Allyson was missing.

After she’d stormed off, Dane had given her space to cool off. She rarely got angry enough to leave in the middle of an argument, so he had figured it was best to give her space. But now that he was back in their bedroom, realization hit him. She wasn’t in the villa.

He didn’t know how, but he could tell she wasn’t inside. Which was obviously crazy. The fact that he couldn’t sense her presence probably should have shown him that he was losing it, but he just knew. Maybe he was so connected to his wife because he loved her so much.

Grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, Dane called her number. After several rings, the call went straight to voicemail. He left a curt plea for her to call him and hung up. Swearing under his breath, he dashed out of the bedroom.

Desperate to find her, he started searching all the rooms in the villa. The living room, the dining room, the game room, the laundry room, all five bedrooms, even the private terraces and balconies. She wasn’t there.

The kitchen was the last place he checked. “Have you seen my wife?” he breathlessly asked Chef Durand and Mrs. McKenzie, who were clearing away dishes.

Mrs. McKenzie’s dark brown eyes grew huge with concern. “No, Mr. Prescott. Where did you last see her?”

“In the dining room,” he replied. “She sort of... stormed out.”

“Well, if you had a quarrel maybe she went outside to calm down,” Chef Durand suggested.

“At night, all by herself?” Dane’s chest tightened painfully. The pool was outside. What if she had fallen in? Or worse. The ocean was beyond the pool. What if Allyson had slipped into the ocean and been dragged away?

Crazy thoughts flashed in his head. He wasn’t the kind of man to panic, but with his rising suspicions about her behavior coupled with the intense year they had spent together... anything could have happened to her.

Just recently she had been attacked in the middle of the night and almost killed. On top of all that she had almost been sent to prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Terrible things were possible. For a man like him, his status meant that there was always going to be a target on his wife’s back.

“I’m going to check out back,” he said quickly.

“I’ll search for her out in the front of the villa,” Chef Durand said. “Perhaps Mrs. McKenzie can stay inside in case Mrs. Prescott returns.”

“Good idea.” Dane raced out of the kitchen and headed outside.

His eyes fell on the hot tub outside. Nothing. Heart slamming in his chest, his eyes scanned the infinity pool outside. It was empty. Thank goodness. But that meant she was still missing.

“Allyson!” he called loudly.

He listened for a response, but all he heard was the whisper of the wind and the crashing of ocean waves beyond the palm trees. She wasn’t out here. Which meant he had to venture further out. Into the darkness on the beach.

Dane yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight. The moon and the stars were out, but there wasn’t enough light on a night this dark. He pushed beyond the palm trees and stepped out onto the sand.

“Allyson!” he shouted.

Still nothing.

The light from the flashlight bounced across the sand as he sped towards the ocean’s edge. Adrenaline pumping, he used the light of his phone to scan the inky black water for a sign of his wife. The thought of finding her hurt, or worse, made his temples throb.

There was a roar in his ears as he started racing up the beach, his eyes never leaving the water. Each time the waves ebbed away from the edge, a stabbing pain twisted through his gut. What if the water pulled away from the shore and revealed her body?

What if the reason she had been acting strangely was because she wanted to get away from him? What if she had tried to get away from him and ended up hurt?

His thoughts were insane, but he no longer cared. All that mattered was finding Allyson. He had almost lost her this year when she had been arrested. Dane refused to lose her now.

“Allyson, can you hear me?”

Plunging further into the darkness, Dane quickened his pace and rushed up the sand. If he kept this up, he would run out of his own beach soon and end up on someone else’s private property. Maybe she had gotten lost, wandered away from their property, and ended up on someone else’s beachfront. Dane didn’t know his neighbors very well, but if it came down to him having to trespass or intrude he would do it.

“Allyson!” He stopped in his tracks the moment he spotted her. There she was, speaking in hushed, conspiratorial tones, her cell phone pressed against her ear.

When the light of his cell phone hit her she jumped back, startled. She abruptly ended the call and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

Pulse racing and out of breath he demanded, “Where have you been all this time? Who were you just talking to?”

~~*~~

SHE HAD BEEN CAUGHT. Her heart froze. Struggling to find the right words, she licked her dry lips. “Dane—”

“Who were you talking to?” he repeated.

Allyson could see his intense gaze, even in the darkness. “I... it’s not important.”

“Not important?”

His harsh tone made her mind race. Race with the right lie to tell him. If she could find a way out of this, maybe her husband wouldn’t suspect anything. Obviously, trying to be nonchalant wasn’t going to convince him. “Sorry, I meant that it’s nothing to worry about. I was just checking in with work.”

“At this hour?” he demanded, sounding skeptical.

“Some of the junior executives weren’t sure what to do now that they have to deal with the storm,” she replied. “It’s already started to snow, and it’s only going to get much worse tomorrow. I know you already instructed everyone to close Prescott for the next few days because of the storm, but I think some of the junior executives just wanted some last-minute reassurances. Prescott really is like a family, after all.”

Though it hadn’t been a complete lie, it still felt like poison on her tongue. Earlier today she really had checked in with work, sending and receiving texts from staff members. But that wasn’t who she was on the phone with when Dane found her.

This wasn’t who she wanted to be. She didn’t want to be the wife who told such bold-faced lies to her own husband. The last time she had told Dane such a huge lie was when she had agreed to let him take her place in prison during the whole crazy embezzlement scandal. Somehow this lie felt worse. Worse because someone other than her husband was in on the truth. At least partially anyway. Her assistant, Cameron, knew. So did the technician on the other end of her call.

Even in the darkness she could see the confused expression on his face. “That’s why you’ve been gone for so long?” he demanded. “You were checking up with Prescott executives?”

“I...” She swallowed hard. Balled her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Lying was making her feel so guilty. “I was worried about work. I’m not like you. I don’t have the same confidence that you do. I only wanted to make sure everyone from the women’s division was going to be safe in my absence.”

“Jesus, Allyson, I thought something terrible had happened to you.” Suddenly, he reached for her and pulled her into his strong arms. The tight embrace made her body go rigid. Guilt was already forcing her body to tense up while he tried to comfort her. Comfort her even though she had just lied to him.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she held on to him. If she pulled away now, he’d know for sure that something was wrong.

After their argument in the dining room, she had raced upstairs to go change into something comfortable before she headed outside to clear her head. It was probably silly to run off in the dark and stay outside for so long, but she had needed to calm down. Needed time to figure out her next step.

His hand smoothed over her hair and he tucked her head under his chin. The heat of his solid, muscular body was usually enough to soothe her fears. But this wasn’t something her husband could save her from. She had gotten herself into this tangled mess.

“I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer,” he murmured.

He had probably called while she had been on the phone. Begging frantically to finally get the truth. Yet she hadn’t gotten the truth. Nobody would give it to her. Not over the phone anyway. Anxiety kept her on the phone as she bargained and cajoled. That was likely why she had been away for so long without realizing it. She thought she would be in New York tomorrow to finally get the answers she had been searching for. But the snowstorm had destroyed those plans.

“I just got carried away chatting with everyone on the phone.” Another not-quite-lie that still tasted bitter in her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears still slid down her face. All she had wanted was to be in New York tomorrow. Be in New York so she could finally stop keeping the truth from Dane.

“Let’s head back inside,” he said. “Chef Durand and Mrs. McKenzie have been looking for you.”

“Okay.” As he released her from his embrace, she brushed her tears aside.

Dane took her hand in his and headed back up the beach. The firm grip of his hand holding hers made her shiver. No matter how bad she felt, there was always a part of her that Dane could reach.

They walked together in silence until they arrived at the villa.

“I found her,” Dane said as they stepped into the living room.

Allyson lowered her head, hoping that her husband wouldn’t see that she had just been crying.

Within several moments Mrs. McKenzie appeared in the living room, relief washing over her face. “Thank goodness you’re safe,” she said. “I’ll alert Chef Durand.” She scurried out of the room, leaving Dane and Allyson alone.

“I’m going to call a cab for Mrs. McKenzie and Chef Durand,” her husband said. “I won’t be long. Do you want to stay downstairs?”

She shook her head. “No, I’d rather go upstairs. Maybe watch some TV before I turn in for the night.”

While Dane called the cab, she walked upstairs to their bedroom. Allyson stepped into the adjoining bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red from crying; her face was tear-streaked. Dane probably hadn’t noticed in the dark outside. She turned on the tap to splash cold water on her face. After drying her face, she looked back into the mirror. Her face was still a bit flushed, but at least now she looked presentable.

Suddenly she heard approaching footsteps. Trying to look casual, she grabbed a hairbrush from her bag and started brushing her hair.

“Chef Durand and Mrs. McKenzie shared a cab home.” Dane’s voice. Such a deep, rich baritone. The sound of it slid across her skin like a caress.

He was so caring. So concerned about the wellbeing of the people around him. Which was why her heart ached so much in this moment. Dane was the last person she ever wanted to keep the truth from, and yet here she was, keeping a secret that he had every right to know. But telling him now wouldn’t be right. Somehow, she was going to have to find the strength to wait. Even if it was tearing her up inside.

Still brushing her hair, she stepped out of the bathroom. “It was nice of them to come on such short notice. Especially during the holiday season. They must be so busy.”

“They are, which is why I’m going to double their Christmas bonuses this year,” he said. “They’ve more than earned it.”

She nodded. Chef Durand and Mrs. McKenzie had been kind enough to search for her, even though she hadn’t actually been missing. It was nice to have a little reminder during the holiday season that there was still kindness in the world. Her work at a company like Prescott could be cutthroat. Being around warm, kind people was soothing some of the ache she was carrying in her heart.

Allyson glanced at her husband and realized he was silently studying her.

“You hung up pretty quickly,” he said.

“What?” She did her best to keep her tone light. “What do you mean?”

Dane crossed his arms and his blue eyes narrowed. “When I found you on the beach you said you’d been talking to people at work. But you hung up so fast. Like you didn’t want me to hear what you were saying.” 

She started to wring her hands. Of course, he had noticed. Her husband was so observant. The truth was, it had always been difficult to hide things from him. “I was just startled is all.”

“You were speaking very quietly,” he pointed out. “Why you were worried someone might hear what you were saying?”

Her hands started to shake as she wracked her brain for a good excuse. Finally, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and said, “Look, Dane, if you aren’t going to trust me, why don’t you just check my phone?”