Castle's Fortress. Rhonda Lee Carver

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      Ms. Holbrew tossed a look both ways down the corridor. “He’ll be in the meeting for another fifteen minutes. If he asks how you got in, tell him the receptionist wasn’t at her desk.”

      “Will do.” Opening the heavy door, Fall gave her cohort a thumbs-up sign and a wink. She’d bet a month’s salary Jake wouldn’t be concerned how she gotten into his office, as much as why she was in New York.

      She quickly closed the door and leaned against the cool wood. The shred of victory sent tingles through her. But now came the biggest hurdle.

      An image of Jake formed. Deep green eyes, dark hair, wide smile. A mixture of the scrawny boy she remembered as a kid and the unclear, black and white picture taken of him a few years back for the local newspaper. The Marietta Gazette had done a write-up on him, spotlighting his commendable efforts in making a difference in the lives of area families. Although he no longer resided in the town, he’d been the major contributor in funding a homeless shelter. He’d also shelled out thirty grand on college scholarships for teens of low-income families.

      In the story, he’d boasted of his success. In fact, his exact words were, “Life couldn’t be better.” Judging by his posh office, he’d accomplished what he’d always wanted. Pretty, shiny toys and a large bank account.

      From the glass-topped desk with its sleek wooden legs, to the burnished brown Italian leather furniture and the expensive framed art hanging on the walls, Jake’s office reeked of sophisticated tastes.

      Fall glanced down at her clothes. She wondered if she were underdressed in her off-the-rack cotton sweater and black slacks. Then she chastised herself for the shallow thought and pushed it out of her mind. If Jake Castle didn’t like her department store clothes, he could shove it. She wasn’t here to please her old friend.

      She wrinkled her nose and sighed. She could try to deny it, but she did care what Jake thought, even after all these years. Perhaps she cared a bit too much. They’d had a special friendship, one that went beyond two kids having fun. He’d been the only one she’d shared a profound connection with and remnants of that bond remained.

      Neither time nor money could erase history.

      When taking a deep breath, her lungs filled with the smell of leather, wood, and something else. An earthy fragrance of men’s cologne. Every nerve in her body tingled alive in awareness. It was the scent of Jake. It had to be.

      A large window backdrop enclosed his desk. The vast panorama beckoned her like a painting. She walked over and peered out through the glass. Despite her chill, she found warmth in the sunlight streaming in.

      Staring out in wonderment at the city of New York, she drank in the spectacular view. Buildings seemed to stretch for miles in waves of windows and concrete. Mirrored windows reflected the sun, reminding her of a shimmering disco ball.

      People moved on the sidewalk, elbow to elbow, much like ants evacuating sand hills. They moved so fast with their heads lowered and cellphones pressed to their ear. They seemed enclosed in their own small world.

      Vendors lined the busy street, bartering with passersby. They sold everything from purses to hot dogs to jewelry. One merchant held up a scarf, pointing out the fine detailing to a woman who looked like a tourist with her camera hanging from her neck.

      Fall heard a faint sound of a horn blare. She looked in time to see a cab driver flipping the bird to a vehicle pushing its way through traffic. She chuckled at the sight. She’d only seen the middle finger salute once in her life and that was three years ago when her friend Melissa got mad at her boyfriend for cheating.

      What would life have been like for Jake if he had stayed in southern Ohio? New York was a long way from the small town where she’d lived all her life.

      Fall was close with Jake’s Aunt Patty, who had kept in touch with Jake, and Fall had kept up-to-date through her until Patty had moved to Florida. She’d listened intently as Patty told her stories of the important events in Jake’s life, from first girlfriend, to sports he played, to his early years at Harvard University.

      He’d left town when his mother passed away.

      The incident at the old haunted farmhouse had changed their friendship. The authorities had found Crystal Castle’s body and then charged Fall’s father, Charlie, with her murder.

      She’d played a big part in Charlie’s arrest, leaving her consumed in guilt. Her father had claimed his innocence in Crystal’s death, but no one believed him, except for Fall. He’d gone to prison and that was where he remained.

      Life had altered for everyone.

      Now Fall needed Jake’s help. He was the only one who could. She hoped the extraordinary tie between them hadn’t faded over time.

      It could be a matter of life or death.

       Chapter 3

      Jake stalked down the hallway, heading for his office. He needed a moment of peace and quiet to gather his thoughts and hopefully remove his sour mood. He reviewed the morning’s ordeals, one by grueling one, and reassured himself that he had put out all the fires. Another surprise was the last thing he needed.

      That morning on his way to work, some idiot had pulled out in front of him. The roads had been wet from a recent downpour and Jake’s car had slammed into the rear end of the offending vehicle. The fender-bender left a foot-sized dent on the other driver’s monster SUV. However, the destroyed hood of Jake’s new Aston Martin had brought tears to his eyes. The car would be in the shop for who knew how long.

      The accident made him thirty minutes late getting to the office, where he was scheduled to meet with an important client. Thankfully, his secretary had convinced Mr. Masters, a potential six-figure customer, to wait. After a bit of smooth finagling and hard-core security mumbo-jumbo, Jake had convinced Mr. Masters to take the contract for Castle Security with him and to read over the fine print with his own legal guru.

      Jake was certain he’d have the signed copy returned by the close of business today. He looked forward to popping the cork on the bottle of expensive champagne he kept in his office refrigerator for special occasions. Adding the Masters name to his company’s repertoire was definitely something to celebrate.

      His enthusiasm thinned as he remembered another problem that tipped the scales.

      During the staff meeting, he’d gotten a call from one of the company technicians who’d found an internal glitch in a recently installed computer program. Jake waited to hear back from his top computer tech. The problem needed to be repaired before lunch. His company must run without a glitch.

      Jake didn’t like problems.

      Passing Ms. Holbrew in the hall, he greeted her with a brisk “Good morning.”

      The receptionist turned up her nose and kept walking.

      “What the hell?” He frowned as he continued down the hall. It wasn’t the first time he’d been on the receiving end of a woman’s pissy disposition. He sure as hell knew it wouldn’t be the last. Perfect reason why he wasn’t in a relationship. He didn’t have the time to coddle and entertain.

      His cell rang and he dug it out of his pants pocket. “Castle here.”

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