Page 25 of Love Me Reckless

Instead, I asked to talk with one of the mechanics. To my surprise, the guy gave me and Zach a tour of one of the lift terminals. We climbed inside and though the noise was deafening, I got a quick rundown of the machinery and the systems they run. I was sold before that, but this sealed the deal.

Zach drives us home, the windows down and his favorite Springsteen playlist filling the cab. I catch myself smiling, then shake my head. Is this all too good to be true?

We drop off the bikes, then pack a cooler with sodas and snacks and head to Zach’s favorite swimming hole on the eastern shore of the lake.

“Maybe it’s worth telling someone what you saw last night,” Zach says once we’re walking down the shady path that hugs the lake. “Her brother Grayson is solid. Maybe he could… I don’t know… convince their parents to call off the wedding.”

“That would make me just another dipshit trying to influence her life, her choices. Plus, what if I’m wrong and it wasn’t him? I only saw the suit and a flash of his profile.” Below us, the lake glistens, the water so calm. Zach wasn’t kidding when he told me how pretty it is here. Alaska’s stunning too, but in a very different way.

I’m ready for different, that’s for sure.

“I guess Kirilee’s parents have always been a little nuts thanks to the kidnapping,” Zach says.

“Um, what kidnapping?”

He glances back at me over his shoulder, his sharp blue eyes serious. “Kirilee was kidnapped when she was little. It was over in a matter of hours. Apparently Kirilee doesn’t remember very much about it.”

A weird tingle crawls up my spine. “Did they catch the guy?”

“No.”

“Damn.” Was she scared? Did he hurt her? Sounds like it happened long ago, but it bothers me that someone jeopardized her safety like that.

“It’s one of the reasons her dad built Finn River Ranch and added all that high-tech security. He has former military guys on the payroll and does monthly audits for risk assessment. It’s definitely effective.”

“Unless an insider starts a side hustle,” I say with a grunt. A year ago, Zach worked for Stu Valentine on a special project to flush out a crime ring that he suspected had infiltrated the ranch. It ended up being far more dangerous than either of them realized, but in the end, Zach put the pieces together, saving several lives in the process and helping to restore peace to Finn River. That he’s now a cop is no surprise, and the Finn River Sheriff’s Department is lucky to have him.

We reach the jump-off spot where a giant pine rises from the shore below with a rope swing dangling from a giant branch that extends far over the lake. Zach sets down the cooler, drops his towel on a flat rock in the sun, and shoots me a half-wild grin before clambering onto the branch and dropping out of sight.

I lean over the edge to see his giant splash. He comes up, tossing his head to clear the wet hair from his face.

“How’s this rope?” I call down, leaning out to snag the faded, thick rope dangling from the branch.

“Only one way to find out!” He sidestrokes into deeper water.

I give the rope a test tug but it feels solid enough. So, I grip it up high and drop over the cliff edge. As I swing into space, the muted colors of the rock face and forest blend with the deep blue of the lake in a kaleidoscope of bright color before I crash through the surface. The cold is a shock, and I break through with a yelp.

Later, we’re sunning on the flat rock when Zach tips his soda can to mine. “Congrats on the job. I think you’re going to like it here a lot.”

“I think I am too.”

“You want to stay with me and William while you get settled?”

“Maybe. Let me think on it.” I lean up to sip my soda, then flatten out again and close my eyes.

“The Huttons have offered too,” Zach says, squinting at me.

I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. Though I barely know the Huttons, they’re willing to let me live in their spare apartment, the one Zach used when he first arrived in Finn River.

Maybe a fresh start in this little out-of-the-way town is possible after all?

“I could help you move,” Zach says.

“Not much to it,” I joke because I don’t buy shit I don’t need. “The hardest part will be that drive.”

“Are you going to track down Sheldon before you take off?”

I huff a slow sigh. I haven’t seen Shel in almost a year, and we didn’t exactly part on the best of terms. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

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