Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
T he coffee in Madison’s mug had long since gone cold, but she barely noticed as she sat at the kitchen island.
Her mind was spinning, overwhelmed with everything that had happened.
Felix was dead. Mary was almost certainly dead.
And Alex…
Madison thought that maybe she should be horrified by what Alex was capable of. Be unsettled by the ruthless efficiency with which he had handled everything and what he had most likely done after she and Jax had left.
But she wasn’t.
She wasn’t horrified.
And she didn’t have one iota of remorse for what he did to the people who tried to hurt Jax.
There was no mercy in Madison’s heart for them.
Jax was still sleeping upstairs, utterly exhausted from the night before. It had taken hours to settle him—rocking him, whispering to him, brushing soft circles on his back until his tiny body had finally gone limp with sleep.
She hadn’t slept at all.
Madison had sat up in bed, watching him, and waiting for Alex to come home. When the sun finally shown through the window, she took the monitor to the kitchen.
The rumble of an engine in the driveway had her setting down the forgotten mug and hurrying to the foyer. As she reached the front entrance, Liev emerged from the living room.
Alex stepped inside. He’d changed clothes and had clearly had a shower. His dark hair was wet and brushed back from his face, and his eyes were dark when they met hers. She could see caution lingering there as well.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat.
“Is it over?” Her voice came out calmer than she expected.
Alex nodded once. “Yes.”
“Thank you.” She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. “Thank you.”
Alex’s body sagged, the tension melting out of him, and he brushed a kiss against her hair. Madison pulled back but kept her hands on his waist.
Don’t ask. Don’t ask.
But she had to.
“Did she… say anything about my sister?”
Alex exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“She did.”
Madison’s heart pounded, and she forced herself to stay still.
“Opal stole that white purse the night she and Felix broke into the lake house and had a party. The one Opal’s friend told you about,” Alex explained. “From what Mary said, they pretty much cleaned the place out. Felix admitted to her they’d pawned most of it for drug money.
“Armstrong was furious. They’d cleared out his office, and he knew the drive was gone. When you showed up with the white purse, Mary realized you had Opal’s things, including a purse her cousin had made for Mary that was taken the same night.”
Madison’s stomach plummeted.
“They thought I had the drive.”
Alex nodded. “When you wouldn’t back down from the custody fight, Armstrong thought you must have it—that you were waiting to use it. The first break-in attempts were to search the townhouse, in case Opal had hidden it there. But once Mary told her father about the purse, they redoubled their efforts. Elite’s security system was too sophisticated for them, and they had to hire a hacker to jam the system. When they couldn’t find it, they began following you, which led them to the storage unit.”
“What happened to my sister?” Madison forced herself to ask.
Alex hesitated.
Madison braced herself for what she knew was coming.
“You were right. Opal tried blackmailing the Senator.” He sighed. “She thought she was getting her payout that day at the rest stop.”
Madison felt ice slide down her spine.
Why, Opal? Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?
“Mary didn’t know exactly what happened,” Alex continued. “But when her father and Felix came back to the house that day, Felix was acting strange, and her father…” Alex’s jaw flexed. “He told her she didn’t need to worry. Not only would Opal never be a problem for him again, but Mary wouldfinally get the baby she’d always wanted.”
Madison’s knees felt like jelly, and out of her periphery, she saw Liev slip away. Her throat closed up, a sick, wrenching nausea curling in her stomach. She didn’t realize she was trembling until Alex folded her into his arms.
“Angel,” he breathed into her hair.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stayupright.
She had wanted answers. Now she had them.
“You were right,” she whispered against his chest.
“About what?”
“The first night we met, you asked if knowing what happened to a loved one somehow made the grief easier.” She sniffled. “It doesn’t.”
Alex pressed his forehead against hers. “Give it time.”
She drew in a deep breath then slowly let it out. “I have plenty of that now, thanks to you.” She kissed his lips softly.
A groan came from low in his throat. “I would do anything for you.” Alex’s thumb skimmed over her jaw, and then he lowered his lips. Madison melted into the kiss, her fingers clutching his shirt front.
“I love you,” she whispered against his lips.
Alex’s arms banded tighter around her as he angled his head back to study her.
“Alex…” she started, unsure she wanted to bring up what he’d said the night before.
What if he only said it because he was trying to comfort me? What if he can’t say it again?
“Last night…”
He lifted a hand and stroked his fingers over her cheeks before tracing her lips. “I love you, Angel.”
Something hot and overwhelming filled her chest.
Do not cry.
Too late.
Alex tilted her chin up and pressed another firm kiss to her lips. “I don’t remember any story where there is crying when Prince Charming saves the princess.” Then his lips quirked. “Though, technically in this case, I think you saved me.”