I sigh. I can’t win this fight – Jason Hadley is even more stubborn than I am. He’s always been like that. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve continued working with him despite his occasional goofy behavior. I don’t know what he has up his sleeve today, why he was so fucking insistent that we cancel the meeting and go drinking, but I know he’s not budging.
“Fine,” I say. “Just give me a minute and then we can go.” Rolling my eyes, I get to my feet and grab my briefcase. Susan gives me a confused look when Jason and I step out into the lobby.
“Going somewhere, Mr. Lowe?”
“A long lunch,” I say, glancing at Jason. “I’m not sure I’ll be back before the end of the day. Keep an eye on things for me, and you can leave at four-thirty today.”
Susan gives me a bright smile as Jason and I leave the building together. Outside, it’s bright and sunny – the kind of weather that makes me squint. I follow Jason down the street and realize that he’s leading me toward the center of town.
“Where are we going? The Chop House?”
“Nope,” Jason replies smugly. “Come on, we’re almost there.”
I groan. “Christ, I didn’t you wanted to go hiking, too,” I say sarcastically. “What’s gotten into you? You’re acting really strange today.”
Jason doesn’t reply. We cross the main street of town and turn left. Just as I’m waiting for the light to change, I feel a hand clamp down on my arm. My first instinct is to twist and throw the person off, but their grip is strong and they’re not budging.
“Hey,” I growl, whirling around and narrowing my eyes. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
That’s when I feel the cold metal cuffs snap around one of my wrists.
“Dane Lowe, you’re under arrest for embezzlement of funds. You have the right to remain silent. You—“
“Hey!” I shout loudly. “What the fuck is going on!”
The cop slams me down on the ground with a painful force that leaves me breathless. My heart is racing and my mind is spinning in a frantic pattern as I look around for Jason, wondering what the hell is going on.
“Jason!” I cry loudly. “What the fuck!”
Jason is standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, looking down at me with that same smug expression. A crowd of people is forming and I can hear the flashing of reporters’ bulbs as they move in close for a desperate glimpse at the dangerous felon.
Me.
And then I know in my heart that Jason is behind everything. He dragged me out in public and then had me arrested in front of the whole fucking town. It’s like something from the Wild West, except I’m not being dragged away behind a horse.
“You shouldn’t have done it, Dane,” Jason says with a big smirk. “You should have known better!”
I wake up in a cold sweat. My whole bed is soaked with perspiration and my heart is racing in my chest. Jason’s words are still ringing in my ears and I feel like I’m on the edge of having a panic attack. Whenever I manage to forget about the past, and whenever I manage to lose myself in the mystery of the woods, my nightmare always comes back.
I feel like I’ll have this dream over and over for the rest of my life. It was years ago – over ten, to be exact – and whenever I have the nightmare, I live my arrest over again. Those days were dark and bleak. I barely remember being on house arrest while I waited for my trial. I barely remember the trial itself.
My lawyer, Jed Snyder, was the best man money could buy.
But I was still found guilty.
And I remember prison so well that I’ll never forget a single fucking second of it.
God, I have to get out of bed. I have to do something, or else I’m going to drive myself crazy. It’s maddening – I abandoned my city life and moved to the woods in search of solitude. And solitude was exactly what I fucking got, too.
Maybe too much solitude is bad for a man. Maybe I should get out and make an effort.
As I climb out of bed, my toe kicks something across the room and I realize it’s Emma’s shredded panties.
Oh shit.
Emma.
Sweet, curvy Emma.
She was a welcome distraction from all of this hell. I still can’t believe how willingly she gave herself to me. I stole the virginity of a sweet young girl and I should be ashamed of myself. But because I’m an animal, I had to rob Emma of the most precious gift a girl can give to her partner.
I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me. In the old days, when I was a billionaire, I’d just hire a call girl. I loved women – and they loved me – but the convenience of transactional sex was always tempting. I loved being able to call for a woman, fuck her, then discard her and never have to see her again.