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Chapter 1
Ainsley Colton closed her eyes and let the soothing sounds of ocean waves wash over her.
Deep breath in. Exhale.
Again.
Her muscles relaxed as she repeated the breathing exercises, and gradually, she felt the knots in her stomach ease.
She wasn’t normally one for meditation. But with all the stress in her life, she was willing to try anything if it meant staving off a stomach ulcer, or worse.
“You’ve got to find some way to unplug,” Dr. Bleaker had said. She’d looked up at Ainsley during her last visit, dark brown eyes serious behind her gold wire-rimmed glasses. “I mean it, Ainsley. These headaches, your stomach pain—all the tests show there’s nothing wrong with you physically. Which means these issues are due to stress. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you exercising at all?”
Ainsley had bit her tongue to keep from laughing at the doctor. She knew the older woman meant well, but seriously? Her father had been shot and her brother Ace was the prime suspect, thanks to an anonymous email someone had sent to the board of her family’s company, Colton Oil, that said Ace wasn’t a biological Colton. Normally, something like that wouldn’t matter, but there was a small clause in the bylaws of the corporation that stated the CEO of the company had to be a Colton by blood. Her father, never one for subtleties, didn’t hesitate to oust Ace when the DNA test confirmed that Ace was in fact not a Colton. Her father had been shot soon after his decision, and there were a lot of fingers pointing at her brother.
As the corporate attorney for Colton Oil, she was right in the middle of the legal issues surrounding the company’s change in leadership. And as a sister and daughter, her heart had been bruised and battered by the events of the past few months. Ace might not be her brother by blood, but she’d grown up with him. He’d always be her family. It pained her to think of how he must be feeling right now, especially after the things their father had said and done to him. And Ace couldn’t have shot Payne. As for the old man, she loved him, too. He wasn’t perfect, but he was her dad. Payne Colton was such a force of nature, she couldn’t imagine the world without him in it. If only he’d wake up from his coma!
“I mean it, Ainsley,” the doctor had said, interrupting her thoughts. “I know you’re busy. But if you don’t make time for your health, you’re going to wind up with an ulcer or a heart attack. Don’t work yourself to death. You’re only thirty-seven. Your best years are still ahead of you.”
Ainsley had smiled and thanked the woman, then hurried back to her office to deal with the latest crisis. But as she’d washed down her fifth antacid of the day with a gulp of stale coffee, she’d been forced to admit Dr. Bleaker was right. She did need to find a way to relax.
So she’d done a little research and decided meditation might be a good option. She didn’t have time for yoga classes or a gym membership. But she could carve out fifteen minutes a day to listen to ocean sounds and breathe deeply.
Her cell phone vibrated on her desk, a soft buzz she registered over the meditation soundtrack. She cracked one eye open and stared at it, considering. Should she—?
No, she decided firmly. This meditation stuff wasn’t going to help her unless she actually took it seriously. That meant no interruptions. It was only fifteen minutes of her day—the world could wait.
The buzzing stopped. Almost immediately, she heard the muted ring of her secretary’s office phone. Someone really wanted to talk to her. Oh, well. Candace would take a message.
Deep breath in—
The door opened, making her jump. “Ms. Colton?” Candace sounded deeply apologetic. “I know you don’t want to be disturbed right now, but your brother is on the line and he says it’s an emergency.”
“Which brother?” Ainsley kept her eyes closed, tried to stay focused on her breathing. I’m on a beach, she told herself. If only that were true!
“It’s Asa,” Candace replied, using Ace’s birth name rather than the nickname his friends and family had adopted.
Ainsley’s eyes snapped open, all thoughts of relaxation disappearing between one heartbeat and the next. “I’ll take the call,” she said, forcing her voice to remain calm. She got to her feet and nodded at Candace, fighting the urge to lunge for the phone that sat on her desk a few feet away. “Thank you.”
Candace nodded and backed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Ainsley swore softly as she stepped over to her desk and picked up the receiver.
“Ace?”
“Ainsley, thank God! Why aren’t you answering your cell?” He sounded flustered. Ainsley felt her muscles tense all over again. So much for meditation, she thought wryly.
“Never mind that. What’s going on? You told Candace it was an emergency.”
“It is! The police are here. They say they have a warrant.”
“Wait, back up.” She put her fingers to her forehead and began to massage the spot above her right eyebrow. “Where is here?”
“My condo,” Ace said, his tone making it clear this should be obvious. “I came back here after a while. The police are here with a dog and a warrant. What do I do?”
“What are they looking for?” she asked, already walking around the desk to grab her purse from the bottom drawer.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “No one’s answering my questions.”
“Just stay out of the way,” she said. “I’m heading there now. I’ll be there in a few minutes, and we’ll get all this straightened out.”
“Hurry,” Ace commanded. He was clearly stressed, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d be flustered, too, if the police showed up at her door with a K-9 and told her they were going to search the premises.
“I will. Keep your mouth shut,” she instructed. “Tell them I’m coming and you’ll answer questions once I’m there.” With that, she hung up the phone and rushed to the door. “I’ll be out for a bit,” she said to Candace as she walked past the secretary’s desk. “Clear my schedule for the afternoon, please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Candace called after her.
Ainsley opted for the stairs, descending as fast as she dared. She was sure the police had their legal ducks in a row—it was highly unlikely they’d risk an illegal search, especially on a member of her family, and given their relation to an MVPD sergeant—but she still wanted to get to Ace quickly. He was already jumpy and freaked out over the events of the past few months, and the last thing she needed was for him to say or do anything that might be interpreted as incriminating.
“Hang on, Ace,” she muttered as she climbed behind the wheel of her car. “I’m coming.”
* * *
It didn’t take long to get there. Ainsley opted for the elevator, not wanting to arrive out of breath. As soon as the doors opened, she stepped into the foyer of Ace’s condo and glanced around, looking for her brother.
She found him pacing along the far wall of the living room, in front of the stretch of windows that overlooked Mustang Valley. His hair was mussed, and as she watched, he lifted a hand to run through it in a nervous gesture.
He turned on his heel, caught sight of her. Relief flashed across his face, and for an instant, Ainsley felt ten feet tall. It meant a lot to know that her older brother had called her for help, even though technically he wasn’t her brother anymore. Regardless, she was going to do everything in her power to prove he hadn’t shot their father.
“Hey guys, she’s here!” he yelled, alerting the officers to her arrival.
She crossed the room and hugged Ace, feeling the tension in his body as she did. “Did anything happen since we last spoke?”
He shook his head, his brown eyes troubled. “I got out of the way, like you said. They’re searching in the bedroom now.”
“Did you say something, Ace?” a man’s voice called out. Ainsley and Ace both turned to see Spencer Colton walk out of the bedroom. He stopped when he saw Ainsley. “Hey there,” he said, offering her a nod.
Ainsley lifted one brow. “Spencer,” she replied, greeting her cousin. “Or should I say, Sergeant Colton?” She put a bit of extra emphasis on his last name, and he ducked his head.
“I know it’s awkward,” he said, walking over to join them. “But I’m here in a professional capacity only.”
She and Ace weren’t close with their distant cousins, but it was still unorthodox that a family member should be here serving a warrant. She decided to let it slide. If there was an issue, she could always bring it up later.
“May I see the warrant?”
