Page 102 of Love Me Reckless

By the time she hangs up, I’ve got several logs burning. It’ll take a bit more time for the heat to build, but it’s a start.

My phone chirps. “It’s Zach,” Kirilee says. “You want to answer it?”

I dust off my palms and pick up the phone. “Hey.”

“We stalled them as long as we could,” Zach says. In the background, the murmur of conversation fades and a door clicks shut, like he’s on his way out of the lodge. “You guys okay?”

I join Kirilee on the couch. “Yeah.” Though how much longer will that last? Her family isn’t going to give her up without a fight.

“What do you need fromme?”

“We just ordered some pizzas and a bottle of wine. Can Sofie and Ava bring over Kirilee’s bag or some clothes?”

“Yep. Where are you?”

“That vacation rental. The one the McCabes took over last summer.”

“That’s a great idea. She’s going to need some space to figure this shit out. I take it you’re staying with her?”

“Someone’s gotta bar the doors.” I send Kirilee a wink.

“I’ll add some clothes for you too, then. Just so you know, her parents have called the sheriff. I’ve already talked to him, but… this could get ugly.”

“Understood.”

We end the call. The fire pops and snaps in the hearth.

“You don’t have to stay,” Kirilee says, her tone wistful.

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

She gazes into the fire, her hands limp in her lap. “You’re not scared?”

So we’re back to this. “Even if I was, is that your responsibility?”

She scowls. “That sounds like a trick question.”

“Your job is to take care of you right now.” I retrieve the cordless phone from the kitchen and hand it to her.

With a sigh, she takes it.

I visit the hot tub on the deck to get it ready in the event Kirilee wants to use it. Outside, it’s gone completely dark. Beyond the lights from the house, the yard and lake are a vacant emptiness, blurred by the movement of the trees.

While I finish up, a gust brings the mineral scent of the lake and chills my arms and neck. I’m about to return inside when movement from the edge of the yard catches my attention. I stare into the void, waiting for more. But another gust whips up a pocket of loose snow, and the shadow I thought I saw disappears.

I watch for another moment, but the only movement is the wind in the trees.

Chapter Twenty-Four

KIRILEE

I siton the couch with the cordless phone in my lap, the fire crackling in the hearth. As the flames leap higher, warming the cozy living room, reality creeps in.

I’ve just put my family in a perilous position. I’m sure lots of people are angry with me right now. My parents and their longtime friends, and of course Birch and his family.

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