Page 125 of Love Me Reckless

“Want a beer, Kirilee?” Brody calls out from the kitchen.

“Oh. Okay!”

I hadn’t planned on staying, but leaving now is out of the question.

Kirilee walks into the kitchen, giving me a moment with Shel. I use it to flash him a stern glance.

But he’s looking at Kirilee. “Looks like you’re doing well, big brother.”

Cold dread coils in my gut like a hungry snake.

“Can I talk to you a minute?”

The question seems to take him by surprise, but he gives me a sly grin. “Cutting to the chase, huh? Works for me.”

It pains me to separate from Kirilee, but she’ll be safe with my friends for a few minutes. I lead Sheldon into the garage.

“Why are you really here?” I ask once the door has shut behind him.

“Told you. I’m passing through.” His tone has that defensive edge now that we’re alone and his charm light is officially off. This only confirms what my gut already knows.

“Bullshit. Finn River isn’t on the way to anywhere you’d want to go.”

His eyes flash. “How would you fucking know?”

I pull back from taking this bait because it won’t get me answers.

“How did you find me?”

He shrugs. “Wasn’t hard.”

I letthis go. It doesn’t matter now. “I heard you got help inside. Is it true?”

He shrugs again, but his face pinches, like my question wounded him. “Yeah.”

“That’s good.” Getting to Finn River from Alaska isn’t cheap, or easy. So him being here is either hopeful, like he’s found work and stability, or desperate.

“Your girlfriend’s pretty. You buy her that ring?”

The walls seem to press on my skull like a vice. “What?”

“You must be doin’ all right,” he says, finally looking me in the eye.

In one motion, I slam him into the fridge behind him, my fist bunched in his shirt. “You so much as look at her and I’ll break you.”

His eyes turn cold. “You haven’t changed.”

“Neither have you. How much do you need this time?”

He shoves me off him and huffs a breath. “Twenty-five grand.”

I’ve managed to set aside a nice little nest egg from my Finn River Ranch paychecks combined with what I saved from the railroad gig, but it’s nowhere near that much. “I can give you ten.”

His gaze shifts in the direction of the house. “That ring’s gotta be worth at least fifteen. If she were to lose it… ”

He’s gotten even more bold. Should I be surprised? “Don’t even think about it.”

“Does she know about Mom?”

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