Page 119 of Echoes of You

They suspended me until an investigation can be conducted.

My stomach twisted in a vicious cramp. This wasn’t happening. My fingers flew across the screen.

Me

What do you need? I can leave early and come home.

I worried the corner of my thumbnail as I waited for a response.

Nash

I’m fine. It’s basically a paid vacation. They’ll see through all the lies.

But I wasn’t quite as convinced. Adam had already gotten Nash suspended. He could push this so much further.

Me

Okay. I’ll be home in a couple of hours.

Home. That was what Nash would always be to me. But how could I be the same for him when I was messing up his life like this?

My phone flashed with an incoming call.Unknown Number.But the area code was one on the outskirts of Atlanta.

Anger surged somewhere deep, and I hit accept without truly thinking it through. “Yes?”

“Madison,” Adam crooned. “You sound upset. Is everything okay?”

“What do you want?” I clipped.

He chuckled. “Definitely upset. I heard thatfriendof yours got himself into a bit of trouble. Such a shame.”

“You won’t get away with this. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

Adam sighed. “Baby, you know what kind of reputation I have. Who do you think people will believe?”

Nausea swept through me. “What do you want?” I repeated.

Because I knew Adam wantedsomething.

“To talk to my fiancée, that’s all.”

My breaths started coming faster as my chest constricted. “We’re talking.”

“In person, baby.”

God, I hated that term of endearment. I’d loved it at first. It had made me feel special and cared for. Now, it felt like a brand, as if he were claiming ownership of me.

“You meet with me, and I’ll remove my complaint against the boy. Come to my cabin at the resort.”

I gripped my phone tighter. “Absolutely, not.”

“You sure about that? I can rain all sorts of trouble down on your littlefriend. I wonder what kind of dirt I could dig up. What type of picture it could paint.”

My stomach cramped. I’d seen Adam do this before—use completely innocent facts to paint a horrible picture of someone. But it’d worked. My resolve started to crumble.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.But some part of me hoped that if I just told Adam to his face that things were over, maybe he’d finally see reason. That there was no way threats could keep me hostage in a relationship that was horrible for both of us. “Meet me at Dockside Park.”

Adam was quiet for a moment, and I could almost see the annoyance flickering over his features. “This demandingness isn’t like you, Madison.”

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