Page 217 of Broken
“Bankrolling what?” Jacqueline asked.
“He wanted to get revenge on the people who put him in prison, so I made sure he had money for his place, for food, for clothes, whatever he needed. Then, I got the surgeries and started posting. That’s when I met Artemis. He was willing to pay me so I could live the luxury lifestyle, so I did whatever made him happy, which was screwing. Lots and lots of it.”
Fuck. Artemis was funding Maul’s ALPHA hits.
“Did Maul know about your affair?” Prescott asked.
“Nah, he thought I was going on all these modeling gigs,” Leslie replied. “Then, he told me he met some woman and he became obsessed with her. Said he had to finish a job he started a decade ago. I had no idea what he was talking about—”
“Thatjobwas me,” Jacqueline spat out. “He was the Campus Killer, Leslie! He was killing innocent women and I was the one who got away.”
Leslie stilled. Several seconds passed while she gawked at Jacqueline.
“Bullshit. Terr Bear was just getting revenge on the jerks he worked with. They turned on him and put him in prison. I mean, the man was doing his job, for fuck’s sake. He wasn’t a serial killer.”
“You married a monster, and somewhere along the way, you became one too.” Jacqueline shook her head. “You make me sick.”
“Fuck you.”
“No, Leslie, fuck you.”
“Is Terr Bear in jail?”
“No,” Jacqueline replied. “He’s not.”
“Well, where the hell is he?” Leslie spat out.
Ignoring her question, Prescott pulled out his phone and called Cooper.
“Coop, I need backup. Jacqueline and I found Sally’s killer. It’s Maul’s wife.”
“Nice work,” Cooper replied. “I’ll send a team right over.”
Prescott gave him the address and hung up, then shifted his sights to Leslie. “You’re lucky I don’t pump you with bullets, leave you here for the rats to eat, and go on with my day.”
“You’re gonna pay for this,” Leslie threatened.
Jacqueline glared at her. “No, Leslie, you are.”
THAT EVENING,after Ethan was tucked into his brand-new toddler bed and Loki was tucked into hisseconddoggie bed in Ethan’s bedroom, Jacqueline changed into a black, lace teddy. She needed alone time with her man, and she needed it now.
After slipping into a black, silk robe, she found Prescott relaxing on the sofa on the back porch, a snifter in his hand, a second on the coffee table.
“There’s my beautiful fiancée,” he said. “Come sit with me.”
She curled up on his lap, lifted the glass, and smelled. “Mmmm, Grand Marnier.” After tapping his glass with hers, she said, “Cheers to my hero.”
“To us for getting the job done.”
“I need you,” she said caressing his thigh.
He dipped down, kissed her. “I’m all yours, baby, all night long.”
“Listen.” she said.
“I don’t hear anything.”
She smiled. “Exactly. No mayhem.”
