Page 153 of Love Me Reckless

“Later,” he says.

“Later,” I echo.

I grab the keys to one of the work trucks and back it out of the garage, then cruise the smooth blacktop road to the intersection. I don’t drive these roads often. As a mechanic, we take the maintenance roads to reach the lifts in the summer, and in the winter, we use the sleds.

I try Kirilee’s phone again but it goes to voicemail. Sheldon likely has it silenced.

Damn it! I need to find them.

After turning left, I try to recall the maze of roads that weave and intersect. I follow a long curve only to reach another intersection. I go right, feeling my way.

Finally, I find Creekside. I follow it up the long hill, the hazy night sky revealing only a few faint stars. The secluded driveways and giant homes on sprawling acreage have that distinctive look that blends so well with the surroundings. But which one belongs to Birch?

At the top of the hill, the road continues, but there are no more driveways or house numbers, so I turn around. I scrutinize the homes, looking for anything that might tell me which is the right house. Finally, I catch a flash of dark metal beneath a glowing outdoor light. It’s my truck, parked in front of a four-car garage attached to a giant, modern-looking house of pale-yellow stone and gray wood and lots of glass. The deck lighting outlines the expansive second story, and in the moonlight, the rows of solar panels on the long plane of the roof shine like wet glass.

My heart thumping hard against my ribs, I turn off my headlights and head up the driveway.

Between the bare branches of the aspen trees clustered along the curved road, I catch glimpses of the house, but I don’t see movement. Lights from the second story illuminate what looks like a high-vaulted living area or maybe a dining room, with a huge stone chimney to one side and an expansive covered patio, all positioned to encompass the mountain view. Watching the sunrise from the deck must be like watching a master painter at work.

It’s intimidating as fuck.

I park next to my Dodge in the driveway and check my phone. I’ve only got thirty more minutes until I have to check in with Zach.

What am I walking into?

The garage is connected to the house, so I’ll have to get in some other way. Outside my truck, the cold air bites my cheeks and slices down my throat with each shallow breath. At least the wind has softened, creating an almost eerie silence.

A heated walkway leads to a massive front door that I’m sure is locked. I eye the second story and the expansive deck.

I have no idea how I’m going to get up there, but I will find a way.

I will do whatever it takes to save Kirilee.

Chapter Thirty-Five

KIRILEE

My fingers shakeas I type in the code. The lock flashes red.

“What’s wrong?” Sheldon asks. He keeps hugging himself like he’s cold.

“Let me try again,” I say, not looking behind me. That strange ashy sweetness mixed with his sweat lingers in the air between us as he crowds me against the safe. If I look at him, I’m going to lose my courage.

I inhale a slow breath and let it out, forcing the correct number sequence to materialize.

Birch made me practice, but that was months ago.

What if he changed the code?

A memory flashes of that afternoon outside Hamilton Elementary. The man in a trim dark suit with gentle blue eyes smiled at me and said my dad had sent him, and did I want to go ride the carousel and eat ice cream while we waited?

Did a part of me know something wasn’t right, but I went anyway? I found out later that the man was a father of two whose wife had cancer. He needed the money for an expensive treatment their insurance didn’t cover.

When Sheldon called to tell me that Sawyer had stolen from me in order to help him, and now they were both in serious trouble, through the confusion, I made a choice. I listened to my heart.

“You could just give me that ring,” Sheldon says again.

“I can’t. I’m sorry,” I say, my mixed-up emotions making my voice sound needy and weak. “I have cash in the safe.”

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