Page 112 of Sinful Palace

“For what?”

“I think she killed Rutherford so she could take the presidency, and then she set up this whole scandal thing to gain sympathy for her next campaign. But someone still has to take the fall for the murder, don’t they?”

“You think that person is you?”

Jamie nodded grimly. “Yes. I’ve been living with the threat of indictment looming over me for weeks now, and to be honest, I’m freaking out about it. But your mom seems fine. It’s like she’s not even worried at all. So either she’s hiding her emotions really well, or she’s not worried because she already knows she’s going to be vindicated.”

“God,” I muttered. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Well, I assume the DOJ is building a case against me with whatever bullshit evidence they’ve been fed, and they’re going to arrest me soon,” he said. “So I’ve decided I’m not going to wait around to find out when.”

“You’re going to leave?”

“Yes. I have a few things to take care of first, and then I’m getting the hell out of Dodge.”

“How? If my mom really is Q, she’ll be able to find you and permanently shut your mouth, right?”

Jamie waved a hand. “She might have a lot of power, but she doesn’t have dominion over every inch of soil in the country. I have money and connections, and I know how to hide. She won’t find me.”

“Well… good luck. I really hope it works out, for your sake.”

His brows furrowed. “I can get you out too. I can find a safe place for you, away from the Thornes and your mother.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

He sighed. “You can’t stay with the Thornes forever,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “You’ll always be a prisoner if you do. Is that how you want to live your life?”

“Of course not. But it’s been different lately. Logan is nice to me now.”

“Now?” He raised a brow. “Has he hurt you before?”

“Well, yes, but it’s not what it sounds like,” I said. “He had a reason.”

Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “It’s never okay to hurt a woman.”

“It’s complicated, Jamie.”

He took hold of my shoulders and shook me gently. “Willow, please listen. Abuse isn’t normal. It isn’t okay.”

“It’s really not what you think. I shouldn’t have said anything,” I muttered.

”Jesus. He’s totally fucking brainwashed you.”

“He hasn’t! It’s just really complicated,” I said, holding up a palm. “Trust me, he’s never going to hurt me again.”

“You say that now, but just wait. Bad men don’t change.”

“Logan is different.”

Jamie sighed and took a step back. “Willow, even if he treats you nicely from now on, you’re never going to be free as long as you’re with him. You realize that, right?”

I bit my lip. “I… I don’t know.”

“He makes you wear a fucking tracking device with a recorder on it. Does that sound like freedom to you?”

“No, but….” I trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

“As long as you’re with the Thornes, you’ll never be free,” Jamie said, crossing his arms. “They’ll monitor everything you do and everything you say for the rest of your life, because they can’t risk you telling the world the truth about your engagement. If you ever did, they’d all end up in prison.”

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