Page 67 of Fallout
There was no way Jake could turn his back on a woman who loved his son that deeply.
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Mallory’s hand stopped inches from the door. She just needed another second to ground herself. To hope she would see Maddox.
Jacob wasn’t here; she knew that. He’d gone out with Rylan and their friend Jack, as well as Jacob’s lawyer and some other men she didn’t know.
She’d timed it so she could drop these papers off when she wouldn’t see him.
She couldn’t do it again. Couldn’t stand in front of him and pretend she didn’t feel a thing.
Not after yesterday.
For weeks she’d convinced herself she hadn’t fallen as hard as she’d believed. She’d convinced herself she wasn’t in love with a man who hated her.
It was a lie.
She was so in love with Jacob Conners, she didn’t think she’d ever get over it.
Dragging in a slow, deep breath, she counted to ten, then let it out on another count of ten. Breathing exercises had helped her get through the last few months. The meetings with lawyers, her stepmother, Renee.
Her eyes closed. Her stepsister looked horrible and it shamed her to admit she was glad the woman looked rough, as though the years of causing pain to others had finally come back at her.
Mallory knew jail hadn’t been good for her. She also knew the facility she was in now was like a five-star resort compared to her first taste of incarceration.
The phone in her pocket vibrated, jolting her eyes open. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved the device and looked at the screen.
And stared.
There was no way she was reading the words right. She’d spoken with Davis yesterday afternoon—they’d talked about the chance of this happening, and he’d assured her it was slim to none.
Except that slim had happened.
Renee was out.
She needed to warn Jacob, his lawyer. There was no way to predict what her stepsister would do.
Hadn’t she threatened Mallory when she’d gone to give her a check in exchange for her signature?
Mallory had taken the threat with a grain of salt, as the words of a woman trapped and unable to do anything other than spew vile words.
But now…
Maddox. She had to protect him.
Raising her hand, she banged on the hotel room door.
It took almost a minute for the door to open and when it did, she was faced with an angry woman.
“What do you want?” Mazey all but growled at her.
“Please. I need to talk to you. I know you hate me and I’m accepting of that but what I have to say needs to be said inside, not in the hallway for anyone to hear.” Mallory hoped her plea would get through. She didn’t like the idea of the door being open, leaving Maddox exposed to whoever might come along. “Please.”
Mazey dropped her arms and stepped back. “Fine. You’ve got five minutes.”
Walking in, she glanced around to find they weren’t alone. A few faces she recognized, several she didn’t. Turning back to Mazey, she held out the envelope containing the paperwork for Maddox’s trust. “This is all the information on Maddox’s trust as well as the signed agreements for disbursement of funds.”
“Thanks.” Mazey grabbed it and dropped it on the side table. “That it?”
