Page 85 of Kidnapping Their Third

Don't you have anything? I'm really struggling right now. Come on, you're my big bro. You've always got something.

I'm sorry, I only have a little cash and that's it. All my credit cards are maxed out.

When do you get paid?

I lost my jobs, remember?

Ask your human for money. She seems like she'd have plenty. I can't pay my rent!

I'll talk to Mom and Dad today. I can try to sell the caddy, but that'll take time.

The identity at the top of the window said Sis and the three dots were moving, telling Cora there was probably a rude message incoming.

Before she did anything, she looked up to warn Pike of her intentions. “I’m going to message your sister. If she needs money for rent, I’ll pay the manager directly, but we won’t be handing her cash anymore.”

She expected Pike to get upset at her for being controlling, instead, the large man’s shoulders slumped in relief and a real smile tentatively formed on his face.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as several chimes indicated the arrival of Lucy’s response.

She waved the phone in the air. “You don’t ever have to deal with her again. Kimble and I will take care of her finances until she can handle them herself.”

“Then she and I can go back to the way we were,” Pike agreed. Cora had a bad feeling he didn’t realize Lucy wasn’t the adult he wanted her to be. But you couldn’t fix family, so she simply nodded her head.

Hello Lucy, this is Cora, the human. From now on I'm incharge of your finances. I'm going to text you my number so you can send me the contact info for your apartment manager. I'll pay him directly. You're not getting anymore money from Pike so don't bother asking.

“Be prepared for the fireworks until she gets used to it,” Cora warned as she read the messages from Lucy, all of them demanding money right away.

After she hit send, she pulled her phone from the robe pocket and copied Lucy’s number, then sent the same message again. Lucy’s response was rapid and full of vitriol. It was easy for Cora to remain calm in this situation. She had all the power.

Cussing at me won't help you. I'm going to block you on your brother's phone until you agree to be civil. You're free to complain to your patents, but I think we both know they won't advocate for you. It's time to grow up, Lucy.

Cora quickly blocked Lucy’s number on Pike’s cell and turned hers to silent. She was sure that Lucy would only send abuse until she realized two things: Cora was serious, and there was no one left to manipulate.

Satisfied with her morning work, Cora handed Pike back his phone. “Lucy’s blocked. I’ll tell you when you can unblock her.”

Again, Pike only looked relieved. “She’s a good person. It’s just that she’s dealing with a bad break up and having a hard time holdingdown a job.”

Cora made a sympathetic sound. “I’m not going to let your sister go homeless or starve, but she can’t treat you like this, okay?”

Pike nodded. “She really tries to be responsible with her money though, I swear.”

Cora didn’t argue with him. That wasn’t what he needed right now. “We’ll help her, but no more cash, got it? She’ll find some way to talk to you. That means you need to stay strong.”

“That’s easy to do when you don’t really have money,” Pike tried to joke.

“I’m sure you’d sell a kidney if she pressured you enough,” Cora said. Unlike Pike, she wasn’t joking. Pike was much too good for this world, and it was Cora’s job to keep him safe despite himself.

She knew Kimble would agree.

Chapter 32

Cora

Now that she was fully bonded, she could spend an entire day away from Pike and Kimble and not feel any ill effects. Pike had been coming to work with her anyway, probably because he didn’t have anything else to do, but not today. Nothing was going to distract him from the new garden!

It was nice to have Pike with her, but she didn’t mind working alone. With their bond humming in the back of her head, she felt secure and happy no matter how far away she was.

Before heading to her first job, Cora stopped by the office. Charlotte had everything so ruthlessly organized that Cora only needed to stop by to sign things. Today was one of those days.

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