Page 88 of Love is Angry

Wait, what am I thinking? I can’t do this! There’s no chance. He’ll kill me, or kill my father, or kill us botg. The image of him towering over me with rage in his eyes and coke on his nose flashes through my mind and I’m getting sucked down into a whirlpool of panic—then Noelle grabs my hands and I’m back in my kitchen, looking into her eyes.

“That panic,” she says quietly. “That is what I see in the face of every woman I’ve ever spoken to about Julian. Every. Single. One.”

“Every one?” My voice trembles. I know most of the women in Roxanne’s log aren’t even in the country anymore—which means he’s still preying on the women around him.

“Every last one,” she says. “And none of them will tell me why. The man is a terrifying bastard, I’ll grant you that—but think about it, Madison. He’s about to step into a whole new level of power. The man running against him doesn’t stand a chance. Think of the interns. The secretaries. Hell, his peers on the council! You are a brilliant, intelligent woman with a strong support system. If he’s powerful enough to paralyze you—what will he do to women who aren’t as lucky?”

The toilet flushes and I pull my hands away from hers guiltily.

“Think about it,” she says. “I’ll give you my number before I leave.”

My heart hurts because I know she’s right. Julian moving up in power only gives him access to more victims—and more insulation from justice. I just wish I was strong enough—brave enough—to defy him so openly. But I’m scared. I’m more terrified of him now than I was before; because even though Rhue saved our asses, Julian was still able to strike a deadly blow within hours of deciding it. If I push this, there’s no telling what else he’s capable of.

Sunset stretches over the west in strips of incandescent red, and it’s time for me to grab my bag and head back to Ithaca. Noelle leaves me her number and tells me to be safe. I tell her I’ll try, then hug and kiss my father goodbye and get behind the wheel of my Prius.

As soon as I leave my block, that unpleasant sensation returns. I check the rearview mirror. I slow down through the city center. I even take a couple of side streets. It’s hard to catch my pursuer, but I amabsolutely positivethat I’m being followed.

Well, either that or my paranoia just likes to set in once I’m beyond the walls and safety of my home. Something tells me I have a long and uncomfortable week ahead of me unless I can shake this feeling. Maybe I can even lose my pursuer, if there really is one that I can’t see.

Few people know this city as well as I do, so I decide to get rid of this dark and heavy shadow looming in the back of my head. I take the alleyways and the narrow backstreets, calmly driving past residential cul-de-sacs before I lose myself on the main road out of Rochester. It’s a Sunday afternoon, and there are plenty of us leaving the nest tonight.

Hopefully, by the time I reach Ithaca, my mind will be at ease.

Chapter 38

Rhue

Having given Madison and her father a momentary reprieve, I can focus on what’s left of my family. Not my father; Laura. She’s still in denial about my mother’s suicide. For as much as an asshole as Julian is, nobody seems to believe that he killed her outright. Still, he needs to be put away. If Laura spends her time trying to prove a murder he didn’t commit, she’s going to discredit any claims we make regarding his sexual assaults.

I made Madison a promise. Taking my father out of the public eye and into a prison after exposing him for the monster that he truly is lies at the very core of that promise. I don’t think Madison can see a future for the two of us while he’s still walking freely.

Fortunately for my plans, the bastard is out of the mansion for the morning, campaigning hard on the south side. We’re about two weeks from the city council election, so he’s kicking things up a notch and showing up in person all over Rochester to boost his chances and increase his poll numbers. After all the money he pumped into other people’s campaigns, it was only a matter of time before he’d do the same for himself.

I find Laura in the breakfast room, working through a plate of waffles. Steve the Manny wears one of the maids’ aprons, and he’s just about done frying a few strips of bacon on the stove. It’s an unusual sight, and a little bit funny. Steve isn’t exactly a home care expert. He’s capable enough to do the job, sure, but we both know he’s basically a glorified bodyguard paid by my father to keep Laura safe.

“Morning, sunshine!” I greet my sister with a grin.

She lights up like a star, forgetting all about breakfast as she steers her wheelchair back from the table so I can hug her.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again this weekend,” Laura says as she settles back at the table.

“I’m not about to let Dad’s foul mood chase me out of my home,” I reply.

Steve gives me a nod of acknowledgment. I return it politely as he places the bacon on a plate in the middle of the table. The table is set for two, so someone knew I was still here.

“How’s Madison?” Laura asks, halfway through her waffles.

“She’s okay. She opened up to her dad—I think it did her worlds of good.”

Laura frowns slightly. “Dad said he sold the main street buildings. Wasn’t Mr. Willis one of the tenants there?”

“Yeah, but it’s taken care of.”

“How so?”

I steal a glance at Steve, who gathers more toast on a plate and brings it over. He seems interested, too. “Remember Mom left each of us with a trust fund?”

“No, don’t tell me!” My sister chuckles. “I can’t touch mine till I’m eighteen, but you?”

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