Page 52 of Behind the Cascades
“Carrington. What’s wrong?” Drew answers first and I tell him to hold on while I add Everett to the call.
“What’s up, Hayes?” Everett has the same slightly worried tone that Drew had.
“Carter is up to his normal bullshit. Charlie is losing her damn mind, and I can’t do anything about it because I can’t leave her to go throttle his ass! And! And neither of you can leave to do it for me because your lives are signed away to the goddamn U.S. military.” I fume at them.
“Ok. So who do we know that isn’t?” Everett asks casually. It’s not surprising that he isn’t trying to talk me off the ledge. I think we’ve all hit the point that we know this needs to end.
“Well, we’ve got two options. Liam, if we want him dead or Lincoln, if we want his life ruined.” Liam is a former Navy SEAL sniper we worked with. He’s a big guy, looks like a Russian Mafia enforcer and has the attitude of one. Kept to himself mostly, but I have no doubt he could get away with murder for the right reason and paycheck. He also conveniently owes Drew a favor for saving his ass from killing some guy in a bar fight. The guy deserved it, but it would’ve been career ending for Liam.
“Start with Lincoln. Hayes is there to protect Charlie for now. Send him a warning that if this shit continues, he’sfucked.” It’s not a bad plan. So far, we have only been on the defense, letting law enforcement handle it. It’s time to start some offense and see what happens.
“Alright. I’ll call him and see what he can do.”
The next call I make is to Lincoln. He answers and I start talking before he gets a chance to say anything.
“Hey. Need another favor.”
He chuckles low in the background. “Been waiting for you to take my leash off.”
“Yep. Whatever you can to disrupt his life. Freeze his accounts, cut off his power, anything to let him know we aren’t fucking around anymore.”
“Hell yeah, brother. I’ve been watching him, his obsession is on another level. He tried to hack into the security cameras at your house. I locked his ass out so fast that he didn’t know what happened. He’s good. I’ll give him that. But not better than me.”
Nodding my head, I say, “I know, man. Thanks for doing all this. It’s a sick fucking game for him now. He gets off on making her scared.”
“You prepared to take the next step if this doesn’t work out? Liam?—“
“He’s option B. I don’t want to drag him into this unless we need to. He’s either going to let it go or get pissed off and slip up somewhere.”
“Alright. I’ll get started tonight. I’m gonna take my time. Slow motion. Let the dominoes fall until he’s on his knees.”
“Appreciate ya. Send me a bill.”
“Fuckoff. You and Reynolds would do the same for me.” He’s right about that. The brotherhood runs thick between all of us.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Charlie
Sunday, April 12.
Hayes has been living here for over a year now and it feels right. More than right, it feels like it’s the way it’s supposed to have always been. We went from a long-distance relationship to having a two-year breakup to living together. It’s been a whirlwind, but this last year has been everything I could have wanted and more. He fits in seamlessly with the life I created in Three Sisters.
It’s been six months since the last phone call, and all things Carter have been quiet—eerily quiet. It feels like a repeat of the last time I let my guard down.
My gut is screaming at me today, for no real reason. So, I’m choosing to ignore it.
Olivia is treating Isla and me to the spa as a thank you for all the overtime we’ve put in the last week, and I want to enjoy every minute. No drama, no anxiety, no Carter.
Isla is our new hire as of two months ago. She’s close to my age, just graduated from the community college in Bend, andhas been a damn good addition to the team. She’s the most organized out of the three of us, always one step ahead, and has an upbeat attitude. I swear, she’s the first to get into the office and the last to leave. Olivia was a few grades above her in high school, but she knows her family well. That’s why, when she came in, saying she was interested in the job, Olivia hired her on the spot.
The three of us sit next to each other, getting pedicures, completely relaxed. Soft music plays in the background, but other than that, everyone is silent.
I choose to break the silence right as I see Olivia taking a sip of her champagne. “So, Liv. Dan put out at all lately?” Champagne spews out of her mouth, all over her nail technician. Isla’s eyes widen to a comical size and I grin behind my glass of champagne.
She profusely apologizes, which only makes my smile widen.
“Charlie! Warn a girl.”
