Page 59 of Guarded from Danger

“So the game is fizzling out,” I say. “But they haven’t lost interest in Lucy.”

“No.” Dante lifts his chin at me. “My guess is it’s because she’s the first to get away. But until we find out the person or people behind this, we won’t know for sure.”

“And that’s the most promising news,” Matt adds. “We’ve made progress on tracing the payments.” He pauses before explaining, “At first, because the payments were being made using cryptocurrency, it was tricky to trace them.”

“Aren’t cryptocurrency transactions traceable?” As everyone turns to Lucy, she explains, “I researched it for a book. And I read that while the person’s identity could be anonymous, there’s still a way to trace payment back to the source.”

Matt nods. “You’re right. Most of the time, it’s not fully anonymous. But in this case, they’re using a currency that’s designed to be untraceable. And the wallets—how the currency is stored—are also anonymous. But thanks to Beth, we’ve found a way to hack the company and take a backdoor approach.”

“So you’ll be able to find out who’s collecting the payments?” Erik asks.

“Eventually, yes. It’s not a simple process, but we have strong reason to believe we’ll find them.”

Lucy turns to me, cautious hope brimming in her eyes. Then she looks at Matt. “So it could be over?”

“I think so. It may take some more time, but yes. I think so.”

Her teeth dig into her lower lip, and her chin wobbles. She swallows hard, and I can tell she’s trying not to cry. After a deepbreath and exhale, she says, “Thank you, Matt. And Leo and Beth, too. It’s not enough, just to say it, but… thank you.”

Dante casts a soft look at Lucy. “You’re family, Lucy. You don’t have to thank us.” After a beat, he adds, “So we’re waiting for now. Lucy will stay here, and we’ll have heightened security for the time being. Stick close to headquarters and stay inside the fence.”

Andthere. Guilt slashes through me again, leaving a stinging wound behind.

Almost like he read my mind, Niall catches my gaze. “I’ve taken Jade into the woods hundreds of times. Imadethose trails for her. And I never considered that it wasn’t safe.”

“Same,” Dante adds. “Sarah and I go to the pond all the time. I never thought—” He shakes his head.

In a small, sad voice Lucy asks, “So no one gets to enjoy the woods because of me?”

Oh.

My heart.

“No, Luce.” Turning in my chair to face her, I take both her hands in mine. “We’ll figure it out. Extend the fence.”

“Absolutely,” Niall agrees. “First off, it’s not your fault, Lucy. It’s the assholes who came after you. And while we might not be able to use the reinforced fencing around the entire property, we can definitely enclose more of it. The pond. Some of the trails.”

Lucy stares at him for a second, her brow creasing as she thinks. Then she says, “I know the fencing you use is expensive. And with ten acres of land… it would be a lot.”

“Don’t worry about it, Luce.” I squeeze her hands gently. “We’ll make it work.”

“But maybe you don’t have to. What if… I could do it? Or… my parents?”

“Lucy, that’s not necessary,” Dante starts.

“But they have the money. And my dad… he keeps asking how he can help. He knows you guys don’t want payment for protecting me, and he understands. But what you do here, it’s so important. He and my mom want to do something to support it.”

My chest squeezes as I look at her, seeing the fire in her eyes, the glow of enthusiasm building.

“They have the money,” Lucy continues. “I’ve always wanted to pay my own way. But this… it’s different. It could help everyone. Walking in the woods, it helps. It helped me. Jade. Sarah. And if you have other clients here, it could help them, too. When the walls feel like they’re closing in, and you just need to get outside to breathe.”

Dante glances at me, his eyes asking the silent question.Am I okay with it?

Do I want to let Lucy’s parents pay for something so expensive?

If it were just for Lucy and me, the answer would be an immediate no. I want to support Lucy myself. Or I want us to support each other.

But like Lucy said, having the woods protected could help everyone for years to come.

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