Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 168121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 841(@200wpm)___ 672(@250wpm)___ 560(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 841(@200wpm)___ 672(@250wpm)___ 560(@300wpm)
Jamming alongside his bandmates, he held her around his heart, her strength moving his fingers over the strings. Beneath the heat of the lights, he slapped hands with the fans in the front row, the first time he’d willingly touched them. The interactions shifted something inside him, warming him. She would’ve been proud.
He remained upstage until the final song, then drifted into the shadowed corner and sat on an Anvil case. From the perch she would’ve been sharing with him, he plucked the notes, leading into the song named after her, and sang the lyrics he’d written in those lonely months after he met her.
Many people told me what love is
No I’d never experienced it
I know a world who thinks love is lust
The first time I recognized your pain
I realized it was much like mine
I’m scared of this thing inside of me
I can’t bear to see you fade from me
My world is collapsing inside of yours
And I want more….of you
Your world is filled with such regret
I hate that you were part of it
I see your eyes staring back at me
I can’t look away
94
Two days later, Jay sat in the backseat of the SUV, anxiety tying his stomach in knots as Vanderschoot parked outside of the San Francisco penthouse. The mirrored windows of the tower reflected the orange glow of the sun setting over the bay, a contradiction to the darkness lurking within its walls.
Beside him, Tony fiddled with his phone and angled the screen toward him. “The app is running in the background, undetected. It’s recording now, sending live audio to the entire team.” She grabbed her phone from her lap and checked the display. “I’m receiving it. We’ll be listening to every word, ready to move in if necessary.”
He sucked in a breath and zipped up his leather jacket, slipping the phone in his pocket. Faye had made progress in their prosecution against Roy, but they were missing the irrefutable evidence that would trample his powerful legal team.
“You shouldn’t go in there alone.” Her eyes softened. “You look…”
Broken? Lost? He rubbed at the creases around his swollen eyes. “Yeah, and the way I look isn’t changing anytime soon. I’m doing this.” He had to.
“The risk outweighs the reward. The man is a murderer. You pay me for my advice. Allow me to go with you. Or Nathan could—”
“Nathan’s not here.” He’d vanished the night Charlee died. Jay didn’t hold it against him. Everyone grieved in his own way, and Tony would look after her lover. “I’m going in alone. I need Roy to feel comfortable enough to talk.”
Her jaw tightened. “Even if you got a confession out of him, it could get thrown out of court.”
“Then we’ll distribute it over the Internet and let the court of public opinion destroy him.” He reached for the door handle.
“You know Roy would squash that before it reached public attention. He’s outmaneuvered every attempt we’ve made to go to the press.”
He let his breath out. Fuck Roy Oxford and his pristine public image. The reminder only made Jay’s attempt to secure a confession more imperative.
“Nathan’s connections, all the local detectives he trusts, are waiting nearby.” Tony’s eyes bore into his. “If anything feels off, if you need to abort, say the words Tick Tock. We’ll be there in seconds.”
He nodded, heart thumping against his chest. What would Roy do? Beat him with a baseball bat?
“You have to leave the gun. His guards will pat you down at the turnstiles.”
He pointed at the seat pocket in front of him. “It’s there. If I took it in, I’d blow his fucking head off.” There would’ve been an extraordinary amount of satisfaction in that, but spending the rest of his life in jail wasn’t what Charlee wanted for him.
He swung open the door and jumped onto the sidewalk. As he strode toward the front doors, he wondered if Charlee’s boots had ever touched down where his did, if she’d walked into her prison either time or if she was carried in through a lower level. The thought incensed him, heating his muscles, and fortifying his backbone.
Inside, a glass wall blocked the corridor to the elevator and a security guard rose from the desk at the center. “May I help you?”
“I’m here to see Roy Oxford.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Tell him Jay Mayard is here.” He let his resolution ripple through him, bracing his feet, raising his chin.
The guard picked up the phone, pressed a button. “Mr. Oxford…Yes, sir. I’ll send him up.” He swiped a badge on the nearest turnstile. After a pat down and a few passes with a hand held metal detector, he waved Jay through.
Another guard met him on a waiting elevator, swiped a key card, and punched the button for the sixtieth floor. It lurched up, as did Jay’s stomach. He rolled back his shoulders, determined and clear of mind.