“Are you going to tell?” he asked, confirming my suspicions right then and there. He looked a little pitiful, like his lower lip may start to tremble at any moment. He and I both knew how much trouble he could get into if word got out about what he’d done. After all, computer hacking is a federal offense. And then there was the matter of defrauding the college…
Giving him a noncommittal shrug, I replied, “I’m not sure. It depends on what you tell me. Why’d you do it? I know this job doesn’t pay that great, but you have a good thing going here with a promotion on the horizon. Why put all that at risk just to steal some money?”
Defeated, Mark admitted, “I owe money…a lot of money. Poker night with Clancy started out small. It was no big deal. But then we started playing against these big shots – rich business tycoon types. The bets got more and more outrageous. One weekend a while back, Clancy and I went to Vegas for a couple days. We met up with an old friend of his and we both lost a lot of money…more than we could afford.”
“So you’re stealing money from the college to repay your debt?” I asked, putting two and two together. I regarded him curiously as the information sunk in. “How much money are we talking about?”
“A lot,” Mark mumbled. “More than I make in a year.”
“Mark!” I couldn’t hide my shock. That was ludicrous!
“I know, I know, it’s bad. Clancy put Martel off for a while by doing him a favor but now it’s time to pay up. We need the cash. I never thought it would turn out like this, I swear. I didn’t think skimming some money off the top of the budgets would lead to mass layoffs. I feel awful.”
“Wait…did you say Martel? His first name wouldn’t be Steve by any chance, would it?” I demanded, remembering how surprised I’d been to find Henrik Slate’s business associate at the college’s wine and cheese function.
“Yeah, Steve Martel,” Mark nodded. “That’s him. We’re supposed to meet up with him tomorrow night to give him the money.”
“How does he know Clancy?”
Shrugging, Mark speculated, “I think they go way back…old college buddies or something.”
Hmm, that was odd. Lost in thought, I struggled to make sense of all the new information. It was awfully coincidental that Hayden’s world and mine were colliding in such an unexpected and seemingly random way.
“Daniella…?” Mark looked like he was about to be sick. “Are you going to turn me in?”
The thought was tempting. For a moment I even considered it, imagining what Mark would look like in a striped prison jumpsuit. But then my conscience got the best of me. Mark was a jerk, yes, but I didn’t want to ruin his life. It was the type of thing Mark may have done without a second thought, but I didn’t want to sink to his level. I was better than that.
“I won’t turn you in,” I told him, “On the condition that you make things right.”
He blinked. “How do I do that?”
I shrugged. I had so much on my mind that I couldn’t hold his hand and lead him out of the mess he’d created. He’d just have to be a big boy and clean it up himself. “You figure it out,” I told him. “Hack into the server again and plant a copy of the real budget for the administration to find, I don’t know. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”
“What about the money I owe?”
“Sell all your stuff and get a loan…get a second job,” I suggested indifferently. “I don’t really care what you do. Just make sure that the stolen money gets returned to the college one way or another. The students and faculty shouldn’t have to suffer because of your greed and arrogance.”
“Okay.” Mark went quiet then. “You were right,” he finally told me.
“I was right about what?”
He hung his head, looking ashamed. “I was threatened by you,” he admitted sheepishly. “When we were in school together you were always a better student than me and now that we work together…you’re hands down the best instructor in the entire department. I was afraid you’d make me look bad and I’d get left behind, so I tried to sabotage your career. It was wrong of me, Daniella. I’m sorry. I’d take it back if I could.”
“You can’t take it back,” I told him bluntly. “All you can do now is focus on the future.”
He nodded. “I don’t like the person I’ve become. I just want you to know I’m going to take my name out of the running for that promotion. I’ll set things right with Clancy, too. You deserve the raise, the tenure…all of it. You always have.”
Touched by his admission, I felt the resentment I’d been harboring fade away. “You’re not a bad instructor yourself,” I told him earnestly. “It’s a tough job. I have days where I wonder if I’m even getting through to the students. All you can do is keep improving on your teaching methods and hope you’re making a difference. The rewarding moments can be few and far between but when they come along they make all the doubt and frustration worthwhile.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “Although to be honest I don’t know if I’m cut out for life in the classroom. Some people – like you – are just naturals. But I think I made a mistake. I’m actually looking into a career in video game development.”
Mark, paid to play video games all day? That seemed…fitting. In fact, I couldn’t think of a more perfect job for him. “Well whatever you do, good luck with it,” I told him earnestly. “I’ve got to get going – someone’s waiting for me. But one last thing, Mark: you said Clancy did Steve Martel a favor.”
“Yeah, so that Martel would give us an extension to pay the money we owe.”
“What was the favor?”
“I dunno,” Mark shrugged. “Something about giving him storage space for a painting, I think.”
Chapter 12
I couldn’t get back to Hayden fast enough. I sprinted across campus, running so fast that my shins began to burn and I got a stabbing pain in my side. By the time I was standing in front of him outside the library, I was so winded I could barely breathe let alone speak. A little voice in the back of my head pointed out that I wouldn’t be in that predicament if only I’d spent less time at my desk and more time at the gym.
“Oh good, you’re just in time,” Hayden told me, gesturing to a set of headlights coming around the bend. “There’s Steve now.”
“Steve Martel?” I wheezed, my eyes widening in alarm.
He nodded. “I don’t trust anyone else to get us where we need to go safely,” he said. “Steve has always been like a father to me – more of one than my own father ever was, anyway.” A look of nostalgia came over Hayden’s handsome face. It wasn’t often that he volunteered information about his life or past, but now he seemed eager to fill me in.
All I could do was huff and puff while he reminisced.
“Do you know Steve is the one who came to my high school graduation? He was also at my college convocation, come to think of it. My own father, of course, was always too busy being wrapped up in his own world to make time for me…but Steve was always there.”
My head was spinning. The car headlights were getting closer. Steve Martel was getting closer. Unsure of what to do, I straightened up, wincing at the stabbing pain in my side. Then I grabbed Hayden and ducked behind the corner of the stone building, leaving the painting propped up against it.
“What’s the matter?” Hayden asked, sensing my uneasiness. “Do you have a cramp?” he asked when he saw the way I was hobbling, gesturing to my leg. “I can massage it for you…”
As a matter of fact I did have a cramp, but that was the least of my worries. I feared that what I was about to say could break Hayden’s heart and I hated to be the bearer of bad news…but I had no choice. Struggling to regulate my breathing, I opened my mouth and let the horrible truth tumble out.
“Apparently Steve and a faculty member here are old college buddies,” I told Hayden apologetically. “I just found out that Steve used his connections to get storage space here on campus. Hayden,” I said, my words weighing heavy on my heart, “It was sto
rage space for a painting.”
I looked at Hayden pointedly as I let my words sink in. I could see the confusion and then the disbelief on his face. It killed me. “You’re not saying…he couldn’t have had any part in this,” Hayden murmured. “Not Steve…why would he do that? Daniella, that’s nonsense,” he protested angrily.
Although his tone was harsh, I knew Hayden’s anger wasn’t directed at me. Though his words said he refused to believe me, I could see a look of horrified understanding in his eyes. Sympathetically, I reached out and placed my hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry,” I told him, wishing I could take away his hurt.
I peeked around the corner and saw the car pull up.
I looked at Hayden questioningly. “What should we do?” I whispered.
“You stay here,” he told me, his jaw set in determination. “I’ll take care of this.”
Before I could stop him, he marched over to the car and opened the driver’s door. I half-expected him to yank Steve out by his shirt collar and pummel him, but Hayden showed surprising restraint. Instead, I heard the low murmur of voices and saw a lot of gesturing and increasingly animated discussion.
I crept closer.
“So let me get this straight,” Hayden was saying incredulously once I was within earshot. “You knowingly arranged for my father to purchase a stolen painting because you wanted to, what? Blackmail him?”
Steve was as white as sheet. “Yes,” he nodded. “But it’s not what you think. You and I both know that your father is a greedy, self-serving jerk. He always has to get his way. He’d rather withhold his fortune from his only son than compromise. If you didn’t live your life exactly the way he wanted and take over the family business, he was going to leave you penniless.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,” Hayden interjected. Though his tone was one of anger, I was able to read between the lines. I knew his anger was merely a front for the deep sense of loss he was experiencing. I couldn’t even imagine how it must feel to discover the man you looked up to all your life is a liar.
“I wanted to blackmail your father for your sake, Hayden,” Steve confessed. “It was a way for him to turn over at least a part of his fortune to you. I know all the good you want to do with that money…it was the right thing to do.”
Hayden’s eyebrow arched. “You blackmailed my father so I could build orphanages and hospitals with the money?”
“That’s only part of the reason,” Steve admitted. “I also wanted you to be free from your father’s influence once and for all. I never meant to implicate you in this. I had no way of knowing your father would send you to broker the deal I set up. I was sick when I found out.”
Hayden appeared to consider Steve’s words carefully. “You’re the most honest man I know,” he finally said. “And I do know you. You practically raised me, coming to visit me at boarding school during parents’ week and getting me out of trouble time and time again. You’ve always been good to me.”
“I’ve never had children of my own,” Steve said. “I love you like a son, Hayden. Please, you have to believe that I did all of this with your best interest in mind. It backfired horribly, but I never had any intention to hurt you.”
“What about the death threats?” Hayden asked guardedly. “How could you do that to me? Surely you’ve seen the way my life has been impacted by them. They’ve taken away my freedom. They’ve taken away everything, Steve. And yet you just sat idly by, continuing to make them?”
“No!” Steve shook his head emphatically. “If you don’t believe anything else I say, please, believe this: I didn’t make those threats. I don’t know who did but it wasn’t me.”
I stepped forward then, my mouth dry. I could tell by Hayden’s demeanor that he trusted Steve – and I trusted Hayden. If he believed that Steve hadn’t been threatening to kill him, then so did I. And that only meant one thing. My heart sunk as I began to say the words aloud. “If you didn’t make the death threats…”
“…then that means someone else out there wants me dead,” Hayden finished.
Our eyes locked. I could see the horror I felt mirrored on Hayden’s face. Only moments earlier, he’d been celebrating the fact that he could finally lead a normal life and love me without putting my life in jeopardy. Now, cruelly, that future had been pulled right out from under him. It hurt to know how close we’d been to getting what we wanted.
“Get in the car,” Hayden told Steve, his eyes never leaving mine.
“What are we going to do?” I asked Hayden once it was just us standing out there with the painting between us. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him everything would be okay but of course, I didn’t know that. I wasn’t about to lie to him.
“I’ll return the painting to its rightful owner,” he said stoically. “Then I’m going to let whoever’s after me come and get me.”
“What?” I demanded, thinking I hadn’t heard right. “That’s insane, Hayden. You don’t know who or what you’re dealing with. You’ve been getting death threats for ages. What makes you think they won’t hurt you? Or kill you? You can’t take that chance!”
“I have to,” he said simply. “I’ve had enough of this nonsense and knowing that you’re in danger now too is the last straw. I’ll do my best to get to them before they get to me, but there are no guarantees. Either I put an end to this madness or I’ll die trying. Whatever happens, you’ll be safe. That’s all that matters.”
“No!” I hissed with such conviction that Hayden looked startled.
“No?” he repeated. “Daniella, maybe you don’t realize just how serious this whole thing is…”
“I do,” I assured him. “Believe me, I do. That’s exactly why I won’t agree to you making yourself a target. You’re not going to play some stupid cat and mouse game and hope that you get to be the cat. It’s too dangerous. Now that I have you I’m not going to lose you.”
“What are you saying?”
“Take me with you,” I told him even though it stung to say the words and to think about what they really meant: sacrifice and bittersweet goodbyes. But the thought of not asking for exactly that stung worse. “We’ll run away just like you talked about, assume new identities in some foreign country…let’s start over, Hayden. Let’s start over together.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes searching mine. “There’s no going back.”
My mind raced, thinking about the career I’d be walking away from. I love Burlington and the campus where I’d spent the past decade of my life. It was where I’d grown up. It was where I’d established my career, my reputation and my identity. It was home to me.
I thought about all I’d be giving up…but then I looked in Hayden’s eyes and thought of everything I’d be gaining. There was no question about it. I didn’t need to give it any more thought. My mind was made up – my heart had made the decision easy.
“I’m sure,” I told him. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
___
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COMING SOON:
His Forever by Octavia Wildwood
PREVIEW
The ocean breeze was hot and salty on my bare skin. My eyes shut, I savored the way the gentle wind rocked my hammock back and forth, soothing me. The sound of waves crashing rhythmically against the shore was like a lullaby from Mother Earth herself. Plain and simple, I was living in paradise.
I was no longer Daniella James. My fake passport had given me a new identity and a new lease on life. It had allowed me to leave my old life behind, fleeing unseen dangers with Hayden Slate at my side.
And Hayden Slate was still at my side – quite literally. His hammock was next to mine, so close that I could reach out and touch him, which I often did. In fact, only thirty minutes earlier we’d both been in his hammock, rolling around naked as the hot sun beamed down on us. The chemistry between
us was undeniable and no matter how many times we were intimate, I just wanted more. I couldn’t imagine ever growing tired of being in that man’s arms.
But the heat was exhausting and after we’d both found our pleasure, I’d climbed off him and back into my own hammock. I needed to catch my breath. Palm trees towered over us, casting shadows over the small Jamaican oceanfront villa we’d rented. Beside me, I could hear Hayden snoring faintly. It was the sound of a satisfied man recouping from an enthusiastic romp in the hay, so to speak.
Between my legs, I was sore in the way I adored…the way that reminded me of the naughty things we’d done. I loved when Hayden’s dominant streak made an appearance. There was nothing quite like being pinned beneath him while he had his way with me. That carnal gleam in his eye and the urgency of his movements made me weak in the knees every time.
I loved when Hayden claimed me.
Our life together wasn’t glamorous. We hadn’t had time to make any plans. There had been no opportunity for me to list my tiny one bedroom house back in Burlington for sale, so my meager assets were still tied up back home. Hayden only had access to his father’s vast fortune when he did exactly what was expected of him.
Of course, our fleeing to Jamaica wasn’t part of Henrik Slate’s plan for his son. In fact, Hayden hadn’t even told his father where we were, opting instead to pawn anything of value before we hopped on a plane. The cash he’d been able to come up with was just enough for us to get by.
Seeing Hayden in swim trunks and sandals instead of designer suits was different, but it was certainly a welcome sight. He was fit! And he was mine. The man who I’d initially thought would just be a one night stand had made it very clear that he wasn’t going anywhere.
It was a simple life we had in the rural coastal town we’d decided to call home, but that was fine by me. Being wined and dined and showered with lavish gifts was certainly nice, but it wasn’t necessary for me to be happy.
His for Now (His #2) Page 9
