I looked at the clock. It was nearing noontime. Feeling confident about what my team and I had accomplished, I grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder. It was time to meet with the DA. I tried not to be nervous as I made my way to the elevator, but it was as if my trepidation grew with every step I took. I stopped short when I spotted Samuel standing near the doors.

Shit!

I had completely forgotten about my hired shadow. Between this and the conversation with the DA, I was quickly learning that my grand master plan had way too many holes in it.

Note to self…I’m terrible at scheming.

“Headed out, ma’am?” he asked.

“I’m just going to a doctor appointment, Sam.”

“I’ll pull the car around,” he told me and moved to press the down button for the elevator.

I had a sinking suspicion that he wasn’t referring to my Porsche that sat collecting dust in the parking garage. If I knew Alexander, he had assigned Samuel his own set of wheels. If that was the case, it could be very problematic. I couldn’t afford to have Samuel follow me. If I wanted to ditch his watchful eye, I’d have to get creative.

“No, it’s okay. There’s no need for you to come along,” I told him in my most innocent voice. The coughing fits that had plagued me all morning were suddenly absent, so I faked one for added effect.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said hesitantly, as if he was unsure as to whether or not doctor appointments were in the rule book. “I’m going to have to clear that with Mr. Stone.”

And the plot thickens…

“He’s really busy today in meetings. I wouldn’t bother him. Besides, he’s the one who actually scheduled it for me,” I lied, but felt somewhat shocked at how easily it rolled off my tongue.

“Yes, ma’am. But I’m supposed to accompany you whenever you leave the office.”

“Sam,” I said and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “I can assure you, Mr. Stone understands the importance of privacy when it comes to my doctor appointments. The doctor’s office is only a few blocks away, so I’m going to walk. Trust me, this is perfectly okay.”

Yet another pang of guilt hit me, knowing I was taking advantage of the fact that Sam didn’t know the ropes yet. If he listened to me, I knew he would be in some serious hot water.

“If you insist,” he said, but his voice was laced with doubt.

It wasn’t until the elevator doors shut that I could breathe a sigh of relief. One thing was for certain – keeping up this charade was not going to be easy. I could only hope it would all be worth it in the end.

I hadn’t lied when I told Samuel my doctor was located just a few blocks down from Cornerstone Tower. However, it had been the only truthful statement I made during our brief conversation. I thought of that as I neared the embossed glass door of a building that read LifeCare Health Center. My doctors name, along with the many others in the practice, were listed beneath it. To me, each name was a representation of the many lies I had told over the past few hours. They were like a beacon for my deceit. I was almost grateful when the doors opened and a woman and a small boy exited onto the street.

I watched them as they scurried to the curb to hail a cab. The woman, whom I assumed to be the boy’s mother, turned to the boy and placed a woolen knit cap over his head. Dark ends, nearly black, stuck out beneath the winter head gear and I was reminded of Alexander’s hair color. The boy looked up at me, watching me with pale blue eyes, as I passed by them. For some reason, my conversation with Allyson during our shopping trip came to mind.

Babies.

The cold wind whipped around me and I shivered. However, I wasn’t sure if my shiver was from the frigid temperatures or from the trepidation I felt over having children. I shook my head. That was the last thing I needed to think about in that moment.

Get your head in the game, Cole.

Pulling my iPod from my purse, I popped a set of purple buds into my ears and listened to the sultry voice of Claire Guerreso as I continued on another four blocks. When I finally reached the building that held the District Attorney’s office, I was freezing. I stepped inside and rubbed my hands up and down my arms. My cheeks warmed, thawing from the cold of the outdoors. The winter temperature did little to help my sniffling and I had to stifle a sneeze. Looking around, I spotted a restroom just down the corridor that led to the DA’s office. I made a quick detour so that I could blow my nose and freshen up before my meeting.

After popping a couple more cold medicine tablets into my mouth, I looked at my reflection in the mirror of the ladies’ room.

Geez, Clive was right. I do look terrible.

I ran a hand over my unruly curls in an attempt to smooth them out. I frowned when they refused to tame. Rather than fight it, I fastened a hair tie to create a lose ponytail at the nape of my neck. Digging into my purse, I pulled out my compact, added a bit of powder to my nose and freshened up my lipstick. I looked better, but not great.

A glance at the time on my cell phone screen said it was twenty-eight minutes after twelve. I had stalled long enough. It was show time.

My palms began to sweat from anxious nerves. I rubbed them against the material of my pantsuit as I made my way toward the DA’s office. His secretary, or at least I assumed she was, looked away from her computer screen when I arrived. She must have been new, because I didn’t recognize her from my previous visits.

“Hello,” I said. “My name is Krystina Cole. I have a meeting with Mr. Green at twelve-thirty.”

She smiled politely and motioned to the door behind her.

“Yes, Miss Cole. Mr. Green is expecting you. You can go right in.”

Summoning all the courage I could muster, I thanked her and pushed through the door that would lead me to Thomas Green.

The room I entered wasn’t anything fancy, but simple. There were comfortable cushioned chairs surrounding a long wooden table. Cherry bookcases filled the walls, overflowing with a countless number of legal volumes. The setting was familiar, as Alexander and I had attended several meetings with the DA over the past two months. During that time, not only had we talked about my testimony, but Thomas often recanted stories about his six-year-old fraternal twins, Olivia and Tommy. The small bit of knowledge I had about his personal life might serve me well during this meeting.

Thomas Green’s desk was at the far end of the room, but that wasn’t where he sat. Instead, he was at the polished wooden table pouring over manila folders full of documents upon my arrival. His wire rimmed glasses were pushed down near the tip of his nose. He looked up when he heard me come in and shoved the glasses to rest on top of his salt and pepper hair.

“Miss Cole,” he greeted. “Always a pleasure.”

“Likewise, Mr. Green. New secretary?”

“Oh, no. She’s a temp. My secretary is out sick. It’s that time of year,” he stated sardonically. Despite the light attempt at sarcasm, his voice was tense and matched the tone he had when we spoke over the phone earlier that morning. When he pressed his lips together and frowned, I wondered if he was just as apprehensive as I was about this meeting.

He stood and extended his hand to shake mine, but I shook my head.

“Like you said, it’s that time of year. I’m fighting a bit of a head cold myself, so you probably don’t want to shake my hand. I’m sure your wife wouldn’t want you bringing it home to your kiddos,” I said lightly and smiled, hoping that I could ease some of the tension with the mention of his wife and children.

He quickly pulled his hand back and returned my smile.

“You’re right. They just got through a bout with the flu. Rebecca would have my head if I introduced a new germ to Olivia or Tommy,” he laughed. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.”

“Thank you. Other than the recent flu, how is your family doing?”

As I sat down in the offered chair, Thomas walked around to his side of the desk. After he sat, we talked briefly about what his children were doing in school and about his wife’s latest endeavor to become an independent consultant for a new fad makeup company. After a while, he leaned back and looked at me curiously.

“So, now that you’re up to speed on my family happenings, I’d like to talk about why you’re here. I’ve been a bit perplexed since your phone call this morning. So much so, that I managed to get out of court early and spent the last hour reviewing the case files,” he admitted and motioned to the table covered with manila folders. “What’s so pressing that you had to see me today?”

Not wanting to beat around the bush, I gave it to him straight. Or, at least, as straight as I could without jeopardizing Alexander and Justine.

“It’s Charlie’s trial date.”

“What about it?”

“I know it’s been moved up. I need you to move it back.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise.

“I can honestly say that I didn’t expect that to come from you, especially with the amount of pressure Mr. Stone has been exerting on everyone to proceed. The jury was selected a month ago and the presiding judge is anxious to move forward as well. I can’t change the date unless you can give me a significant reason as to why you need it moved.”

I hesitated, choosing my next words carefully.

“Mr. Green, as you know, one of the charges Charlie Andrews faces is extortion. You should know that he’s up to his old tricks. A reporter was able to meet with him.”

“What do you mean? He’s supposed to have a strict no visitor’s policy,” Thomas said disbelievingly.

“I’m aware. I think it had something to do with a rookie prison guard. I don’t know the details. Either way, I have reason to believe that Charlie is going to use the story to get Alex to back down on some of the charges. I need you to postpone the trial until I can kill the story.”

“Miss Cole, that won’t be necessary. No matter what this supposed story is, I have no intention to drop charges or strike any sort of deal with Charlie Andrews.”

“I believe that. However, Charlie can’t know that.”

“I’m sorry?” he asked, seeming genuinely puzzled.

I shook my head in frustration. Trying to convince the DA to do what I needed without specifics was going to be more difficult than I anticipated.

“Look, Alex is a very influential man in this city. You have first-hand knowledge of this.”

“I do, but it’s not only the city, Miss Cole. His influence spreads across the country.”

It does?

I tried to process what he meant, wondering what else I didn’t know about my future husband. I knew Alexander had a slew of business dealings and properties in the city, many of which I didn’t know about. However, I didn’t know his reach went beyond New York. I had never even thought to ask. I pushed my unease over that bit of information aside, knowing that my current conversation was much more important than Alexander’s real-estate holdings.

“Mr. Green,” I implored. “Charlie knows things about Alex – things that Alex does not want to be made public. I can’t tell you the details of it, but just the threat of exposure is devastating to him. That’s why I need you to buy me time. I need you to make Charlie believe that you are considering a plea deal. I’m hoping, if you do that, it will make Charlie thinks he has a shot at a plea and will retract what he said to the reporter.”

“Miss Cole – Krystina, if I may,” he said, and I nodded. “You’re not giving me much to work off of here.”

I sat back and bit my lip, fretting over what I should and shouldn’t say. My hands were twisting nervously in my lap, when it suddenly came to me. I couldn’t tell him the whole story, but I could remind him of something that Alexander once said.

“Did you go to the Stone’s Hope Gala? The fundraiser from a few months back?”

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me. I couldn’t remember if Thomas was there that night, but Alexander told me that the newspapers and local networks reported on the speech he gave at the gala for a full solid week afterward. Even if Thomas wasn’t there, it was fair to assume that he would have at least heard about it. However, if he was actually present and was witness to the emotional words that poured from Alexander, the better positioned I would be.

“I was there. Why do you ask?” Thomas questioned cautiously.

“If you were there, then you must have heard Alex’s speech.”

“Yes,” he confirmed slowly, but I could see the dawning in his eyes. Alexander had told a story in that speech. His story, although the people in attendance didn’t know that. Nonetheless, Thomas Green was anything but stupid. He was already connecting the dots. Instead of repeating the speech, I switched tactics.

“Can you imagine if your children, little Olivia and Tommy, came from a life like that?”

Thomas seemed to visibly shudder.

“No, I can’t,” he admitted honestly. “My kids are loved. Protected. If only you could see some of the cases that come across my desk. They can be brutal sometimes. As for the speech Mr. Stone gave, are you telling me that it was…”

He didn’t finish his question, but he didn’t have to. My sad and pleading eyes told him what he needed to know.

“Please, Mr. Green,” I whispered.

He leaned back in his chair, removed his glasses from the top of his head, and ran a hand through his thick hair.

“I want to help you. I really do. If Mr. Stone was speaking about his own childhood at that gala, I can’t blame him for wanting to keep it hidden.”

“But?”

“But I don’t think you’re giving me the whole story here.”

I began to fidget and squirmed a little in my seat. I was going to have to be more open, but the thought of betraying Alexander even more than I already had, tore at my heart.

“Alex will kill me for saying this, but I see the front he puts on – all big, bad, and mysterious. But that’s just it. It’s a front. He views his privacy as the only protection he has from his memories. I don’t want him to relive it, or worse, endure press speculation that could cause more damage. I have to protect him. That’s why he doesn’t know I’m here. That’s why I tried to pull the confidentiality card with you.”

He seemed to be contemplating his words before he leaned forward on his elbows and looked me square in the eyes. When he spoke, he adapted a softer tone.

“It’s not often that I have people in my office who remember the names of my wife and children and ask after their well-being. I think you have a good heart. And, as much as Mr. Stone tries to come off as a hard ass, I think he does too. I’ve gotten to know the two of you pretty well over the past couple of months. I want you to talk to me – off the record. Not as a DA, but maybe as a friend.”

I shook my head, knowing that what he suggested was out of the question. Perhaps we had gotten to know each other well, especially when we were discussing the connection I had with my abductors. He knew Trevor wasn’t only a part of the kidnapping, but that he was also my rapist. However, I only divulged that information because it was needed for my testimony. I certainly wouldn’t consider Thomas Green to be someone I could openly confide in about Alexander and Justine. Their secrets were so much bigger than mine had ever been.

“I already told you. I can’t, Mr. Green. As it is, I’ve said too much. I’m sorry, but it’s not my story to tell. You’re just going to have to trust me.”

“And if I don’t?”

I frowned, not wanting to give him an ultimatum. It wasn’t my style, but I was desperate. I narrowed my gaze at him and kept my tone neutral, yet resolute at the same time.

“The trial is just over three weeks away and I don’t know if that will allow me enough time to do what I need to do. I’m not asking you to drop the case, I’m just asking for time. Only you can make that happen. If you don’t, I’ll retract my statement and planned testimony. I’ll do anything to protect the man I love. I’m doing this for him, Mr. Green.”

He laughed then, but it wasn’t in humor. It sounded more stoic than anything else.

“Mr. Stone once told me that you’re stubborn as hell. He couldn’t have been more right.”

I smiled sheepishly.

“Yeah, well…so I’ve been told from time to time.”

“You were pretty emphatic about seeing Charlie go away for a long time. I don’t believe that you would actually throw it all away, especially without good reason. I’m not saying that I’ll try to push back the trial, but your conviction has me curious. What’s your plan?”

I exhaled the breath that I hadn’t realized I had been holding. I finally felt like we might be getting somewhere.

“I need to get to the reporter. I’m hoping to give him a new story so that he won’t publish the one Charlie gave.”

“Who is the reporter?”

I hesitated before continuing, but ultimately decided that honesty was the best policy at this point.

“Mac Owens. From The City Times.”

“I’ve heard his name before, but don’t know him personally. He must not cover many trials,” he mused before continuing. “I don’t know what Charlie Andrews told this Mac Owens guy, but it must be big. You’ve already said that you can’t tell me the details, so I won’t ask for them again. However, whatever story you plan to replace it with has to be bigger. You know that, right?”

I closed my eyes, knowing this was another potential hole in my grand master plan. I didn’t know if I could go through with what I needed to do, not to mention the fact that I didn’t know if Mac Owens would even go for my offer. However, I refused to just sit on my hands.

“That’s up to Mac Owens to decide, I guess. But I have to try.”

“I’ll be perfectly honest. No judge will allow me to move the trial date based on what you’ve told me. However, what I can do is pay a visit to Charlie and feel him out. If he’s going to push for a plea again, I’ll need to plan accordingly. I don’t meet again with the presiding judge for another week. You have at least until then to do what you have to do. Take advantage of the time. You probably won’t get any more than that.”

I resigned myself to take what I could get at this point.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Green,” I told him, feeling relieved that he didn’t continue to pump me for information. I was about to stand up to leave, but then I remembered something. “You’ll keep this meeting between us, won’t you?”

The corners of his mouth shifted to form a frown, but he eventually nodded his head.

“I will for now. But if Mr. Stone finds out I’ve been to see Charlie Andrews, he’s is bound to ask questions. I will only be able to avoid his calls for so long,” he warned.

“I know,” I acknowledged and began to fidget again nervously. “I’ll be in touch after I talk to Mac Owens. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you?”

“You’re going to need more than superstition on your side, Krystina.”

“Trust me. I know that too.”

Thomas Green and I said our goodbyes and I told him I would keep him posted on my progress. Even though I didn’t achieve what I set out to do originally, I still felt somewhat optimistic about the DA meeting with Charlie.

As I was walking down the corridor to exit the building, I felt my phone buzz in my purse. I pulled it out and saw that it was a text from my mother. I had no idea what she wanted, as I didn’t read the text. I was too distracted by a different notification that was also on the screen. I had a missed call. No voicemail was left, but I recognized the number. It belonged to Mac Owens.

My heart started to race. He must have returned my call when I was meeting with the DA. I slid my finger over the touch screen to unlock the phone. I wasn’t due to meet Alexander and the architect until three. Hopefully I could arrange a meeting with the reporter sometime between now and then.

Too preoccupied with what I would say during the phone call, I was paying little attention to anything around me as I began to dial Mac Owens. Unexpectedly, I slammed into a person in front of me. I stumbled back and my phone went clattering to the floor.

“Shit!” I swore, and bent over to retrieve it quickly.

That damn cold medicine is turning my brain into a hazy fog.

When I stood back up to apologize to the person I had so rudely bumped into, I froze.

It was Hale.