Free Utterly Yours (Book Five) (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) by Alexa Brookes Page A

year.  I get it.  You got desperate, right?  You could have just come to me, and I would have-”
                  “I didn’t do it,” Tony said firmly.  “You’re right.  My family has been draining my money.  My sister’s kidneys are shot and she’s on a transplant list, my brother is always needing bail, and my dad has been on chemo for the past six months –and every last bit of that has been coming out of my pocket.  It’s been tight but not tight enough to try to steal from your company.  I didn’t do it.  Please, believe me.”
                  “Just take the plea deal, Tony,” Nathaniel said.  “I don’t want to see you rot in prison.  You’re a good kid, and you made a mistake.”
                  “I didn’t do it!” Tony’s voice echoed off of the walls; he banged his fists on the table.  One of the guards looked up, and Nathaniel waved the guy off to let him know he did not need to come over to them.
                  Nathaniel took a calming breath.  “If this goes to court, Tony, and you don’t take the plea deal, Lynch Industries’ lawyers are going to tear you to shreds.  That is completely out of my hands.  The board of directors will make the call, and after speaking with them this morning they are ready to go at you with everything they have.  This was the best I could talk them into. You’re going to get stuck with a state issued lawyer with virtually no experience versus a team of nearly fifty lawyers all with the goal of making an example of you.  Is that what you want?”
                  “Of course, that’s not what I want!” Tony glared at him.  “I want you to believe me.  I love my job.  I wouldn’t risk it for the off chance I could get away with something crazy like this.  Please, Nathaniel.  Please, believe me.”
                  Nathaniel’s heart ached.  He really cared about Tony, but the kid had messed up big time.  And he was still swearing to his innocence.  Nathaniel desperately wanted to believe him, but each passing day more and more evidence started piling up against him.  It was starting to look hopeless.  “Last chance, Tony.  If I walk out of here, the plea deal is walking out with me.” Nathaniel stood, hoping that the movement would be enough to jar some sense into the young man. 
    All it did was get him worked up, though.  Tony started to cry, and it stung in Nathaniel’s gut to see him break down.  “I didn’t do it,” Tony sobbed and laid his head down on his arms on the table to hide his face away.
    “Just take the deal, Tony, please,” Nathaniel begged.  Tony didn’t move.  He didn’t speak.  He remained sitting there with his face buried in his arms on the table, quietly crying about his unfortunate situation.  “Damn it, Tony,” Nathaniel said under his breath.
    Visitation was over, and he hadn’t been able to convince Tony to take the deal.  Now he had to let Lynch Industries team of lawyers know so that they could begin preparing pre-trial evidence against him, and it pained Nathaniel greatly to do so.

Chapter Two
     
                  “God, you should have seen him, Lillian,” Nathaniel said as he laid his head down in her lap.  They were in the hotel presidential suite; it was his last night in Troy before his flight home to California the next morning.  Lillian had been staying with him ever since Tony’s arrest a few nights before.
                  “Was it that bad?” she asked.
                  “It was awful.  The kid is scared out of his mind, and he keeps swearing he had nothing to do with it, and as much as I want to believe him… well, the evidence is pretty astounding,” Nathaniel rolled slightly onto his side so that he was facing towards her.  “Tony’s a good kid.  He made a huge mistake, and my asshole lawyers are going to ruin the rest of his life because of