Chapter 16

Dayton

"Don't go! You haven't even had one cup of coffee," Mrs. Upton called.

I groaned but couldn't find a decent excuse for walking out on my loyal housekeeper. "Fine. One cup but then I have to get to work."

She lured me onto my favorite stool at the kitchen island and poured me a fresh cup. "I could whip up some pancakes really quick. You used to love pancakes."

"Gerald would kill you if he found out you made me breakfast. Let’s just stick with the banana nut muffins he left." I snagged one, took a slug of coffee, and tried to head for the door.

My housekeeper rushed to get in front of me. "I don't see why your crew can't get by without you for one more day. You don't want to give those awful police detectives any more chances."

I gently moved Mrs. Upton aside. "You forget. I'm innocent," I reminded her.

"I know you are, but those two crude men are working under the opposite belief. They're just trying to find one little thing to pin on you." She wrung her hands.

"And they won't because I haven't done anything wrong. Besides, the more I show I'm willing to cooperate, the better things will go for me," I said in a stern voice.

"You can't go. There's a big problem in the wine cellar. You have to help me." Mrs. Upton chased me down the hallway.

"Are you trying to lock me downstairs to keep me safe?" I laughed. "I appreciate the sentiment but don't you think those detectives would find it strange to see my crawling out a basement window?"

Mrs. Upton finally relented, but she still glared down the front steps at the unmarked squad car. "I could offer them some coffee and slash their tires." She smirked.

"Settle down, Mrs. Upton. Everything's going to be fine." I waved goodbye and wished I could believe myself even for one second.

The truth was that I floated along in a complete fog. It was my fault. If I had been honest with Jessa from the get-go, she and I would have been working together to save her family's company. As it was now, I was branded Jessa's enemy, and there was nothing I could do to help her.

That helpless feeling on top of guilt made me feel like a cornered dog. I wanted to snarl at everyone I saw, and the only place I knew that would be acceptable was at work.

The men on my crew didn't mind orders. They liked the steady work, the cohesive plan, and the fact that they could always point their finger at me when questioned. I couldn't leave them at the mercy of Maxwell Lauren's interrogations any longer. Even the accusations against me hadn't stopped them from harassing my men.

"Thought we were on hiatus," Mike called out the office trailer door as soon as I bumped my truck onto the sidewalk and parked.

"Then what are you doing here?" I asked.

Mike glared at me. "Skeleton crew, mostly maintenance of the reno site. Don't want any of these blue bloods getting hurt on top of everything."

"Great." There was nowhere for my anger to go except inward.

"You shouldn't be here," Mike said. "Mr. Lauren's looking for any reason he can to have you arrested. He's determined to pin this whole thing on you no matter what the truth is."

"Looks like you're right." I nodded towards the approaching police officers.

One looked like top brass, and he walked a few steps behind with Maxwell Lauren himself. I cracked my knuckles and got ready for a fight. Facing off in front of the police was just the kind of confrontation I had been hoping for.

Then all the fight drained out of me. A little silver sports car squealed up to the curb, and Jessa stepped out. Robert joined her with a snakeskin smile, and they proceeded to join the posse heading my way.

All I had wanted was a good yelling match. Maybe a little shoving and some profanity. I hadn't counted on Jessa being there. I couldn't very well profess my innocence in front of the one person I had lied to from the start.

Then I noticed Robert's arm, possessive around her waist. She had the decency to catch my disgusted glance and duck her head. One strand of silky hair escaped Jessa's tight topknot and slipped across her face. She reached up to brush it back into place, and the sunlight caught the ring on her finger.

A diamond the size of an acorn winked at me, and I felt the bottom of my world drop out.

My short, passionate time with Jessa had not meant anything. I had just been some unfortunate detour on her way. Now only that, but the man she had chosen over me had deceived her so completely that she didn't even realize she'd been tricked.

I wondered how many days it would be until Robert's cruelty resurfaced. The thought wounded me more than the united front they formed against me.

Mike bristled. "What's going on here?" he asked Mr. Lauren.

"We're putting an end to this sordid business," Jessa's father said. "You're under arrest, Dayton Miller."

"On what charges?" I asked.

"Trespassing for one," Robert spat. "Weren't you told to stay clear of this place?"

"You seem to forget that I own the building," I retorted.

Jessa looked up, shocked that I was claiming my family identity. "Oh, so now it's your building?" she asked.

I bit my lip but could not stop my angry words. "It is my building, and I have to say this whole situation has made me very uncomfortable. I don't think it's wise for us to continue our connections. You can consider this your notice."

"Notice?" Maxwell sputtered. "You're going to try to kick us out?"

"I can't house corporations that try to pin all their problems on me just because they thought I was a convenient scapegoat," I pointed out. "Read your lease. I can revoke it at any time."

Mike stepped forward to make sure the confused police officers didn't get any closer. "Unless you have formal charges, I suggest you move along," he snarled.

That might have been it if Mike hadn't spotted the enormous engagement ring on Jessa's finger. I felt him tense up the second he saw it.

One of the officers cleared his throat. "We have enough to hold you for questioning, Mr. Miller. You will have to come with us."

"Whoa there. You can ask Dayton any questions you need to right here and right now." Mike folded his thick arms over his chest and refused to move.

"They may be of a, um, delicate nature," the other officer said.

"Like what?" Mike asked. "Like who he was spending the night with when these whiners got robbed? Has it never occurred to you that he might be protecting the identity of his alibi? Perhaps he or she doesn't want to admit to having relations with him."

I caught Mike by the arm and dragged him around. "What are you doing?" I hissed.

"I'm done pussy-footing around all of this, Dayton. These questions are bullshit. This whole thing is bullshit." Mike snarled at Mr. Lauren. "He doesn't want to face up to the fact that he let his extra-curricular activities distract him from work. It could be his inattention allowed all of this to happen and now he just needs someone to blame."

Jessa's face had gone pale white. Luckily her father and Robert were so intent on the confrontation that they hardly noticed her.

I did.

And what I saw was not the face of a happily engaged woman. She seemed to look at the heavy diamond ring as some kind of alien appendage that had suddenly appeared.

Then she looked at me.

She looked sorry, scared, and desperate all at the same time. I recognized it because that's exactly how I felt. I had to apologize to her for lying; I had to face up to who I really was, and I was desperate to be able to do both before Jessa, and I never saw each other again.

Mike, always quick to catch the undercurrents, whirled on me again. "What do you want to do, boss? Stay or go?"

The police looked on, pained and nervous that Mike would be able to enforce whatever decision I made.

I took a deep breath. "I'm heading down to the station with these two patient police officers," I said.

Jessa's eyes flew wide open. Her lips parted, but luckily no sound came out. She was on the verge of confessing she was my alibi, and I couldn't have her pouring fuel on the fire.

"No arguments. Someone told me they wanted to get down to the truth, so let's do it," I spat.

Mike flexed and balled his huge hands into fists, but I shoved him aside.

"You don't owe them anything, Dayton. Not even if they try to call you their peer," Mike snarled.

That hit that target. I winced. Mike was right. I'd spent my whole adult life trying to distance myself from people like Maxwell Lauren and Robert. Men who carelessly took advantage of their wealth and status to follow whatever whims they might have.

I grabbed my friend and leaned in for a quick counsel. "The old man has extra-curricular activities?" I asked Mike.

"You know me. I'm never one to miss a budding romance," Mike winked.

"Don't say anything else," I warned him.

Even after seeing her re-engaged to Robert, I didn't want Jessa to suffer any other indignities. Her two-faced fiancé was enough; I didn't need to heap on her father's infidelities as well.

Jessa wanted to say something. She ran forward a few steps as the police officers lead me away but Robert yanked her back. I watched as she twisted her arm from his grip and felt the waves of helplessness again.

I couldn't stop Jessa from making her own decisions. The best I could do was find out who had stolen her father's software and started all the drama in the first place. I went with the officers knowing they were my best bet for a solid lead.

My shark of a lawyer met us on the sidewalk outside the precinct, and he had the officers shaking in their boots before they were even out of the squad car.

"I agreed to cooperate," I reminded my attorney.

He scoffed. "There's no need for that. They know this is a waste of time."

Still, I allowed the police officers to escort us to an interrogation room. The detectives I recognized from outside my house joined us, and we all sat down.

"So," I started. "Did you know that Maxwell Lauren has a mistress? It seems like that gives you at least two new suspects."

My lawyer grinned and sat back to enjoy the show. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Miller," he said, smiling.

From there the police interrogation unraveled quickly. They scrambled to make up for their oversights, and I got all the information I needed to launch my own investigation.

Within two hours I was free to go, and I was on a mission. I was determined to clear my name, save Lauren Corp, and stop Jessa's wedding all in the nick of time.