There would never be a worse moment than this. Nothing could ever compare to watching the police haul his wife away for the second time. Except, this time she didn’t struggle. Didn’t call out to him. As they dragged her out of the office, she didn’t even meet his gaze.

Dane chased after them. Shouted threats at the officers. But they shoved her into a police car and sped off, away from the courthouse. Lester was right on his heels as reporters closed in.

“Get in the car,” Dane said harshly. “We’re going back to the police station. We’re getting her out.”

“That isn’t a good idea, Mr. Prescott,” Lester said, his voice irritatingly calm.

“The hell it isn’t!” Dane bit out. “They’ve just taken my wife, goddamn it. I’m going down to the station with or without you.”

“If you make the police angry, they won’t treat Mrs. Prescott very well,” Lester warned. “Think about this. You want your wife to have as easy a time as possible in there. If you antagonize the police, they’ll take it out on her.”

A hot, desperate rage roiled through him. They had taken her from him. Just dragged her off like she had done something wrong, when in reality Allyson was the victim. That viper, Francesca, was responsible for this nightmare.

“So, what do we do?” Dane asked. “You can’t expect me to accept this. To let her suffer in jail until a trial. And if you lose the case when it comes to trial…” His stomach tightened. There was a very real chance that he would never see Allyson ever again outside of a cell or a courthouse.

Today might very well be the last day he would ever see her as a free woman. From now on she might always be behind bars, behind glass, or handcuffed. 

No. He refused to accept that. Refused to give up on the only woman he would ever love. There was no life without Allyson. No point in living if she wasn’t by his side.

Lester gestured for him to follow and they forced their way back into the courthouse, leaving the crowd of reporters behind.

Dane’s phone started ringing. Yanking it out of his pocket to drop the call, he saw that it was from Katherine Handel. Why in the world was she calling him?

Rage made him answer the phone. He wanted to take his rage out on every Handel who had ever lived. The merger had been the worst business decision he had ever made. The more entwined the Prescotts became with the Handels, the worse his life got.

“What the hell do you want?” he growled.

“Is that any way to speak to an old friend?” Katherine chirped.

He swore loudly. “Now isn’t a good time. I’m hanging up now.”

“Oh, I don’t think you want to do that, darling,” she purred. “You’re going to want to hear what I have to say.”

 

~~*~~

 

The drive to Manhattan was a long nightmare. Traffic almost made Dane want to punch through the windows of the car.

As the chauffer pulled up to the luxury apartment block, Dane stepped out of the car and rushed upstairs to the top floor. He had left Lester behind at the courthouse like Katherine Handel had requested. It didn’t matter that he knew he was walking into a trap. Some petty, vindictive nonsense Katherine had cooked up. As long as there was a chance he could save his wife, he’d hear Katherine Handel out.

After ringing the doorbell, Martha Faraway opened the door and ushered him inside.

“Thank you for letting us use your apartment for this meeting,” Dane said to Martha. Katherine had insisted on meeting somewhere private and away from potential tabloid reporters. He had texted Martha, hoping that there was a chance one of Allyson’s friends might help, and Martha had been kind enough to offer to let him meet in her home.

Martha was a socialite who sometimes appeared in gossip rags, but a lot of that had died down since she had married Gordon Faraway, a self-made millionaire who had made his money in office supplies of all things. The Faraways’ luxury apartment was as out of the way and private as they were going to get.

Martha smiled as they stepped into the living room. “Of course. Anything for Allyson.”

He paused. Stared at Martha for a moment. Clearly, he had misjudged his wife’s friends. Had been convinced they were disloyal and scheming like so many people in the upper class. But now, Martha and her husband had graciously let him into their home. Despite knowing that Allyson had been just been arrested again. “I really am grateful,” he said finally.

Gordon Faraway was already in the living room, talking to Katherine Handel, who was sitting on a chair like it was a throne. Her blond hair cascaded down her back, her blue eyes as icy as ever.

“Hello, Dane.” Gordon stood up and gave Dane a quick, firm handshake. “It’s wonderful to see you again, in spite of the circumstances. I can’t believe this is going to trial. It’s absolute madness. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you and Allyson.”

“I will,” Dane said. “Thank you, Gordon.”

“We’ll be more than happy to be character witnesses at the trial,” Martha said. “It’s the least we can do, considering how obvious it is that Allyson is innocent. She doesn’t have a dishonest bone in her body.”

“Other than her fake marriage fiasco,” Katherine cut in.

“Didn’t you have something to do with that, Katherine?” Martha flashed Katherine a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Katherine sniffed. “If you could just give Dane and me a moment—”

“Oh, how rude of me,” Martha said. “Gordon and I can give you two some privacy. Or, better yet, you can talk on the roof. It’s very private up there.”

After Gordon and Martha led them up to the roof of the apartment and left them alone, Dane regarded Katherine with suspicion.

Her lips curved up into a cruel smile. “I saw your poor wife getting dragged away in handcuffs on the news.”

“You sound really cut up about it,” he muttered. “What’s all this about? You claim you know a way to help Allyson but you wanted to meet in secret, and you insisted I come here alone.”

“It wasn’t very nice of you to hit my brother.”

He clenched his teeth. If she knew the truth, that he had wanted to do more than punch her brother, she probably wouldn’t help him. And he needed that help. Even if it meant he couldn’t tell Katherine that he wanted to beat her brother within an inch of his life when he had thought Nicholas had been the one who attacked Allyson. “Your brother’s an ass. You know it as well as I do.”

Katherine headed over to the edge of the roof and stared down. Turning to him, she beckoned.

Dane didn’t trust her, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Apprehension twisting his gut, he sauntered over to her. It was an unseasonably warm day, so at least there weren’t going to freeze out here. “Get to the point.”

She pouted. “You’ve always had atrocious manners. Unlike your wife, who has always been far more sociable. She doesn’t have our breeding, but she certainly makes up for it with her charm and good manners.”

“I don’t have time for this.” He pulled away from her, but her hand on his arm stopped him.

“I wouldn’t be so quick to leave if I were you,” she said. “I know a way to save your wife.”

“Why would you want to help her?” he demanded. “You hate Allyson.”

Her hand lifted to wrap a lock of her golden hair around her finger. “I do. But even I have to admit she has her strengths. I can admire a woman who beats me at my own game. I really underestimated her. First, she married you, and then she got Prescott Global back for you. I used to think she was the lucky one for marrying you, but now I’m not so sure.”

“You thought she was the lucky one because you’re an unrepentant snob,” he said. “Anyone who wasn’t obsessed with money could see I’m the lucky one in this marriage.”

“Damn, you actually love her,” Katherine said. “It’s honestly nauseating. What is it with rich men and poor women? Nicky’s the same way.”

His body tensed. “You know about Nicky? And Francesca?”

“Do I know that they’re married? Yes.”

“How did you figure that out?” he asked, intrigued despite everything.

“I found Nicky’s will,” she said. “Right before she flew back to New York to testify, Fran had brought some of her things over to his place as some childish show that she had slept over at his flat. I think she wanted to show me that they were sleeping together. Weeks ago I had guessed that they were back together, but I didn’t realize that they had been stupid enough to actually get married until I found the will.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You flew out here from London just to tell me this?”

“The will is the evidence, darling.” She rolled her eyes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I don’t follow.”

“Simple. I have the evidence that can free your wife, and put Fran in jail for the rest of her miserable life,” Katherine said.

Dane leaned forward and gave her a hard stare.

She laughed. “Do I have your attention now?”

“You do. Now make it worth my while, Katherine,” he growled.

“Why should I help you?” She pouted, and he was almost tempted to punch her. Of course, he wouldn’t. But the woman was so… frustrating at times.

He shoved aside his annoyance. She was obviously toying with him. Dangling something she had no intention of handing over freely. “You’re the one who offered to help. Now you’re asking me why you should follow through?”

“You’re so tedious,” she grumbled. “You were so much more fun before Allyson showed up and stole you away from me.”

“I was never yours to begin with,” he said coldly. “Clearly, you want something in exchange for your help. Fine. What do you want?”

Katherine’s hand lifted again, and she wrapped his tie around her wrist. “If I help you get your wife out of jail, you have to help me in return.”

“I’m not going to sleep with you,” he said flatly. There was no way in hell he could ever be unfaithful to Allyson. He’d do anything to save his wife. Go to jail in her place. Even die if he had to. But he could never betray her by cheating.

“You think I’m going to go through all this trouble for one night of great sex?” She sneered. “It’s like you don’t even know me at all.”

“So what do you want, then?” he demanded. What on earth could a woman who had everything possibly want? Katherine had wealth, beauty, power, fame, and access to the most eligible bachelors on earth. There was almost nothing she couldn’t have.

“I want a promise,” she replied. “I want you to promise to owe me a favor. And you have to swear that when I call in this favor, you’ll deliver. You’ll do whatever it is that I ask you.”

“I’m not going to do anything violent or illegal,” he muttered. “So if you expect me to do anything that harms another person—”

Her mocking laughter cut him off. “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to give up your first-born child. And you won’t have to kill or assault anyone. All you have to do is swear to do as I ask, and Allyson will be a free woman.”

Swearing to something like this was dangerous. There was no telling what Katherine would want him to do. Whatever it was that she eventually wanted would probably be unsavory at the very least. But he had to save Allyson. Even if the price was selling his soul to Katherine Handel. “I’ll promise to owe you a favor,” he said slowly. “But only if you can deliver on your end. The charges against Allyson actually have to be dropped.”

“I have evidence that implicates Francesca in all of this,” she said. “I found Allyson’s handbag with Francesca’s things. I recognized it because Allyson brought it with her on the day she toured Prescott’s London offices.”

“The handbag that Francesca stole from Allyson after she attacked her,” he said. “What about the bat?”

“I don’t have the bat.” She shook her head. “But inside the purse was Nicky’s will.”

He frowned, still skeptical. “You think that’s enough to implicate Fran?”

“Allyson’s blood was on the bag,” Katherine said. “I’ve spoken to my lawyer. She believes that’s enough to prove that Francesca attacked Allyson to prevent the truth about her secret marriage to Nicky from getting out.”

“And Nicholas having an heir means there’s proof the embezzled funds went into the heir’s trust,” he said, realization dawning on him.

“Exactly.”

“Why are you helping me?” he pressed. “What’s in it for you?”

“I’m not helping you. I’m helping me,” she answered. “The only person I hate more than Allyson is that witch, Francesca. She got her hooks into Nicholas, and I know she’s scheming to get her grubby little hands on our family’s fortune. So if I can destroy Francesca and get you to owe me a favor at the same time, that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Fran seems to have the impression that you’re the one who knifed her in the back.” He glanced at her meaningfully. “You have a habit of doing that.”

“It’s called business, darling. It’s nothing personal,” she said with a smile.

He narrowed his eyes. “All I know is this had better work. Because if you’re messing with me, or lying, I’m going to spend the rest of my life making yours a waking nightmare.”

The smile on her face disappeared. “I already know the price of crossing you. I’ll deliver. Just make sure that when I call in my favor you do exactly as I ask. Don’t be fooled by your momentary triumph over me. Because the only thing worse than crossing a Prescott is crossing a Handel.”