Page 151 of A Dangerous Proposal

Concern flashed across her friend’s face. “You recognized the man?”

Madison nodded. “But you never sawanyof this. Okay?”

Cami blinked at her, then her cautious gaze went to the door. “Got it.”

“I hate to cut this short, but I need to talk to Alex.”

Cami stopped at the front door to give her a hug and tickle Jax’s bare feet where they hung off Madison’s hip. “You’re going to be careful, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I really hate being left out.” Cami scowled as she walked toward her car.

“That’s only because you’re nosy. Now, go grow those babies and don’t worry.”

Setting Jax on his feet, Madison lifted the computer from where she had left it on the console table by the door. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go find Daddy.”

Jax immediately toddled toward Alex’s office, and it didn’t hit Madison until a minute later that the sound he was saying over and over was “Dada.”

Her heart turned over with a heavy flop.

She always called Alex ‘Daddy’ when narrating things to Jax, hoping to boost his vocabulary. It felt natural, but for the first time, Madison realized she’d never actually asked Alex if he was okay with it.

Alex was at his desk working when they came in, his face lit up at the sight of Jax. With a giggle, the toddler ran faster until Alex scooped him into his lap.

“What did you call your father?” Madison asked, momentarily distracted from her discovery.

“Sir, usually. Why?”

“I just wondered.” She hesitated, not sure how to broach it.

Alex referred to Jax as their son… He had from the beginning. She bit her lip. “I’ve been calling you daddy to Jax, and now he’s saying it, and I don’t know if that’s okay with you or if there was a Russian term you’d prefer… I don’t even know what Felix refers to himself as but…” The words burst from her.

“Angel.” Alex’s eyes burned into hers, and then he turned to Jax. “Did you come see daddy? Can you say daddy?”

“Okay, before you get carried away.” She swiped away the tears flooding her eyes at the adorable sight. “I actually came in here for a reason.”

Alex stopped trying to prompt Jax for a moment and looked up at her serious tone.

“I think I found what Armstrong is looking for. It was in an old purse of Opal’s. I found it in the storage unit months ago. I didn’t think to check it again. Felix and Mary saw me with it. So, they knew I had Opal’s things. They must have been looking for the drive, too. That explains the break-ins at my house, the fire at the storage unit.”

Madison ignored the murderous expression settling over Alex’s face and placed her laptop on the desk. Opening the external drive, she reached for Jax, but Alex only tucked him closer into his side as his fingers clicked on the keyboard.

Mikhail’s voice filled the room.

Alex leaned back in his chair, a slow smile stretching across his face. He clicked through the files, his eyes narrowing as he skimmed over the material, and watched several of the grainy video recordings. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, his silence more unsettling than any outburst could have been.

Finally, a quiet laugh escaped his lips. Cold and devoid of humor. “The suicidal idiot,” he muttered. “Did he really think he could use this to extort more money from Mikhail?”

Madison swallowed, her throat dry. “I don’t know what he planned to do with it, but this has to be what Opal found.”

“It doesn’t matter what his plan was. That Armstrong collected this kind of evidence means only one thing.”

“What?”

“Mikhail will handle Armstrongforus. He won’t care about any excuse or reason Armstrong gives. The Senator collected evidence against the bratva. He’s a dead man walking.”

Madison shivered but couldn’t drum up a single ounce of pity for the man. He’d been happy to endanger her child by helping a violent man gain custody, and she didn’t doubt that Armstrong was behind all the attacks. Felix wasn’t smart enough to do it on his own.

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