Castle's Fortress. Rhonda Lee Carver

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.”

      The car repairman.

      Jake listened as the man quoted a bill for the Aston Martin. On top of the astronomical figure for repairs, his car would be in the shop for two weeks. He’d owned the car less than that amount of time.

      He hit the end button and cursed again under his breath.

      Making a mental note to ask his secretary to arrange for a rental car, he pushed his phone back into his pocket as he opened the door to his office.

      Once inside, Jake gave a swift kick to the side of the couch. He didn’t give a shit how expensive the piece of furniture was. He needed a release of stress. “Damn, son of a bitch, bastard–”

      He froze. Lying on the corner of the sofa was a purse. He wasn’t alone.

      He did a quick turn on his heel, and that’s when he saw her. The woman’s back was to him and she was staring out the window. He swept an aggravated gaze over her long mahogany hair, slender waist and firm backside encased in a pair of nice fitting slacks. Not bad, not bad at all, Jake thought. But he didn’t recognize her and he wasn’t in the right frame of mind for making new friends.

      What a shame. Even a tight ass couldn’t soften his mood this morning.

      “Who the hell are you? I don’t have time for–”

      She twisted around. His words glided on the exhaling of a breath and were lost. He’d know those saucer-sized blue eyes and crooked grin anywhere. “Fall Winters.” Her name slipped off his tongue like liquid velvet.

      “Hi, Jake.” She gave a quick half wave with her fingers.

      The hairs on the back of his neck stood erect. She looked different, but the same, as conflicting as that seemed.

      She’d once been a short, scrawny girl with big eyes and even bigger teeth. Her eyes were still large, but mesmerizing, and her teeth perfected her smile. No mistaking the fact that she’d grown into a woman. Her body had filled out, in all the right places.

      He brought his attention back up and swallowed hard.

      Her sky blue gaze stared back at him. She blinked, and long lashes fluttered against her radiant cheeks, glowing from the sunlight streaming through the window. Her pale pink lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came.

      She continued to stare. The room grew painfully silent.

      A twitch below his belt made him sigh. He mentally reproved the sensation of a normal man’s desire for a beautiful woman. Hell no, he couldn’t–and wouldn’t–find Fall Winters physically attractive. She wasn’t just any woman. She’d been like a sister to him. That’s all.

      The neckline of her white sweater rose high across her collarbone. He knew what secret she hid underneath her clothes. She bore scars from when she’d fallen at the haunted farmhouse. The night he’d thought he’d lost her. The night he’d tried to forget but never could.

      The memory made him sick and angry still, today. At twelve, he’d been consumed by guilt and it continued to course through him. The overwhelming emotion angered him.

      Fall had been a constant presence in the back of his mind over the years. Trapped by remorse and shame, all