Page 23 of Jolene's Justice

The ding of the elevator announcing Jolene’s floor was like music to his ears. He felt a knot of excitement in his stomach as he anticipated the evening ahead. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and he couldn’t help but grin.

The doors slid open, and he eagerly stepped out, only to freeze on the threshold. She stood just beyond like a harbinger of doom. The scowl he’d grown to hate etched into her features. The knot of excitement twisted and morphed into something dark and sickly, threatening to burn up his esophagus. An ugly feeling of foreboding and dread took hold, and a pit in his stomach formed as a sense of impending doom washed over him.

This woman’s effect on him had lasted for years, and he still hadn’t shaken it. He despised himself for the way he reacted to her presence.

“Angelica,” he croaked, his voice strained and raspy. He hated how his voice took on an unnatural tone whenever he was around her. It seemed to lose all its natural inflections when he had to converse with her. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat and tried again, this time with more conviction in his tone. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my husband. I’ve missed you.” He couldn’t stand the feigned affection in her voice. He had fallen for that same trick countless times before. His desperation for love had blinded him, and he’d failed to remember how quickly she could turn on him.

That’s exactly how she’d groomed him. She had convinced him that he was so undeserving of love that no one else would ever offer it to him. He was unworthy and should be thankful that he had her.

Seeing the truth required time and distance. But the moment he saw her again, all those negative emotions resurfaced. He was crazy to think a woman like Jolene would want to be with him. He should walk away before she saw him for the loser he was. He didn’t want to expose his self-perceived inadequacies to her.

No.That was Angelica in his head again. He had worth. He’d served his country with honor. He was a respected member of the Nighthawks. His mom instilled in him the importance of treating women with respect and reverence. Watching his father’s devotion and commitment to his mother had taught him how to cherish and value a woman. His father had taught him the art of being a gentleman. In short . . . he was a catch.

But none of that had done him any favors in his interactions with his wife. No matter what he did, she always found fault with him, which made their relations unpleasant. Even though she hurled insults and abuse at him, he remained restrained due to his ingrained gentlemanly habits. He’d suffered through it for ten years when their dirty little secret was revealed. He left her, then delayed the divorce process, lacking the strength to face her. It had been easier just to hide away and lick his wounds in private.

But then he’d met Jolene and knew she was going to change his life. He found the fortitude to request a divorce and, as he predicted, Angelica’s reaction was explosive. He was thankful for the time apart because it gave him the opportunity to reflect and grow as an individual. Even though he still struggled with hearing her voice in his head some days, therapy helped him immensely.

And because they lived in two different states after he’d taken the job with the Nighthawks, he didn’t have to deal with her in person. Everything could go through their lawyers.

Then, just weeks ago, he’d learned an awful truth she’d hidden from him from the beginning. Now, everything she said to him was suspect.

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he spat. “Why are you here?”

“Is it so hard to believe I wanted to see you? You’re my husband.”

“Not for much longer.”

“You can’t mean that. We were good together once.”

He snorted. “If your definition of good together means constant fights, abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, and belittling, then I guess you’re right.”

“I can’t believe that is how you saw our relationship. I loved you.”

No longer vulnerable to her false words, he scoffed at her feeble attempts to manipulate him. “You loved controlling me.” Her true intentions for pursuing him became clear to him at that moment. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You’re unhappy because you can’t control me anymore.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wanted to discuss repairing our relationship.”

“Right. After all this time, you wanted to discuss . . .” He broke off as a thought occurred to him. “How did you know where I was? Have you been having me followed?” Based on her past behavior, it was highly likely that she would pull a stunt like that. There had been one time before they’d started dating in high school when he’d gone out with another girl. He thought that maybe Angelica had followed them because he had spotted someone who looked like her at the same movie they had attended. But he could never be sure. When his date had come back from a trip to the bathroom, she’d appeared spooked and asked him to take her home. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t win her over for a second date. He wondered if Angelica had said something to the girl to scare her away, even though he could never prove it.

He noticed a flash of irritation in her eyes before she concealed it. “It’s no secret your little group has made the news channels since that Marcus Rayne thing,” she reasoned.

He ignored the “little group” taunt. “That’s true. But this awards banquet is a local thing. A Michigan thing. There’s no way it would make the news in Maryland.” She still lived in the house they’d owned near Joint Base Andrews where he’d been stationed. A state awards banquet wouldn’t have made the news there. Not unless she’d been looking.

She shrugged. “What can I say? Guess you guys are more popular than you thought.” He could see the lie clear as day. She probably had a Google alert set up for his name. Either that, or she was having him followed. Both were cringeworthy, and he’d be discussing it with his lawyer.

“Cut the crap, Angelica. I have plans, and they don’t involve standing here arguing with you.”

Her eyes sparked with fury. “Oh, I know what your plans are. You and that little tramp. If you think you can fool around behind my back, think again.” She stepped closer, and the surrounding air seemed to vibrate with her anger. His guard was up. There was a certain volatility to her when she was like this. The closer she got, the more intense the buzz of electricity in the air became, crackling with her anger.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” her shrill voice hissed.

“Angelica,” he said, his words measured and deliberate as he tried to choose them carefully. There was no telling what would set her off. He was in a public place. If she lost her shit, it would reflect poorly on him and the Nighthawks.

Jolene’s sudden appearance in the elevator vestibule startled him, and his heart raced as he tried to compose himself. He could sense her shock as she took in the scene in front of her, her eyes widening.

Standing too close, Angelica’s anger was almost suffocating, and he could feel the intensity of it in her piercing gaze. He could only imagine what they looked like to Jolene.

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