Page 144 of Love Me Reckless

“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’sand we all know what your judgment is worthrings 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.

Chapter Thirty-Three

SAWYER

I squeezethrough the bank doors as the manager is locking up.

“It’s not five yet,” I say when he gives me a terse look.

He glances at his watch. “You have four minutes.”

My toes throb with every step in my work boots, sore from skiing on icy slopes for most of the day, and though I’m no longer in my coveralls, I look every bit the roughneck I feel. Especially with what I’m about to do.

The smartly dressed teller spins in her chair to face me., the key attached to her wrist by a plastic coil jangling against the desktop.

“How can I help you today?” she asks.

“I need to make a cash withdrawal from my savings.”

“Do you have your ATM card?” She nods at the little keypad on the shelf in front of me. I pull out my wallet and slide my card into the reader.

The teller swivels back to her screen. “Go ahead and follow the prompts.”

“Can you tell me how much I have?”

“Would you like your account balance?”

Nerves chew at my spine. “Yes.”

She scribbles the number on a square of paper and slides it across the counter to me.

$12,433.12

Wow, that’s more than I thought. I still need to pay rent and buy food this month, so I punch in $10,000. It’s truly all I can spare, and no fucking way is he getting Kirilee’s ring. Or anything else—except the bus ticket I bought online during my break.

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