Page 44 of Protecting Her Secrets

“Unless you’re willing to sell it at market value, she’s willing to walk away from it. That’s how much she hates you.”

“We’ll just have to see about that,” he says under his breath before blowing out. Guess I was right about the smoking. “Skylar? You hearin’ me?”

She stands and takes back the phone. “What do you want?”

“Just wanted to say bye, and I’ll be seeing you soon.” The line goes dead, and Skylar tosses the phone onto the coffee table, her hands visibly shaking.

“Come here.” I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “You did great.”

“You need to toss the phone,” Rowan says. “He can track you.”

“Location services are disabled for him.”

“Honey, I could figure out where most anyone is in five minutes flat.”

“Quit with the pet names,” I growl out.

Rowan picks up the phone, removes the battery, then walks over to Ridge and drops the phone in his coffee with aplunk.

“What the hell?” Skylar says.

“Asshole,” Ridge grits out.

“You have the cloud, right?” Rowan asks.

“Yes, but?—”

“But nothing. If you want to stay safe, he can’t know where you’re at.”

Wilder steers the conversation into safer territory. “Can I ask what he did the last time you tried to leave?”

“It was right after my dad died, and I found out he left my childhood home to Klutch and not me. The club is very into traditional gender roles, and in my dad’s eyes, only men should be property owners. I knew Klutch would expect me to marry him so I could keep the house, and I knew it too, but god, I didn’t want to. My best friend, Dee, didn’t want me to either, so she rented a place for me in Vegas, since the club has connections all over California, and I left in the early hours of the morning when my car was less likely to be spotted.”

“What happened, sweetheart?” I encourage her to continue.

“He figured out Dee was responsible and”—her voice cracks—“sent me a picture from outside her kids’ school, telling me if I didn’t come back, he’d kill them.”

“Fuck,” Wilder curses.

“Oh, god. What if he does that again?” She scrambles for her phone and mashes at the screen. “I have to warn her.”

“Hold on a minute. I have an idea,” Rowan says, his attention on his own phone. After a minute of scrolling and tapping, he tucks it back in his pocket. “My family has a place in Park City, Utah that no one is currently using. I messaged my father’s secretary and told her to block it off the calendar for the next two weeks. I also texted the property manager—he and his wife live in a little house out back—and he’ll make sure the kitchen gets stocked and will be around if they need anything. I’ll text Walker the info, but call your friend and tell her to take her family on a vacation. They can ski, sled, or whatever they’re into. There’s also a heated pool. Kids like swimming, right? And since I have no connection to you, Klutch shouldn’t be able to find her.”

“Are you serious?” Skylar asks.

“It’s not a big deal. Trust me.” Rowan shrugs, but it is a big deal. He walked away from his family over a decade ago, tired of them trying to control him with their money. Each time he tries to let them back in, it ends the same way. There’s no doubt in my mind they’ll consider this a transaction and that he’ll owe him.

“It’s a huge deal. Thank you.” She turns to me and grins. “Can I use your phone, since mine was so rudely destroyed?”

“Sure.” I hand it to her before gripping the back of her head and bending down to kiss her forehead. “I have a couple burners lying around for emergencies. I’ll find one later.”

“Thanks. I’ll call her from the other room. Be right back.”

Once I hear the snick of the door to the spare room, I face my friends. “Tell me the truth. How fucked am I?”

Ridge huffs. “Pretty fucking fucked.”

“Thanks for that, asshole.” I glance over at Wilder, knowing he’ll be a little more eloquent.

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