Crossing her arms, she rubbed them warm with her hands. “Option three.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry?”
She gestured to his homier living room. “The furniture and paint. Option three from the binder.”
“Yeah. I figure I might as well get comfy since I’ll be here for a while.” He shrugged, staring at her as he stood in front of her.
And now she understood her negative reaction as she glanced at his furnishings again. He would be here in his condo because they no longer lived together. They wouldn’t be buying the sweet little house and making babies in the moonlight. She cleared her throat as she met his gaze.
“How are you, Bella?”
“I’m hanging in there,” she said quietly, seeing that there was strain in his eyes. This wasn’t easy for him either. “You?”
“I’m all right.”
She nodded, looking at the shoebox he held. “That’s from Dad?”
He nodded.
“What is it?”
He handed it over. “Go ahead and take a look.”
She took the box and whooshed out a small breath, surprised by its weight. “I didn’t realize it was going to be so heavy. Thanks for holding onto this.” She backed up, ready to turn toward the door.
“You might want to take a look before you go.”
Something in his tone made her walk to his counter and open it there. Her eyes went huge as she stared at the rolls of money. “It’s—what…” She gently pulled on the piece of paper taped to the inside of the lid and unfolded it, reading Dad’s handwriting.
Bella,
Have a happy life. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.
I love you,
Dad
She pressed her lips together as they started to tremble, and she gasped as she noticed the photos tucked along the sides. “Pictures,” she whispered as she pulled them free, looking at Mom and Dad, skimming a gentle finger over both of their faces. “They’re so beautiful. So happy.”
Reed stepped closer by her side. “You can see it in their eyes.”
She looked at him, then at the next photo of herself as a little girl, grinning as she sat in the seat on the back of Dad’s bike. She treasured this so much more than the cash. “Where did this come from? Did he rob a bank?” It shamed her that the thought even crossed her mind, but she couldn’t keep money that belonged to someone else.
“No. He wanted me to be sure to tell you every dollar of that is honest. He saved it from his years as a mechanic and his early days in WITSEC.”
She frowned. “From Witness Protection?”
“They usually give witnesses enough to get started. High-caliber guys like your dad get more—lots more. It’s an incentive to stay safe and follow the rules. Witnesses tend to live longer, and the Feds know they have access to them again if future cases warrant their testimony.”
She looked at the picture of her dad, understanding the nostalgic portrait wasn’t as simple as it seemed. “You knew him better than I did.”
He shook his head. “Only about his old life—pieces of his past, but not the parts that counted the most.” He pointed to the pictures she still held. “He saved the best for you, Bella. He absolutely adored you.”
She blinked as her eyes watered. “He cared about you—trusted you.”
“The feeling was mutual. I’m sorry he’s gone.”
She looked at the money again, choosing to focus on that rather than her constant sense of sadness. “There’s so much.”
“Probably half a million, maybe a little less—could be a little more.”
She puffed out a breath, still in disbelief. “I don’t know what to do with this. I can’t just walk into a bank.”
“Get yourself a safe deposit box—start transferring some of it over slowly and hold on to the rest of it there for now.”
Planning to do so immediately, she put the pictures back and secured the lid. “Thank you.”
“Be careful.”
“I’m going to get a safe deposit box right away.”
“I’m talking about the Caparellis, Bella. I just heard from my informant on the drive home.”
She looked away, not wanting to hear about the horrible men in New York. “Do they know about me—who I am?”
“I’m not sure. At this point, probably not, but they figured out who Vinny’s handler was.”
She shook her head as she shrugged. “Handler?”
“The man who looked after your dad while he was in the Witness Protection Program.”
Jargon she didn’t want to understand—a life she wanted no part of.
“At this point, you need to be keeping your eyes open—paying attention to your surroundings.”
“I am.”
“If you see anything that seems off, feels off, I need to know.”
She nodded, burying the stirrings of fear, and started toward the door.
“Bella.” He snagged her by the hand, sliding his thumb along the sensitive skin of her wrist. “Matty’s dangerous. He’s not the man you met at Luisa’s party.”
She removed her arm from his hold, finding his touch to be too much. “I’ll be careful.”
“This has to be your secret.”
Whether she wanted it or not. “I know.”
“You’ll tell me if anything seems wrong?”
“I’ll tell you.” She turned toward the door again.
“Wait.”
She closed her eyes, not sure how much longer she could take this, and opened them as she turned to look at him.
“You’re going to be okay?”
She shuddered out a breath as she saw everything she’d ever wanted staring back at her in his gaze. “Yes. I should go.”
He nodded.
She yanked open the door and ran across the side yard, forgetting her umbrella in her haste to be gone—to stop wanting what she shouldn’t and move on. She had money to deal with and a life to put back together. Starting now. Unlocking her door, she went inside and set the money on the entryway table, then hurried upstairs for a quick change into jeans and a dry long-sleeve top. Comfortable and finally warm, she immediately went back downstairs and walked over to her laptop, determined to take the next step. Within minutes, she was signed up for the twelve-week cooking classes she’d been putting off. Chef Paul had offered to save her spot and she was going to take it. She x’ed out of the screen, clicked on the long list of emails she’d been avoiding over the last few days, and deleted the ones that weren’t important before opening the one from Wren.
Are you coming to girls’ night this weekend?
She hit reply.
Yes, I’ll be there! It’s been pretty busy around here. I can’t wait to see everyone and catch up.
She hesitated with her finger hovering over the send button, not wanting to go, not wanting to do anything, but she had every intention of going anyway. Mom had moped for weeks—for months—after Dad left them. Bella planned to do everything exactly the opposite, forever reminding herself that Mom’s path was not hers. Heartbreak wasn’t going to destroy her. Dad wanted her to live a full, happy life, so that’s what she was going to do.
“I’ll be back,” she said as she walked over to Lucy and bent down, hugging her puppy and kissing her on the nose. “I have to go open a safe deposit box. Grandpa left us some money.” She stood, opened the closet, and grabbed a tote bag, setting the shoebox inside before she locked up again.
Hurrying to the car, she looked up when a movement caught her eye, and watched Reed punching the heavy bag in his home gym. She got in the driver’s side and took off without glancing in the rearview mirror the way she wanted to. Today she was taking her life back even if her heart wasn’t in it at all.
Chapter Fifty
Bella closed the front door behind Lucy and hurried to the kitchen, pulling the flourless chocolate cake she’d made off the top shelf. She grabbed a cold tote from the freezer and put the dessert inside. “I really think the ladies are going to l
ike this one. I mean, I don’t see how they couldn’t. It’s dark chocolate,” she explained to her puppy as she glanced at the clock, wincing when she realized she was now half an hour late for girls’ night. Ms. Sanderson had been extra chatty after her stretch mark reduction therapy, putting Bella even further behind than she already was. Typically, she would have had everything ready to go—plates, napkins, and plasticware waiting on the counter for a quick after-work pickup—but over the last few days, she’d found herself struggling to get out of her own way. Waking up at five to bake when she’d barely slept again last night had been its own feat. “You have no idea how sorry I am that you won’t be able to have any of this. It’s a crime against nature that dogs can’t indulge in chocolate—particularly females.”
Lucy wagged her tail as she sat by the table.
“I’ll bring you a couple of treats to make up for the injustice. And plates,” she whispered to herself as she headed over to the pantry, plucking up the package she’d bought at the store as her phone started ringing. “I bet they’re wondering where I am.” She moved quickly into the living room, frowning as she snatched her phone up off the entryway table, not recognizing the number on the screen. “Hello?”
“Bella Colby?” a woman said.
Her frown deepened as she listened to some sort of yelling and commotion in the background. “Yes, this is Bella.”
“Bella, this is Teresa, Bonnie McKinley’s nurse.”
“Oh. Yes. Hello.”
“I’m so sorry to call, but I’m having a little trouble. I can’t seem to get ahold of Linda or Reed, and Bonnie’s quite beside herself.” Something smashed in the background. “Bonnie, calm down.”
“I won’t calm down. I want Bella. Call Bella.”
Bella walked to the window, looking toward Reed’s place, hoping he might have come home during the last few minutes, but his truck was still gone. “Teresa, why don’t you put Bonnie on the phone?”
There was another large crash and the line went dead.
“Hello? Hello?” She grimaced as she looked at Lucy. “That can’t be good.” She called the number back and got a busy signal. “Shoot. Lucy, come on. Aunt Bonnie needs our help.” She ran into the kitchen for her dessert and hurried to the car. Exchanging her sundress for shorts and her new fun, flirty top wasn’t going to happen with her abrupt change of plans. “In you go, sweetie.”
Lucy settled in her spot.
“Good girl.” She put the tote in the trunk and headed toward the McKinleys’, worrying because she had a solid ten-mile drive to tackle before she could get there. Who knew what was going on, but based on the troubling phone call, Bonnie’s nurse had her hands full. Giving the gas an extra punch, she made it through several yellow lights, then sat impatiently through two red. Twenty minutes later, she pulled into the driveway and let Lucy out, then ran to the house as fast as her high heels allowed and rang the doorbell.
A petite blonde who wasn’t much older than Bella opened the door. “Can I help you?”
“Teresa, I’m Bella Colby.”
Teresa closed her eyes as she exhaled a quiet breath. “Thank you for coming. Bonnie’s locked herself in the bathroom, and I can’t get her to come out. I think I might need to call the police.”
“No.” She shook her head adamantly. “Let’s see if we can handle this on our own.” She stepped inside with Lucy and stopped dead as she stared at the shattered lamps and broken picture frames on the floor.
“Bonnie knocked them off the shelf while we were listening to the radio. “My Girl” came on, and she’s been agitated ever since.”
“That was special to her and her husband.” Bella hurried down the hall to the bathroom and knocked. “Aunt Bonnie—”
“Go away!”
“Aunt Bonnie, it’s Bella.”
“Who’s Bella? I don’t know Bella. You’re the devil, I just know it.”
Bella tucked her hair behind her ear as she licked her lips, not quite sure what to do. “Aunt Bonnie, Lucy’s here,” she tried, shrugging as she looked at her puppy. “Speak, Lucy.”
Lucy barked.
The crying in the bathroom quieted.
“Aunt Bonnie, Lucy wants to see you. Speak again, Lucy,” Bella whispered.
Lucy barked twice.
“Lucy, is that you?”
Lucy barked again.
The lock turned and Aunt Bonnie came out with tear-streaked cheeks, but she was grinning. “Lucy, there you are.”
Lucy wagged her tail.
Aunt Bonnie laughed and petted Lucy, then gasped as she made eye contact with Bella. “Well, Bella, what on earth are you doing here, honey?”
Bella relaxed her shoulders and smiled. “Lucy and I thought we would come see you.”
Aunt Bonnie hugged her. “I’m still going to be your bridesmaid?”
She ignored the hitch in her heart and made herself smile again as she nodded, returning her embrace. “Of course you are.” She kissed her cheek. No matter how things had ended between her and Reed, she still cared for his family. “Would you like me to do your hair?” She brushed her fingers through Bonnie’s disheveled locks, fixing them as best she could. “We can add some curls.”
“No, I want you to take me to the beach. We’re going to go for a nice walk.”
“Oh.” Bella blinked her surprise as she looked at Teresa. “Are you up for the beach?”
“Not her.” Aunt Bonnie pointed her finger at the poor, harried nurse. “She’s not going to the beach. Just you, Lucy, and me. We’re the only ones going to the beach.”
“Okay,” Bella soothed her, taking Aunt Bonnie’s hand. “We’ll go to the beach. Just the three of us.”
“Of course we will.” She let Bella go and started down the hall. “We’ll have a nice stroll. I should write a note for Mason, though. He gets worried when I leave and don’t tell him where Kurt and I are going.”
Bella followed, stopping to pick Bonnie’s glasses up off the floor. Bonnie could probably use a change before they left. Her cotton pants were wrinkled and there was a tear toward the bottom of her shirt, but that was the least of their problems right now. “We can leave a note.”
Teresa hurried after them. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Bella glanced around at the mess. Staying here didn’t seem like a better alternative. “We’re going to be fine. I have my phone. You can try Linda again and let her know what’s going on. We’ll be gone for an hour or so.” She smiled at Aunt Bonnie and slid her glasses back on her face. “You’re going to have to sit in the back seat.”
“That’s just fine. I love that fancy little car of yours.” She laughed as she looked out the window. “We’ll keep the top down—just a couple of girls having our own adventure.”
Tonight that sounded good—more low-key. She adored her friends, but the idea of girl talk, which would undoubtedly include relationship updates, was more than she wanted to deal with. “Do you want to leave your note?”
Aunt Bonnie frowned. “What note, honey?”
Sighing, she wrapped her arm around Bonnie’s waist. “Let’s go check out the water.”
Bonnie hurried them along to the car and hopped in back, buckling up as Bella let Lucy in. “I’m ready.”
She chuckled as she got behind the wheel. “Here we go.” She drove Bonnie through the busy rush hour traffic toward her favorite spot, making certain the radio was off, even if she didn’t typically listen to the oldies station. Bonnie was finally calm. She had every intention of keeping her that way.
“I just love the breeze in my hair. The sun feels so good. Where’s Reed today?”
Bella gripped the steering wheel tighter. It looked like Reed was going to be a topic of conversation regardless of where she spent her evening. “Um, he’s working.”
Bonnie shook her head as she clucked her tongue. “He works too much. Linda worries about him out on those mean streets every day, pretending to be someone he’s not. It’s a dangerous element he deals with
—dangerous.”
Bella made a sound in her throat as she slowed for their turn, assuming Bonnie believed Reed was still a cop. “Here we are.” She pulled into a parking space, hoping they might focus on the gorgeous hues of deep blue and stunning white sand that went on for miles. She didn’t want to talk about Reed anymore. As it was, she thought about him too much no matter how hard she tried not to. “So, what do you think?”
“I think I might be in heaven.”
She opened her door and let Aunt Bonnie out, keeping a cautious eye on her the way she would a small child.
Aunt Bonnie breathed deep and smiled. “I love it here.”
She smiled back. “Me too. How about a walk in the sand?”
“But my shoes.” Aunt Bonnie lifted up her sneakered foot.
Her mind flashed back to the first night she’d invited Reed to join her at the beach—when he’d assured her he wasn’t much for sand in his socks. Everything had been so wonderful and simple. Their beginning. “We can take them off.” She slipped off her pale yellow pumps and tossed them in the back seat. “Kinda like that.”
Aunt Bonnie laughed. “All right.” She gasped. “Lucy’s run off.”
Bella whirled and relaxed when she saw Lucy barking at the gulls. “She’s okay. She loves to chase the birds.”
“She looks like a horse.”
“I’ve always thought a moose.”
Bonnie laughed again as she nodded. “A moose.”
Bella helped Aunt Bonnie take off her socks and shoes, then hooked her arm through hers as they began to walk. Breathing deep, she let the salty air and wind soothe her as the strong breeze played with her hair. “This is my happy place.”
Deceiving Bella: Book Eleven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series Page 54
