Page 31 of Jack's Devotion

"How about from three days ago? Madison was…" I barely avoid using the word stalking. "Handling business. Once she was finished, he immediately called someone else. There was shouting. It was ugly. She took a photo to timestamp it."

She pulls her phone out, scrolling to the photo in question before passing it to Dillon. He glances at it, then at her, then at me, then back at the phone. "Yeah, I can run this," he mutters, handing the phone back to her. When she grabs it, he doesn't immediately let it go. "No more stalking him, Madison."

"I wasn't stalking him," she protests. "I was haunting him."

"Right." His lips twitch. "Well, don't do that shit either. If he sees you, he may try to finish what he started. You haven't kept yourself safe all this time just to unravel it now because you'repissed." He holds her gaze. "You have every right to be mad as hell but be smart about it. Revenge won't do you a damn bit of good if he kills you, sweetheart."

She shifts from foot to foot before reluctantly nodding. "Understood."

He releases his grip on the phone, allowing her to pull it back to her chest. His eyes come to me. "You have anyone watching the prick?"

"Asa Steele."

"Good," he grunts. "I'll run his phone records, see what else I can dig up. What time is the press conference?"

"Noon at my office on Friday. His is on Saturday."

"I'll be out front after yours ends. Hopefully with a warrant and handcuffs." He glances at Madison again. "I need everything you've got on him."

Madison nods before scurrying off to grab it.

"How's she doing?"

"She's a fucking warrior."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Don't bullshit me, motherfucker," Dillon growls. "We both know you looked for her after she disappeared. And we both know why you made the donation to her fund."

"It wasn't like that, Dillon."

"Maybe not," he says softly. "But had she not disappeared, we both know it would have been sooner or later. So I'm asking…how are you doing?"

"I want to fucking kill him," I growl, my hands clenched into fists. "Is that what you want to hear? Because it's the truth. She lived in her goddamn car for almost a year, doing shit she shouldn't have had to do just to survive. And all the while, that prick was here, living it up on her company's dime."

"Good. Hold onto that when you meet him today. Remember why the fuck you're doing what you're doing. And no matter how badly you want to do it, don't go for his throat," Dillon says. "That isn't what she needs from you. She needs to do this her way. So you're going to swallow all of that shit, and you're going to help her do it her way. Once he's in cuffs, you can have two minutes with him to handle it your way."

"He might not survive."

"He will. You'll make sure he does because she needs to see him in prison more than she needs to see you choking the life out of him."

"Goddammit. It really pisses me off when you're right."

"I know." Dillon grins, slapping me on the back. "That's what makes it so fun for me."

"How the hell do you know I'm meeting him today?"

"This is Silver Spoon Falls, Jack. I know every fucking thing in this town."

"You didn't know Madison was back."

He shoots me a scathing look. "Oh, believe me. I'm well fucking aware. And I blame you. A rat infestation, you asshole? Really?"

"You didn't believe me when I said I had a ghost."

His exasperated sigh is an exact match for Drake's. Spooky, really.

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