Love Me Reckless (Love Me Dangerous #2)

Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

KIRILEE

“Like hell they are,” Sofie says. “Let me drive. We’re going up there right now.”

Panic flutters behind my breastbone. “Oh, gosh.”

“They can’t do that to you,” Ava says, scowling.

“What if they already did?” I say. Suddenly, the fear of not being able to secure a loan for my community art center seems very small. What if I no longer have a place to live? What about my little studio?

“I’m willing to talk to them,” Sofie says, her soft blue eyes turning fierce.

I release another sigh and lean back in my seat. “Let’s go to Sofie’s. Painting will help me think.”

“You can at least call your bank,” Ava says. “This might be nothing.”

“You’re right.”

The drive to Sofie and Zach’s takes five minutes but my nerves feel raw and the donut holes are sitting in my stomach like rocks. When we crest the hill, the streetlights are dark.

“Is the power out?” I ask.

“Looks like it,” Ava replies, frowning at the dark streets .

“Zach has auxiliary lighting in our garage.” Sofie turns into their neighborhood.

“It’s probably blowing like crazy up on the mountain today,” Ava says. “I’ll bet that’s not fun for Sawyer.”

I feel like I should know this about him, but he’s only ever said good things about his workdays.

“I’m sure growing up in Alaska made him tough,” Sofie says with a laugh.

The houses on Sofie and Zach’s street are dark, giving the late morning a gloomy feel. Add in the whooshing tree limbs and the thick gray skies and it could be the backdrop from a horror movie.

Inside Sofie and Zach’s house, it’s dark, but using our phones for flashlights, we locate the giant battery-operated lights on a shelf in the garage and carry them to the bathroom. Once the lights are on, the room takes on a steely glow, but it’s enough to get us started.

I check my phone while Sofie and Ava gather supplies.

There’s a broadcast from the ranch regarding the power outage. Many homes have secondary power from generators, something Birch was eager to eliminate because with solar, every house would have built in reserve power all the time. No need for a noisy, polluting machine.

Sawyer hasn’t replied to my I miss you text from earlier, but if the power is out on the mountain, the mechanics will have their hands full today.

Birch has called five times.

That same unease tickles my gut. Five times?

He’s also sent a single text.

I warned you

I stare at my screen as dread sinks through me. Birch has warned me about a lot of things. Which one is he referencing now?

Does it have something to do with my debit card not working?

I don’t know how to reply to him, so I don’t .

I should do as Ava says and call my bank, but they likely can’t tell me anything until the power is restored. And I’m a little too scared for the truth right now.

Sofie’s dad shows up right as Sheldon and Hutch arrive, leaving me and Ava to finish the taping while she directs the unloading of the dresser Sofie bought from a family in Rose Lake.

“So how are you really doing?” Ava asks softly.

I give my friend a thoughtful glance. “I’m good in a way I haven’t felt before.”

Ava pours some paint into the pan while I unwrap the new rollers and a package of foam brushes.

“But there’s still… uncertainty.” If I think about it too hard, an anxious feeling creeps into my gut. Do I want Sawyer too much? This is all so new… what does the future hold for us? I keep checking my watch, counting down the hours until he gets off work and we can be together again. We have one more night at the vacation rental together, but what happens after that?

“What worries you the most?” Ava lifts the paint-soaked roller to the wall and rolls it up, creating a buttery yellow stripe to cover the drab desert tan.

“Birch going after Sawyer because of me.”

Ava chuffs a laugh. “Sawyer seems totally capable fending for himself.”

“I don’t want Sawyer to have to pay for my actions.” I dip my foam brush into the paint can and start dabbing the nearest corner, where the roller won’t reach.

“Ah, I see. Is there anything you can do about it?”

“The logical choice would be to break things off.”

Ava pauses. “Would that fix your problem?”

My hands tremble as I dip my brush into the paint can. “If it’s not too late… yes.”

Her eyes fill with empathy. “Could you really do that?”

Emotions crest inside me so fast I have to hug myself and breathe. “Ohh.” My heart tightens like a knot and the room seems to swim .

Ava hurries over. “Easy, girl.”

I fight the sense that I’m unraveling. “He’s the most incredible thing that’s ever happened to me,” I gush. I remember Sawyer’s words. No one’s going to hand you that freedom. You have to fight for it .

“Then let’s take that option off the table,” Ava says, her kind eyes locked with mine.

I release a measured sigh. “What if I confront Birch?”

“Hmm, how would that help Sawyer?”

“Maybe it’s more for me. I don’t want Birch thinking I chose Sawyer over him. It’s more that I chose… myself.”

“I love that.” Ava sends me a kind smile. “Maybe bring someone for support?”

Sawyer has offered, but that could get tricky. “Grayson.”

“Great idea,” she replies just as Hutch passes by the bathroom doorway wearing a tool belt, with a giant chisel in his hand. His steady gaze flicks to Ava. The charge that zips between them could blow the walls down.

I wait for Hutch to pass out of sight. “Um, Aves?”

“Hmm?” Her voice sounds tinny.

“What’s going on with you two?”

She focuses on the paint roller, her brow knitted together. “He’s being an overprotective ass.”

I shoot her a look. “How so?”

“Ever since that break-in at my apartment, he’s been on me to get an alarm system. I told him he’s being ridiculous. The break-in wasn’t a huge deal. Nothing was stolen. Everyone was okay. Then today, I found out he’s had Jeremy checking on me.”

“Oh wow,” I say, frowning. “Have you seen Jeremy in San Francisco?”

“No. Just that night in Darby.”

“He was home visiting, though.”

“That’s what he said.”

I remember when Ava showed me pictures of our night out in Darby, and I spotted Jeremy in the background. Would Jeremy follow Ava all the way to Darby to honor Hutch’s request?

“Hutch probably just cares,” I say.

“He should have asked me.” She lowers her voice even more. “And Jeremy’s a good egg, but it’s not like we’re close. The idea that he might be keeping tabs on me is… weird.”

“I don’t know, it sounds kind of sweet to me.”

Ava doesn’t answer. “The shitty thing is he’s leaving tomorrow for another long deployment and I don’t know when I’ll see him again. I don’t want to be mad at him.”

I’m pretty sure she’s only partly mad about Hutch’s overprotectiveness. She’s mad he’s leaving again—but underneath that, she’s scared. Hutch’s job is risky, and he goes dark for months at a time, meaning we never know what’s happening or where he is, if he’s safe.

“Hang in there,” I say and give her a soft hug from behind.

She wraps her free arm across mine for a quick squeeze. “Same, girl.”

Sofie joins us and the rest of the painting passes quickly. We talk about Sofie and Zach’s wedding this summer and the plans she’s making, about graduate school and the internship she scored at the hospital, about Ava’s heavy course load this spring and the adventures she has with her medical school friends, distracting me for a little while.

Sofie sets up a sandwich-making buffet and we eat sprawled across the living room. Sheldon seems to fit right in with us, telling funny stories about his road trip down from Alaska, making me eager to tell Sawyer about our day.

Zach comes home from his shift and the entryway fills with his and Hutch’s booming voices and the crash and squeak of their tools on the tile.

The power comes back on, triggering a jolt to my gut like I’ve touched a live wire.

“Be right back,” I tell my friends, and walk into the guest room.

My stomach rolls when I see two more calls from Birch and one from my dad. I change my mind about calling, and send Birch a text instead.

Can I stop by the house later to get some of my things?

My phone rings a second after I hit SEND. It’s Birch.

Eep. I’m not ready to talk to him. I silence the call with the auto-reply Sorry, can’t talk right now , then huff a shaky breath.

WHERE ARE YOU??

I ignore this and call the number for my bank, and after answering a series of prompts, a woman answers.

“Hi, I had some trouble with my card earlier today. I just wanted to make sure there’s not an issue with my account?”

“Sure, Ms. St. Claire, I can help you.”

I rattle off my account number, phone number, and my PIN.

“Just a moment while I access your information,” she says. “May I place you on a brief hold?”

I stand there listening to moody chamber music while the wind gusts outside. Is the power still out on the mountain? Sawyer must be freezing up there. I’ll be sure to warm him up tonight. I’m stifling a giggle when the customer service representative comes back on the line.

“Ma’am, are you still there?”

“Yes.” I realize that it’s a different person than before.

“Ma’am, there’s a hold on your account.”

My gut hollows. “What does that mean?”

“It means all activity is suspended.”

“Oh.” I hug myself, but it doesn’t quell the sense that I’m being swallowed up. “Do you know why?”

“I can’t say.”

Can’t, or won’t? “Um, is there a problem with the account?”

“There’s a hold. ”

I fight my rising frustration with a slow exhale. “I understand. Is there someone there who can explain this to me?” I don’t have the guts to come right out and ask if I’m broke.

“It looks like this is a co-signed account?” the representative says.

“Yes.” I’ve always been embarrassed by this, but my dad explained it was for his peace of mind.

“Maybe the other party has information.”

“That’s the only way to get to the bottom of this?”

“Until the hold clears, yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

I hang up, feeling worse, but a text from Sawyer is like a burst of sunshine.

Hey gorgeous. Are you still at Zach & Sofie’s?

My heart does a pirouette.

Yes. Want me to come pick you up?

For some reason, the thought makes me giddy. Maybe I’m just excited to see him after what’s felt like a very long separation, or maybe it’s the idea of us doing little things for each other, like a ride home from work. Is this a taste of what our life might be like together?

From the front of the house, the door shuts, and moments later, Zach’s truck starts up just as Sawyer replies,

Zach’s on his way. See you soon

A tight knot forms in my chest. I stare at the message for another moment. Something is weird about this, but I shake it off and call Grayson.

“Kirilee, I’m so glad you called.”

He sounds tense, and while I’m sure he’s under immense strain right now, he sounds different than yesterday. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I think you’d better sit down.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

He waits, and I get the feeling he’s serious, so I lower to the edge of the bed. “Okay.”

“Your identity and your bank accounts were compromised today.”

“Oh no.” I run a hand over my hair, trying to collect my thoughts. “What do you mean by compromised?”

“Someone used your private information to access your bank accounts. Fortunately, the added security stopped them from getting very far.”

“This is why there’s a hold on my account,” I say, shaking my head. “I thought it was Dad, or Birch.”

“The hold is an automatic security measure triggered by suspicious activity.”

“Right.” I should have thought of this. “How bad is it?”

“Your primary checking and savings accounts have been liquidated. They used your credit card and bought several thousand dollars’ worth of appliances and tools at a Home Depot in Florida.” He exhales a tight sigh. “We’ll contest the credit card purchases, but the cash they got before the hold froze means everything is gone.”

My insides quiver and my face flushes with a prickly heat. Thanks to Birch, money I’ve been setting aside for my community art center project is secure inside our home safe. The loss of everything else is painful, but the credit problems this will cause might be the bigger worry.

I tell myself that I’ll just have to work that much harder to make my dreams come true.

“How could this happen? I’m careful, Grayson.”

“They think it’s a Finn River Ranch employee.”

The tenderness in his voice makes my nose sting and emotions to lodge in my throat. “That’s terrible. ”

“I know this is hard to hear. We love our staff. They’re like family. But the reality is that people steal. It sucks.”

“Do they know who?”

“Stu is handling it,” he replies.

That someone would do this hurts. It’s cruel and careless. I force a slow breath into my lungs, but it doesn’t soften the heavy sadness creeping into my chest.

“Have you been talking to Birch?” I ask.

“He flew to Chicago this morning to speak with one of our investors. That might be why it took them several hours to freeze your account.”

Birch’s warning text flashes through my mind. I warned you.

A very bad feeling pools at the base of my spine.

“We’ve all had an eventful couple of days,” Grayson says in an even tone. “But your personal information is safe for now.”

I remember what I told Ava earlier about Sawyer. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

Does Birch believe Sawyer’s behind this? My head hurts just thinking about it.

I’m going to have to confront Birch, and soon. Tell him that I’ve made up my mind about what I want, and it’s not him or a life that includes him.

My dad’s and we all know what your judgment is worth rings in my head.

I shut down the doubt creeping into my thoughts. Sawyer would never betray me like this. My heart is telling me so.

“Stu and his team will get to the bottom of this, okay?” Grayson says.

“Okay,” I say, but it’s like I’m on autopilot. We end the call and I sit there a moment longer, trying to come up with answers that make sense.

But it only creates more questions.