Page 71 of A First Sight

And there was Dale, standing a few feet away, watching.

“Oh!” I started. “I didn’t realize you were there.”

He gave me that charming smile that never seemed to reach those mint green eyes of his. “Well, this must be fate, me getting here early and you being here alone.”

Shit.

I glanced at where I last saw the cleaning crew, but they had left.

“I should get backstage,” I said as I put away my violin. I kept my voice even. “See if Irene needs anything.”

“Irene doesn’t need you for anything.” He took a step toward me. “Besides, I think it’s time we talk about ending all this.”

“Ending all what?” I asked warily.

“This,” he waved his hand in the air, “...bullshit.”

I carefully put my violin back in its case, keeping him in my peripheral vision. “I think you need to be more specific.”

He sighed as if I was being intentionally dense. “Look, I’m ready to forgive you for everything, okay?”

My jaw dropped. Of everything, I thought Dale might say, I never imagined that coming out of his mouth.

“Drop the charges about me supposedly breaking your violin. Tell them the truth. A car hit it when you dropped the case in the street.” His voice still carried that casual, conversational tone he used when we were in public to hide what he was saying.

Now it made sense. Dale wanted me to call off the cops. What amazed me was his narcissism wouldn’t let him admit to doing anything wrong at all. Did he believe his self-serving lies, or did he know he was full of shit?

Not that it mattered.

“The truth is, you destroyed my mother’s Stradivarius to hurt me, just as you destroyed three years of my life. I’m not dropping the charges, Dale. Not now, not ever.” I kept my voice firm.

His eyes narrowed, and he took another step in my direction. “My parents dropped by the other day, and I had to tell them one of your brothers or sisters was sick, and you’ve been taking care of them for a few days. You know what my dad said about that? ‘You gotta have your woman on a tight leash.’”

I had no doubt Mr. Leighton had said that exact thing.

“If he hears you pressed charges against me, he’s going to lose his shit.” Dale’s calm facade cracked. “And I can’t get this fucking prosecutor to make a decent deal.”

“How is any of that my problem?”

“You can tell them you made it all up, and you want the charges dropped.”

“But I didn’t make it up.” I picked up my case and moved backward without taking my eyes off him. “And I’m not telling them any of that.” My heart thudded loudly against my ribcage, and I swallowed hard.

“No?”

The surprise on his face almost made me laugh.

“No, I’m done protecting you, and we’re done all the way around.”

Before I could go more than a few steps, he was there, grabbing my arm. “You don’t get to say when we’re done.Isay when we’re done.”

“Let me go.” I didn’t know how I kept my voice from shaking.

He leaned down until his nose was almost touching mine. “You do exactly asI say, Maggie. Do I really have to teach you that?” His fingers dug into my flesh until I knew I’d be bruised.

“Miss McCrae, Mr. Leighton, I’m surprised to see you two out here.”

Nehemiah’s voice came from the other side of the stage, and Dale jumped back, letting go of my arm immediately. With his back to our conductor, Dale’s expression was all for me, and I had no doubts about what it meant. If I said a word about what just happened, Dale would make me pay.

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