Jason
A few months later…
Istood in front of the mirror in my bedroom, adjusting my tie. It was like any other morning.
Except it wasn’t.
“You look great.”
I glanced over to see April standing at the entrance to the room, a small smile on her face. She was dressed in a black business skirt outfit, her hair done up in a professional bun. April looked as stunning as ever, but her beauty wasn’t the main thing on my mind.
“Thanks,” I said. “Too bad the circumstances couldn’t be worse.”
She stepped over in front of me. April glanced down at my tie and placed her hands over mine, moving them gently away from the knot. She tightened it, smiling as she did.
“There you go.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks.”
Then she brought her green eyes up to mine. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a man who’s about to testify against his father’s best friend.”
“Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”
“Not even a little. More that I’m thinking about what’s going to happen after.”
She glanced down, biting softly on her lower lip.
“It’s going to be OK,” she said. “We’re in this together, remember?”
“Six months is a long time. That’s half a year without my daughter and the woman I love.”
“But we’re lucky it’s that short,” she said. “I mean, imagine if you’d actually been running the laundering since you’d been CEO instead of actively trying to take it down. I don’t even want to think about how long you’d be away if that were the case.”
It had been part of the deal. Scott and I were testifying, putting down on record what kind of operation had been running at Ryder. The deal was good—better than I could’ve asked for. In exchange, he and I would be given prosecutorial immunity. But we’d have to plead guilty to money laundering and a host of other white-collar crimes.
Six months. Six months in a minimum security prison upstate.
“But we’ll be there for you every step of the way. We’ll call, we’ll write, and we’ll visit. You’re probably going to end up getting sick of us.” She smiled sweetly.
“I seriously doubt that.”
Then I leaned in and kissed her. Every kiss was precious, knowing that I’d be going so long without them.
“I love you,” I said. “And don’t ever forget that.”
“You say that like I could.” She smiled that lovely, incredible smile that I knew would be burned into my mind the entire time I was gone. “And you know I love you, too.”
I took a deep breath, and she did the same. “You ready to do this?” she asked.
“About as ready as I’m going to be.” As soon as I spoke the words I knew they were the wrong ones. “No—I’m doing what needs to be done. Ryder needs to be taken down, and if this is how it happens, so be it.”
April squeezed my shoulder, and I closed my eyes, savoring her touch.
“We’ll get through this,” she said. “Don’t ever doubt it.”
She looked over to the balcony. “Mind if we step outside for a second?”