Page 1 of My Dream

Chapter One

Fallon

The air left my lungs, and it felt like I was going to pass out.

Clay Towne.

What on earth was he doing here?

“Fallon?” Adalee whispered next to me, her voice cutting through the pounding in my ears. “Are you okay?”

I was anything but okay. My ex-fiancé had just waltzed into the clubhouse like he owned the place.

What in the actual hell?!

“Can I help you?” Yarder bellowed, his deep voice cutting through the awkward silence that had settled like a storm cloud.

Clay’s gaze swept over the room, taking in the worn leather couches, the battered pool table, and the group of men watching him with thinly veiled disdain. Finally, his eyes landed on Yarder. “You must be the man in charge,” he drawled, that fake charm dripping from his words like venom.

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. Clay was laying it on thick, the same way he always did when he wanted something. For a moment, I let myself believe he hadn’t seen me yet.

“Depends on who’s asking,” Yarder shot back and crossed his massive arms over his chest.

Clay stepped forward and extended a hand, his grin all teeth. “I’m Clay Towne. I’ll be taking over for the remainder of production forTread.” He nodded to the guy standing behind him. “And that’s Drew. He’s your new cameraman.”

My stomach flipped as Clay’s eyes flicked toward me—just for an instant—but it was enough. He knew I was here. He just wouldn’t acknowledge me in front of everyone. Not yet.

I hadn’t seen him in over four years. Not since the night he’d threatened to throw me down a flight of stairs.

The memory punched me in the gut, but I steeled myself. I never gave him the chance to lay a finger on me. The second those words left his mouth, I was gone.

I wasn’t about to let him rattle me now.

My whole childhood, I had watched my mother bounce from loser to loser who abused her. I had promised myself when I was eight that I would never be her. Clay had been my only real boyfriend, and there hadn’t been one since him.

“Nice to see you, Fallon,” Clay said finally, his voice carrying a sharp edge of ridicule. “Though I’m surprised it’s here. Things not work out climbing the political ladder?”

Adalee’s head snapped toward me, but I didn’t flinch. I’m sure she had a million questions for me, along with everyone else.

I tipped my head to the side and forced a smile. “It seems that worked out about as well as it did for you being a news anchor. You always said you weren’t meant to be behind the camera.”

The jab landed. I saw it in the flicker of annoyance that crossed his face before he masked it. “Things change, Fal,” he said softly as if the nickname still belonged to him.

I bristled. “Yeah, they do.” My voice was sharp enough to cut.

Clay dismissed me with a flick and turned his attention back to Yarder.

“We’ll resume filming at the beginning of the week,” Clay announced. “I’ll have a list of interviews I’ll need, shots I need, and some reenactments.”

Yarder’s brow furrowed. “What the fuck do you mean by reenactments?”

Clay held up his hands, his tone placating but condescending. “Don’t worry about it. Just leave it to me, and I’ll tell you what to do.”

He glanced around, and his eyes narrowed. “Where’s Mark? I think that’s his name.”

Mark stepped forward hesitantly, shooting a nervous glance at Adalee.

“You’re not in charge anymore,” Clay informed him and stepped toward the door like he owned the place. “You report to me. Show us where we’ll be staying.”

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