Page 135 of A Dangerous Proposal

Felix’s face was pale with pain. “You—” He gasped. “You can’t kill me. Your brother said?—”

“I’m not going to kill you, Felix,” Alex interrupted. “Not yet anyway. I want to play with you a little first. However, if you even look in her direction again, the devil himself won’t be able to save you. And in case you were wondering... He and I areverywell acquainted.”

Felix’s eyes filled with terror. “You can’t… My father-in-law, he’ll hear about this. He’ll make you regret it.”

Alex released him, watching with satisfaction as Felix crumpled to the ground, clutching his broken fingers, moaning in pain as blood flowed from his nose.

“Your father-in-law?” Alex sounded almost amused. “I’ve heard they’ve had a rash of muggings around here. Such a shame the cameras aren’t working.” Alex waggled his phone. “Speaking of cameras… It would be a shame if your cushy new life blew up because your wife got a text message froma friend.”

Alex cocked his head. “Do you think Senator Armstrong would prefer the pictures or the video I took? I’m sure he’d love to know what a liability you are to his campaign.”

He turned, anger still roaring through his veins, leaving Felix broken and trembling on the ground. Once he was several steps away, he flipped the switch on the jamming device again, hearing Felix’s sobs fade behind him.

It wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t even close.

Chapter Forty

Cami rested her head against the back of the recliner with a sigh. “I’m starting to think I should just sleep here. It’s the only place I’m even remotely comfortable.”

“You did kind of pop overnight.” Madison eyed her best friend’s noticeable baby bump. “I can’t decide if it’s cause you’re so short, or if it’s because you are growing your giant husband’s twins.”

“You’re hilarious.”

Gerry stuck his head in. His usually cheerful face was unusually tight. “Ladies… There’s a call for you. Julia Danner from the production company. She doesn’t sound happy.”

Cami sat up straight, immediately catching the shift in the room’s energy. Madison reached for the speakerphone button as the line connected.

“Julia, hey, it’s Madison and Camellia,” Madison said cautiously. “How are you?”

There was a short pause. “Have you seen the articles?” Julia asked in a clipped voice.

Madison’s pulse quickened. “What articles?”

Julia sighed audibly. “Check your email. I sent you a couple of links.”

Grabbing her phone, Madison quickly clicked into her email app and the link Julia had sent. Her heart sank as the headline appeared.

“Blind Item: Blonde Bombshell True Crime Host Hiding Secret Mob Husband and Stolen Baby”

Cami leaned over, reading with her. “Are you freaking kidding me?”

Madison clicked on the second link, which had a headline similar to the first, different only in that it named them outright. She took a breath and read the opening line aloud, her voice shaking.

“True crime podcast host Madison Amherst is no stranger to scandalous secrets, but has she been hiding her own? Sources say her new husband, Alex Kovalyov, has deep ties to the Russian mob, and using his corrupt influence has strong armed her sister’s husband into giving her his child.”

Madison’s stomach twisted. “These are outright lies. It’s a smear campaign because I’m in the middle of a custody suit. Alex’s businesses are legitimate. There’s nothing criminal about him.”

Or none that she was ever going to admit to.

“I’m sure they are.” Julia’s carefully neutral voice filled the room. “But the optics are bad. Really bad. We’re already seeing reactions on social media.”

Madison was less concerned about social media than what it meant for Jax.

“Technically, this could be considered a violation of your contract. However, we’re willing to hold off on termination—for now. We’ll release the next episode and gauge the response. If the backlash isn’t overwhelming, we’ll move forward. But if it blows up…”

Her words trailed off, leaving the unspoken threat hanging in the air.

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