Page 8 of Treachery

Sucking in a breath, she opened the car door, stepped out, then reached back in to grab what she’d brought—proof that their plans would ultimately fail.

God, if they’d justaskedme….Shaking her head, she closed the door, and strode purposefully to the entrance. Inside, the common room was empty. She’d only been there the one time, so she had no idea if the room being empty was normal for that time of day.

Why she bothered thinking about that, she had no idea; she would never set foot in there after today.

Yeah, you said that last time, too….

Lifting her head, squaring her shoulders, she made to walk to Frost’s office, but the man himself stepped into the room, his large body, frightening glower, and immense presence made her halt mid-step and suck in a breath.

Oh God, what the hell was she thinking showing up here, especially now that she knew how they saw her—as an enemy of the club.

Would he even believe her when she finally told him the truth? Would he even care? Or would he interrogate her—hurt her—until he was satisfied that she didn’t have their money?

Trembling, she met Frost’s gaze, and flinched when he barked, “You wanted to talk to me, girlie?”

Gripping the small box in her hands, she nodded. “I…I have something you need to see….”

He cocked his head, his gaze skimming her face, then landing on the box in her grip. Finally, he tipped his chin, and said, “Fine.” He moved toward the bar and sat on the stool furthest from the door. “What’cha got to show me, girlie? I ain’t got all day.”

Closing her eyes just long enough to talk herself into moving, she opened them, then hurried toward the stool two down from his. Hesitating only a moment to gather her breath, she opened the lid, pulled out the item on the top, then slid it across the bar toward Frost.

Furrowing his brow, he stared at the 5 x 8 frame on the bar top. Inside the frame was a picture of Nadia, standing beside a well-dressed man, and in their hands was a giant cardboard check.

It was a picture from the casino, from the night she won the three-million-dollar jackpot. She’d framed the photo because it commemorated an important moment, a great turning point in her life, a life where she was barely scraping by working at a diner, living in a single-wide, and hiding from her step-brother’s problems. Since then, she’d moved and settled into a life she never thought she’d get to have, one of security, safety, contentment, and plenty. Well…plentyto her; she’d never again have to weigh the option of buying food or paying the power bill, because thanks to her parent’s debt and Elijah’s grabby hands, she’d been poorer than poor for nearly six years.

That windfall had changed her life for the better. Until Locust had smiled at her from beside his truck in breakdown lane of I-81.

Down the bar from her, Frost’s confusion turned to anger in a flash.

“What the fuck is this?” he growled, and she startled.

Just tell him, before he tosses you in a dungeon and leaves you to rot!

“I heard about your plans,” she blurted, making him tense, an iron curtain slamming down over his features. “I know about the money my step-brother stole, and I know you think I have it.” She swallowed at the coldness in his ice-colored eyes. “I don’t.” She nodded at the frame still sitting in front of Frost. “Iwon the jackpot at Saratoga Casino, three years ago. That’s how I was able to afford my house and my car. I don’t have stolen MC money; I have myownmoney.”

Leaning back, Frost eyed her warily.

“What did you do with the money when you got it? Our computer man says you don’t have more than $500 in your checking account, so either you got piles of cash somewhere my man can’t find it, or you’re lying.”

Where my man can’t find it…because he was looking for it…in her house…because he was a goddamn spy for the MC.

Her body shaking, her breathing sporadic, she answered, “I’m not lying.” She reached into the box and pulled out her most recent bank statement, sliding it across the bar. “I’ve heard horror stories about how people who have windfalls become the target of opportunists.” And she’d lived them, too. She didn’t bother mentioning Elijah, because if he stole money from Frost’s allies, then Frost already knew Elijah was a lowlife opportunist. “I knew that if I told anyone about it, I’d have the same problems, and I wanted to keep that money as far from me as possible. I opened an account at another bank using my mother’s maiden name.” She indicated the statement on the bar. “That’s a statement I printed just this morning—you can see the time and date stamp from the printer—showing the total amount in the account, when the account was opened, and the amount it was opened with. I used some of the money to pay off my mortgage and buy a new to me used car. As you can see, it was a direct transfer from the casino—no cash deposits.”

God, she couldn’t believe she had to explain any of this, but she knew it was necessary to get the Unchained out of her life.

To get Locust out of her life.

So she could grieve in peace.

The ache in her chest, where her heart used to beat, made her breath catch. Tears burned the back of her eyes and the flesh of her throat, and her hands were shaking like crazy.

I’mcrazy for coming here in the first place. But needs must, and she needed to finish this so she could move on.

Frost didn’t move at first, his gaze never leaving Nadia’s face, as though he was gauging her honesty. Like he was one to talk! He sent someone to spy on her, use her, seduce her, and he no right to act likeshewas the one without honor. She was the victim!

“You work at Emerald Greens,” he said, not surprisingly knowing where she worked; if he had a computer guy who could hack into banks, of course, he’d know everything else about her. Not to mention he had Locust who’d had anintimateknowledge of everything in her life. “Why do you have a job if you’ve got all that money?”

She pursed her lips; this was a question she should have expected.

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