Page 131 of Temptation
She’d been allowed in the parole hearing. She’d been waiting in the back. She’d watched Cody come in. Seen his confident grin. Those flashing dimples.
It had taken all of her self-control not to attack him then and there.
Denied.
His family hadn’t won. Their power hadn’t won. Cody had not won.
But he turned to look at her. His bright blue eyes came straight to her.
Her chin lifted. Her shoulders straightened. Her spine stiffened.
She smiled at him. The biggest, brightest smile she could manage. Because he hadn’t won.
She had.
The prison door clanged shut.
The man in the orange uniform shuffled toward the table in the middle of the room. A very slow shuffle because his ankles were shackled. His wrists, too. Slowly, slowly, step by shuffling step, he advanced.
Then the guard shoved him into the chair that waited at the narrow table.
The prisoner squinted, tilted his blond head, and locked his blue eyes on his visitor. “Who the hell are you?” Anger roughened Cody Crenshaw’s voice.
It was an anger that Preston could understand. After all, the man had just been denied parole. Soon, Cody would be returning to his cell. To his confinement, forever. Not that the parole board had said forever, but that was Preston’s plan.
Preston waited for the guard to step back. Once the guard was in a position near the door, Preston quirked a brow at Cody. One guard at the door. Another near the right wall. Two witnesses. “I’m the man,” Preston explained with a smile, “who is marrying Sloane Armstrong.”
A growl built in Cody’s throat.
“I am the man who will be by her side, every day and every night, for the rest of her life.”
Cody’s blue eyes had narrowed to slits.
“I am also the man…” Preston leaned forward. His voice dropped. This part was just for Cody’s ears. No need for the guards to pick up this part. “I’m the man who influenced the right people so that you would not get that parole.”
Cody’s chest rose and fell. Hard. Harder.
“I am the man who will make sure that you never hurt Sloane again.” Because you will not get out of here. He nodded. “Good talking to you.” Preston rose. He rounded the table. Deliberately put himself a bit too close to Cody.
Cody erupted. He jumped from his chair. He brought his arms pounding down on Preston. He drove his cuffed hands into Preston’s back. Preston hit the floor.
The guards had to haul Cody off him. They slammed Cody back into his seat.
Preston rose. He turned slowly to his prey. Shook his head. “Is that the way…to be a model prisoner?”
Cody’s lips parted.
“That was all recorded wasn’t it, Officer Trenton?” Preston asked the guard who’d returned to his position near the door.
“Yes, sir.”
Great. That had been the plan, after all. Preston straightened his suit coat. “Hard to ever get parole,” he mused, “when you have a documented history of violent attacks on innocent individuals.”
“You bastard!” Cody yelled.
Preston nodded to Officer Trenton. The guard opened the door. Stepped out.
A wave of Preston’s hand had the other prison officer following suit.
