Page 67 of Fire Peak

“I’ll find you a place, Dad. I have some funds set aside. You can buy a house.”

“No.” The firmness of that word made her flinch. “Honey, I’m going to stand on my own.”

In the background, she heard a woman talking about needing some blood.

“I have to go, Taraji’s here.”

“Okay. I love you, Daddy.”

“Love you too. Oh, before I hang up—do you know a Nick?”

“Nick?” She was so shocked she couldn’t come up with an answer. “Yes, why?”

“Well, you should watch out for him. When the man from Hobbs was here, I overheard him on the phone when he was leaving. He said, ‘Nick was right about her. This’ll work.’’ I forgot to tell you the last time we talked because I was so upset.”

“It’s okay, Daddy. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“Oops, Taraji’s about to scold me, she wants my blood! I love you, bunny.”

And he was gone.

She stared off into the forests surrounding the lodge, a wild mix of emotions coursing through her. Some of it was about Nick. What had he told Hobbs about her? How had he resolved this situation?

She put that aside for now, until she could confront him.

Her father—it was hard to even formulate the thought—didn’t need her anymore. He was moving forward in his life. He was getting better. He had plans. He was free.

That was all good. It was great news. So why did she feel like crying?

A touch on her arm made her jump. Beside her, Ani leaned on the railing, wearing jeans and a tunic top that matched her golden skin. As soon as she saw Charlie’s face, her smile disappeared. “Are you okay? Did you tear your stitches? What happened?”

“No, no, I’m fine. All good here.”

But Ani knew her too well to be brushed off. And Charlie was tired of always being strong and self-sufficient. So, with a sigh, she filled her friend in on her conversation with her father.

Maybe Molly would have laughed at her sad tale of watching her father grow up and leave her behind. But Ani was all sympathy.

“As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been taking care of your father, both emotionally and financially. Of course it’s a hard adjustment. That’s perfectly normal.”

Charlie gave a short laugh. “You really think I’m normal?”

“I think you’re Charlie. You’re brave and caring and loyal. But you’ve never really let yourself have a life, you know?”

“I have a life! It’s a fabulous life. I travel, I see the world, I…” She trailed off under Ani’s knowing gaze. “Okay, it’s a little lonely. I didn’t want…”

She stopped, hesitant to share the details of her rule-breaking ways.

“You didn’t want anyone to know about your Robin Hood corporate hacking.”

Charlie stared at her in utter shock. “You knew?”

“I put it together a while ago. I figured you’d tell me when you wanted to. I also figured it would be safer for me if I didn’t know.”

“What about Molly and Lila?”

“I can’t say. I’ve never told them, that’s up to you.”

Charlie’s breath caught in her chest. All this time, Ani had known and kept it to herself. That took amazing powers of discretion. “And you don’t…despise me?”

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