Page 11 of Jolene's Justice

She didn’t bother saying good night to her friends, too excited for the evening ahead. She knew they would understand. Some of them were too lost in their own partners to care about social niceties.

Since Finch was sharing a room with Tin Man, they couldn’t go there. Although she was rooming with Emma, she was confident that she could persuade her best friend to find alternative accommodations. With the way she and Marcus were cozying up to each other, Jolene hoped Emma would end up with him for the night.

Quickly, she threw Emma’s belongings into her suitcase and wheeled it to the door. Hearing the click of the door lock, Jolene met Emma at the door, blocking her way into the room.

“Can you go stay with Maddie tonight?” she asked.

“What?”

“I . . . um . . .” Suddenly nervous, she couldn’t find the words. She should have known her best friend would understand instantly. A wide grin spread across her face.

“Can I at least get my stuff first?” she asked, the grin turning into a knowing smirk. Jolene grabbed her suitcase and wheeled it through the door. “Ha. You were that sure I’d agree to this?”

Jolene reached out and brought Emma in for a hug. “That’s because you love me.”

With a wink, Emma grabbed the handle of her suitcase and started down the hall, throwing “have fun” over her shoulder.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Jolene’s heart started pounding with nerves. She looked around the room for something to do. Something to distract herself as she waited for Finch. She could strip and wait naked on the bed. But then she realized she’d have to let him into the room and would rather not do that naked.

Spying the bucket sitting on the counter by the mini fridge, she grabbed it and lined it with the thin bag provided. Snatching her key card off the dresser, she left the room and hurried down the hall to the ice machine. She stopped when she heard raised voices.

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

“Angelica,” a man said in a tone that conveyed resignation. Wait . . . that sounded like Finch.

Jolene took the few steps needed until she entered the elevator vestibule. Finch stood with a woman whose face was red with anger. Standing a few inches taller than her, the woman’s dark brown hair and piercing brown gaze conveyed that Jolene’s presence was not welcome.

“Is this her?” she ranted. “Is this the little whore you think you can cheat on me with?”

Every drop of blood from the top of her head down dropped into the pit that was once her stomach. Not again. This could not be happening again.

The woman’s designer slacks sat snugly on her waist as she stood with her fists on her hips. Her top’s scoop neck was obscenely low, revealing her cleavage as she bent at the waist to glare at Jolene. Jolene deliberately averted her gaze and turned to Finch. As soon as she saw his face, her heart shattered into a million pieces. A wave of nausea washed over her, and her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Finch looked at Jolene with an expression of remorse and entreaty. At least he looked repentant for betraying her. Harrison never had.

The woman wasn’t done spitting out her vitriol. “How could you, Atty? How could you do this to me? And with her?”

“Angelica,” Finch implored in a tone that was far too patient for the situation. “Please keep your voice down.”

If looks could kill, Finch would be lying dead at their feet. Jolene’s hands shook, dislodging the lid of the ice bucket. The plastic disk dropped to the floor, drawing the woman’s fury.

“You’re nothing but a hussy, aren’t you?” The woman’s disdainful look traveled from her head to her stiletto heels, leaving her feeling exposed. “Slut.”

That did it. She’d had enough of this woman calling her names. Her stubborn pride wouldn’t let her just stand here and take the abuse from this stranger. Deliberately, she set the ice bucket down on the brass table across from the elevators.

Turning back to face the pair, she gave the woman a quick once-over of her own. “And who are you?”

“I’m his wife. That’s all you need to know,” the woman said, but her words were lost in the sudden buzzing that entered her ears at the mention of the wordwife.

Jolene stumbled, feeling lightheaded and unsteady on her feet. She stumbled over to the wall, her body shaking and her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her fingers scraped against the texture of the wallpaper as she tried to steady herself.

God! This could not be happening again.

Finch made a move to go to her, drawing her attention. With one hand raised, she stopped him in his tracks and glared. The intensity of the sense of betrayal made her feel like she had been punched in the gut. A weight sat on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

How could she have been so stupid? Had she not learned a thing from her experience with Harrison? She’d spent so many years walling off her heart. Then Finch had walked into her bar. With one smile, her defenses weakened. Stupid.

Now she was right back where she’d started nine years ago when she’d fled the city after Harrison’s duplicity.

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