Chapter 1

In my old previous life, I was a pathetic pushover. My "soulmate" Diana actually had the nerve to beg me for a bribe to bail her convict boyfriend out of jail.

I tried to talk sense into her, refusing to let her throw her life away on a crime, so I said no.

Instead, I played the nice guy and hired the most expensive defense shark in the city to get his sentence reduced to a minimum.

Ten years later, the first thing that guy did when he walked out of prison was shove me off a skyscraper.

As I lay dying, Diana stood over me and sneered, "You were the one who wouldn't lend the money, right?

"Take your filthy money and go to hell."

This time around, I didn't waste a second. I handed her the loan papers and told her to sign.

You wanted the money that bad?

Here it was.

Good luck you two lovebirds staying glued together for the rest of your miserable lives.

*****

Thunder cracked like the sky was splitting open, rain hammering down in sheets.

Someone was sobbing so hard in front of me I thought her heart would give out. "Andrew, come on, we've known each other since high school. Just help me out here, please!"

The crowd around us piled on. "Dude, your family's loaded. A million bucks is pocket change to you. Diana's literally begging. What's the holdup?"

My head felt like it had been split with an axe. I forced my eyes open and there she was—Diana, tears streaking her face, looking like a drowned angel. "Please. I'm begging you."

I was eighteen again.

Isaac Newman had killed a guy and gotten hauled off to jail.

Diana Prescott showed up at my door asking for a cool million like it was lunch money.

Sure, my family had money, but a million dollars is still a million dollars.

And Isaac claimed it was self-defense gone wrong, but I knew better. The guy did it on purpose.

Last time, I didn't give her the cash, but I got him the top defense attorney in the state.

The lawyer laid it out straight: "The victim's body was mutilated. No jury's buying self-defense. Best we can do is damage control on the sentence."

Diana saw I wasn't answering and started shaking harder. "Isaac only fought those punks because they came after me. It was legit self-defense. He didn't mean to hurt anyone that bad."

Her best friend Lily Harrington finally snapped and slugged me in the arm. "Andrew, seriously? How can you be this cheap? Diana's world is falling apart and you can't just—"

"No," I interrupted her.

They both froze and stared at me.

I kept my voice flat. "If it's really self-defense, the cops will clear him. Simple as that."

Diana's voice cracked. "Even if it's self-defense, he's stuck in there without bail money and a good lawyer. You want him to rot in a cell?"

So she couldn't stand the thought of her precious boyfriend suffering.

But why was that my problem?

My face must have been ice-cold because Lily started backpedaling. "Diana, let's just go. He obviously doesn't want to help. No point begging."

Diana wasn't ready to quit. "Andrew, Isaac's your classmate too. You're really gonna sit there and do nothing while he's in hell?"

Do nothing?

When he threw me off that building ten years from now, you didn't exactly lift a finger either.

The memory of bones snapping and blood hitting concrete slammed into me all over again.

I looked at Diana's tear-streaked, pitiful face and felt absolutely nothing. I gave her the same line I'd used last time. "If all you need is a lawyer, I'll hire the best one money can buy."

Right on cue, she bit her lip and looked mortified. "Andrew… Isaac might've gone a little overboard this time. Self-defense rulings are super strict. If we don't… smooth things over with the right people, I'm scared he'll…"

He killed one guy and paralyzed another for life. That was her idea of "a little overboard"?

No sane judge would let him walk on a self-defense plea.

I cut her off. "So you want to bribe officials?"

She lifted her head, dodging the question. "If you lend me the money, I'll give you anything you want.

"Anything. Even myself."

Lily practically shrieked. "Diana!"

Thunder crashed overhead, and a bolt of lightning lit up the whole scene, making everything look cold and ugly.

In my old life, I turned her down. I begged her not to do anything stupid. I promised her the best lawyer on the planet, told her bribing people was a felony and I wouldn't let her ruin herself.

She had looked me dead in the eye and said, "Don't come crying later."

Yeah, I regretted it.

I regretted stopping her.

If she wanted to crash and burn, she could do it without taking me down too.

"Fine, I'll lend you the money," I said, not a trace of warmth in my voice. "But I don't want you."