping in Asiatic waters, she thought she might cry.
Surprisingly, the silent auction had several intriguing items, and Madison carefully wrote her bid for the family passes to Zoo Atlanta. But even focused on the offerings, she could feel Mikhail’s gaze like a weight on her shoulders.
Turning from the tables, a well-dressed woman with sleek blonde hair and a dazzling smile stopped her. “Oh my god, you’re Madison Amherst! From Murder She Spoke , right?”
Madison returned the smile as a small cluster of guests were drawn by the woman’s enthusiastic comment. Within moments, Madison found herself in conversation with several of her listeners. She did her best to answer their questions about upcoming episodes and listened politely as they offered their own theories of who was responsible for Jesse’s death.
“Did you know Jesse’s mother is the beneficiary of the life insurance? That could be motive. You said on episode three that they didn’t get along.”
Madison tried to hide her surprise. She did know about the life insurance. In fact, it featured heavily in their next episode. Not wanting to give anything away, she smiled politely. “I think you might be on to something.”
The middle-aged man looked pleased. “My wife found it on someone’s FacePlace post. I always say she should work for the FBI,” he joked.
“That’s some pretty impressive dedication,” Madison agreed, but the comment made her nervous. She understood the curiosity, but she and Cami were very careful about how they presented what they found. The last thing they wanted was a witch-hunt or for someone’s reputation to be unfairly ruined online.
As the champagne flowed, the coil of tension in her spine loosened slightly, and she found herself enjoying the evening. Several times she looked up to find Alex’s eyes on her checking in, and without fail, it set the butterflies inside her into a storm. She banished her worry over Mikhail and let the bubbles work their way through her system, leaving her pleasantly lightheaded.
However, by the third glass, the buzz edged toward something stronger, and she set the empty flute on a passing tray. With a murmured excuse, she went in search of the restrooms. Weaving through the crowd, she kept her head high and her steps even. Madison wasn’t interested in gossip blogs reporting that she was sloppy drunk at a charity event.
The hallway leading to the restrooms was dimly lit, far quieter than the main ballroom. Soft light from wall sconces flickered over the polished marble floors of the hotel. After washing her hands, she pushed the ladies’ restroom door open, only to find a familiar figure waiting just outside the door.
Her heart picked up speed, but she refused to back down by ducking back into the restroom. She took a step forward, determined to push past Felix.
“You’re not leaving so soon, are you?”
She ignored him, but he stepped to block her path. Madison’s jaw locked tight. She couldn’t make a scene. If she raised her voice and Alex came, there was no telling what he would do, and with Mikhail watching, it wasn’t an option.
She would have to handle this herself.
“I’m not in the mood to fight with you tonight, Felix. If you have something you want to say, communicate through our lawyers.”
Felix laughed, but when the action caused him to sway forward, his eyes glittering with malice, she reassessed her next move. His shirt was wrinkled, tie slightly loosened, and his pupils were blown wide.
He was high.
Madison didn’t have time to celebrate the potential setback to his custody case, because there was a manic tinge to his smile that set every nerve in her body on high alert.
“Move,” she said, keeping her voice steady, taking a step back toward the restroom door. She needed to get back to the ballroom. To Alex.
He didn’t budge, his smile widening. “What’s the rush? We’re family. Family should talk, don’t you think?”
Madison forced herself to breathe slowly, but her pulse thundered in her ears.Normally, she wasn’t afraid of Felix. However, a high Felix was a different story.
“I’m not interested.”
Felix closed the distance until there was less than a foot of space between them. Her skin crawled when his eyes raked over her.
“Opal always pretended she wasn’t interested, too,” he slurred with a sneer, as he leaned close to her face. His voice dropped to a menacing whisper. “But she secretly liked it rough. Bet you do, too.”
Madison froze, rage and disgust boiling to the surface. Her hands balled into fists at her sides.
“Don’t you dare?—”
His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist with bruising force, yanking her toward him. Felix’s fingers bit into her skin, and no matter how she wrenched her arm, she couldn’t twist free.
“You’ve been causing problems for me, Madison,” he hissed through clenched teeth. His breath was hot against her ear, sending a sickening wave of nausea rolling through her. “You’ve always caused problems for me. Interfering bitch.”
His other hand came up and grabbed one of her bare biceps, and she couldn’t help the gasp of pain. The sound only made his grip tighten. “It’s time you learn your place. That kid is mine, and I will take him back.”
Her heart pounded, the pain in her wrist sharpening with each second as he twisted it.
“No, you won’t.” Madison didn’t hesitate, raking her nails down his hand as hard as she could, slicing into his skin until blood welled beneath her fingers.
“Fuck!” Felix jerked back and glared at her. His face reddened, his chest heaving with unhinged fury. “You fucking bitch?—”
“Is there a problem here?”
A calm voice cut through the tension.
Trying to hide her trembling, Madison saw Senator Armstrong watching from a few feet away. His expression was friendly, but his eyes were flat.
Felix stiffened immediately, stepping away like a child caught doing something wrong.
“Mary is looking for you, Felix,” Armstrong said smoothly.
Felix hesitated, his eyes darting back to Madison with a mix of fury and something else. Then without a word, he turned and stalked off down the hallway.
Madison’s wrist was throbbing, but she resisted the urge to hold it. The skin on her arm burned where his fingers had pressed, and she didn’t doubt she had marks.
“You seem to be an intelligent woman. I know you wouldn’t want to bring any extra trouble to your husband,” Armstrong’s tone was deceptively polite, but his reptilian eyes never left hers. “Felix can be emotional, and sometimes his actions are misunderstood. Which is such a shame because misunderstandings can cause so many… complications.”
Madison’s heart still pounded, but anger had quickly replaced the fear.
Does this asshole really think he can intimidate me?
Fuck that.
Madison straightened her spine, draping her wrap so that it covered her from shoulder to wrist—not because she needed a shield but because she didn’t want Alex to kill Felix in public. She locked eyes on the man standing smugly in front of her.
He clearly thought she was covering her injuries for Felix’s benefit. Moron. The only one she cared about protecting was her husband, because she knew exactly how he’d react to seeing the injuries.
“Did my sister ever show you what she had on you?”
The shift in Armstrong’s expression was subtle, but it was there. His eyes darkened, and a muscle twitched in his cheek for a fraction of a second, before he regained his usual mask of charm.
When he finally spoke, the Senator’s voice was eerily calm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
It was too late, Madison had seen his reaction, and she felt a surge of excitement. Opal had been trying to blackmail him.
“I’ll remember your advice,” she said, her voice laced with false sweetness. “We wouldn’t want any more misunderstandings .”
Armstrong smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Excellent.”
Madison thought he would turn and go like Felix, but to her surprise he took a few steps until he was standing inches from her, obviously hoping his physical size would work, where his words had failed.
“I’d watch myself if I were you, Madison. Playing games with people like me… It’s dangerous.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Armstrong.”
Though what she really wanted to do, was scream, “Fuck You !” in his face.
Movement behind the Senator caught her eye, and if a vengeful dark angel had ever descended upon the earth, he would look exactly like the man standing before her.
Oh, shit.