Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
A popular local newscaster the campaign had hired to emcee the event breezed past Madison and grabbed the microphone to hearty applause. As he welcomed the crowd, she swallowed down nerves. Then, upon her introduction, Agatha Pershing traipsed onto the makeshift stage, all waves and smiles.
Madison followed next, feeling the curious crowd’s eyes glued to her. She wasn’t surprised. She hadn’t been seen in public since she’d fainted at the community rally nearly a month ago. Speculation abounded. The Pershings had used that to lure more people to the event, both here and at satellite celebrations all over the state receiving the event’s live feed.
Their deceptive ploy made her even more queasy than the mingled scents of roasting meat mixed with body odor and sickly-sweet fruit punch permeating the cloyingly humid air.
Todd sidled up beside her, settling his palm on the small of her back like the picture-perfect doting husband. She repressed a shudder. Between her overactive sense of smell and his odious touch, Madison’s stomach threatened to rebel. But with so many eyes—and cameras—on her, she pasted on a smile and made her way to her designated chair. It sat near the middle of the dais, behind the podium Winston wouldn’t use because he’d roll up the sleeves of his Italian-made, thousand-dollar Tom Ford poplin dress shirt to show he was a true man of the American people. Then he’d prowl the stage while he spoke as if he addressed each and every person in the audience, catching their gazes as he pretended to understand their day-to-day concerns. Crowds believed his schtick. As much as Madison hated the man, she couldn’t deny that Winston Pershing had the gift of BS.
Off her right shoulder, she caught sight of Nash in place behind the cluster of chairs, scanning the venue.
Ethan hovered nearby, his expression neutral but watchful—except when he sent Todd a lethal glare and a teeth-clenched smile. “You’ve made your point. Get your hand off her.”
“Fuck off, punk,” Todd muttered back, plastering his hand on her hip.
At his touch, Madison pressed a shaking hand over her mouth, swallowing back a renewed urge to vomit.
Thankfully, they reached their chairs. Todd slid into his. She ignored him, grateful when both Ethan and Nash positioned themselves close. Roger and Cynthia slinked to their seats after barely more than a nod at the crowd. Then the music crescendoed into a swell of American patriotism, complete with the piped-in sounds of fireworks as the senator took to the stage with his mass-produced smile.
He took the mic, and Madison examined the sea of people to tune out the horror of this three-ring circus. His constituents smiled back. If they truly knew this unscrupulous man, they would drag him off his throne and string him up with their bare hands.
But they believed the lie. Because they wanted to? Or because they couldn’t fathom the alternate reality?
It was a mirror of her situation with Matt.
Refusing to fixate on him anymore, she focused on the irony of pretending to be pregnant while she actually was, yet being forced to act in private as if she wasn’t. Truly, this was clown world.
A movement to the right of the stage caught her eye. Was that…? No. Impossible. Except he really looked like…Jack Cole? The man was at least thirty feet away, but he seemed so familiar. Madison had convinced herself she was hallucinating…until he smiled directly at her.
OMG, what was Jack Cole doing here?
She shifted in her chair and sent a questioning peek over her shoulder. Ethan and Nash both glanced back like they had a secret. Then Ethan winked her way.
Madison stilled. Her breath stopped.
They had something planned.
She sat up straighter and scanned the edges of the gathering again. In the crowd, she picked out Deke Trenton, Hunter Edgington, and One-Mile Walker.
The something they had planned must be big. She curled her nails into her palms, exercising all her self-control not to turn and demand answers from Ethan.
The newsman approached Agatha beside her and held up his phone, displaying the livestream of Winston’s impassioned speech. The watch count in the corner was staggering. Hundreds of thousands of people had taken time out of their afternoon to watch this man actively lie to them. Because they didn’t know any better.
God, she wished they did. Last week, she’d even tried, secretly reaching out to the girl who’d given birth to Todd’s bastard a few years back to ask if she’d be willing to go public. Predictably, she hadn’t wanted to risk inciting the Pershings’ wrath or stop her gravy train.
Beside her, Todd reached for her hand like a doting husband. He squeezed too hard. Madison forced herself not to wince with people looking on and cameras panning in their direction. Then Winston turned the corner of his speech from domestic-agenda concerns and other homegrown issues to his family. Her part of this dog-and-pony show was nearly up.