Free Conscience (The Bellator Saga Book 2) by Cecilia London Page B

her hair, dragging her across the room. “Stop talking about fucking Adlai Stevenson,” he growled, shoving her up against the wall.
    His threat came across as comical, for reasons she couldn’t quite understand. She again failed to hold her tongue. “Why would I want to fuck Adlai Stevenson? He’s dead. That’s gross.”
    Caroline knew that laughing at her own joke would mean she’d get an even bigger ass kicking but she didn’t care. They weren’t going to start being gentle with her. Howard was sitting back in his chair quietly observing their entire exchange. Bradbury shoved her up against the wall again.
    “Do you think this is funny?” he asked.
    Another giggle escaped her lips. “Kinda.”
    He reared back and punched her in the jaw. Her head thumped back against the concrete. She saw stars.
    “Do you still want to laugh?” He kneed her in the stomach and she doubled over and fell to the floor. “Make another bullshit comment. Try it.”
    She’d proven her point. He’d unfortunately done the same. “I’m finished,” she gasped.
    He knelt down near her head, drawing his gun. How the hell had she missed that they were armed? Was everyone in this place packing heat?
    “Where’s Governor McIntyre?” he asked. “And if you say one more fucking word about fucking Adlai Stevenson you’re getting a bullet to the brain.”
    Caroline decided to test that theory. “Who’s Adlai Stevenson?” she said automatically.
    Bradbury stood up and kicked Caroline in the side of the head. “If you don’t want to talk, it’s your funeral,” he said, right before she blacked out.

Chapter Seven
    The Past
    Caroline flipped through the pages of her book, adjusting herself on the lounge chair. It was hot. Her cast was itchy. And she was going to have a terrible tan line on top of it. Logic told her to get out of the sun but she liked having a little color in her cheeks. It made her feel healthy. Less fatigued. She had trouble sleeping with the cast even though Jack had given her his giant comfy bed, taking one of the guest rooms for himself. Caroline wanted him in the master bedroom with her but he didn’t think it was appropriate until Mo and Feef were more comfortable with their relationship. Quite a gallant position for him to take, although it left her frustrated.
    Marguerite and Sophie were splashing around in the pool with Jack. They all seemed to be having a ball. Sophie let out huge peals of laughter whenever Jack would toss her up so that she fell back into the water, which seemed to happen every couple of minutes. She was normally a very shy child, so it made Caroline feel good to see that she had warmed to Jack so quickly. Both girls had spent time with him during the spring, but not nearly as much as they’d all spent together for the last couple of weeks.
    Caroline’s staff had made it known that she would not be doing any constituent events, giving any interviews, or making any public appearances until she returned to work in early September. Jen provided an emotional statement to the press at the hospital and was still struggling with what happened, so Caroline and Kathleen jointly decided that she would be taking a break as well. They needed to be a little forceful; Jen had never taken any sort of vacation since Caroline took office. Kathleen was more than able to pick up her slack, even though she and Caroline spent more time talking smack via text message than doing any real work.
    Caroline intended to spend the bulk of her recovery time in Rockville, but the phone never stopped ringing and the girls were getting restless. Being so close to D.C. made her feel that at any moment some tabloid would come banging at her door begging for a story. Jack also cut back his own schedule when Congress recessed, and his office issued a press release indicating he was going to spend August assisting Representative Gerard in her recovery. Concerned for her sanity, he convinced her to go to his estate outside