Dirty, Reckless Love

by Lexi Ryan

  I shiver hard and feel myself tremble. “I don’t do that anymore.”

  “You don’t have to do anything. I want what you’ve already done. I want the Bauer paintings or the money I could make by selling them.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. They were stolen.”

  He arches a brow. “Don’t you? Honestly, Ellie, it doesn’t seem like much to ask in exchange for Colton’s future.”

  “How much?”

  “The paintings? All of them.”

  “How much cash?”

  “One million in cash, and I’ll leave you and my son to raise my bastard grandchild without my interference. Otherwise, you might find your baby daddy being taken away for murdering his father.”

  Levi

  Ellie is the last person I expect to see at my house, but when I walk in the door from the gym, there she is, sitting on my porch, wringing her hands as she waits for me.

  “Ellie? Is everything okay?”

  “I need help.”

  I step toward her. “What happened?”

  She doesn’t meet my eyes. “Colton’s in trouble.”

  I freeze at the sound of his name. “I see. You wouldn’t be here to see me if it weren’t about him. I’m only allowed in your life when you need something from me.”

  “I know this isn’t fair.”

  Not fair? I’ve felt like someone was slowly sawing me in half since the moment I saw that ring on her finger, and now she’s here because she wants my help. Fair is nowhere in sight. “Colton is always in trouble, Ellie. Don’t you see that yet?” I shrug. “And I’m out. He’s a big boy who makes his own choices.”

  She jumps off the porch chair and rushes over to me, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “This is different. He’s going to clean up. We just need to help him one more time. You know how dangerous his father is. I can’t do this on my own.”

  I yank my hand from her grasp. “Fuck that. If you want to spend your life with a man who’s going to constantly need bailing out, that’s on you. But when you’re struggling to pick yourself up again next time or the time after that, just remember that you had a choice and you chose him.”

  She steps back and lifts her chin. When she looks into my eyes, the dull blade in my chest twists. “Forget I said anything,” she whispers. “I shouldn’t have come.”

  Then she walks to her car, and it takes everything in me not to chase after her.

  Ellie

  Colton wraps me into a hug the second I walk in the door. He’s in a good mood tonight. I can tell by the way he moves. “What took you so long?”

  “I got held up at my listing.” I pull out of his arms before he releases me. I’m weary and not in a snuggling mood.

  “Really? How come?”

  I close my eyes. I might as well tell him. “Why did you think you could get away with blackmailing your father?”

  He blinks then gives a long, resigned sigh. “Because he’s a fucker who needs to pay for what he’s done. I have the dirt on him. I have proof of the money he was laundering through the gallery. Proof of cars he sold on the black market. Of dirty favors you wouldn’t even believe. Why let him ruin Molly’s life when I don’t have to?”

  I shake my head. Colton’s always been too proud for his own good. He thinks he can handle every injustice himself, like he’s some superhero. Nelson’s about to prove otherwise. “Why not just go to the cops? Tell them everything he did to her so they can arrest the sick asshole?”

  “You don’t think that would disrupt Molly’s life? You think she wants everyone to know that her slimy stepdad touched her? You don’t think my father would fight it with everything he had? He’s one of the most powerful lawyers in this town. Everyone owes him favors, and he always makes things go his way.” He shakes his head. “I couldn’t go to the cops, not when he controls them. I had to deal with this myself. And it was simple. I let him know I’d hand over evidence of his criminal dealings if he didn’t leave town for good.”

  I wrap my arms around myself. I don’t like Nelson any more than Colton does, but I maintain a healthy fear of the man. “You didn’t think this through.”

  His face twists into a sneer. “I hate that I didn’t protect her from him. Hate that I wasn’t there to see what was happening. I always thought he was weird about her. What grown man worships a little girl like that? I should have seen it. I should have known.”

  “Even if you lived there, you might not have known. Ava was there, and she never suspected anything. Ava still thinks Noah is yours.”

  “I know. Molly will probably tell her the truth eventually, but it’s going to be hard for her. Even though Ava has a tough relationship with our father, she still idolizes him. It won’t be easy information for her to handle.”

  “Nelson caught me alone at one of my listings earlier tonight,” I say softly, and when the blood drains from Colton’s face, I quickly add, “Nothing like that happened, but . . .”

  “What did he say to you?”

  “He said I have to give him a million dollars or he’ll stage his own death and frame you for it.”

  “Bullshit!”

  I shake my head and realize all of me is shaking. I’ve held it together so well since seeing Nelson, but now I’m starting to fall apart. “I’m not willing to call his bluff on this.”

  He laughs. “So, what, you’re going to give him a million dollars instead?” When I don’t answer, his laughing face goes hard. “Don’t do it, Ellie.”

  “It’s too late. I’m meeting with Tate tomorrow to see if he wants to buy the Discovery collection.”

  “You mean the fake Discovery collection. The one that could ruin your life.”

  I shrug. “I’d rather take my chances with Tate than Nelson.”

  “Fuck that,” he growls. He grabs his keys off the table and storms away, slamming the front door behind him as he goes.

  Friday, September 7th

  When Tate Andrews walks into Ooh La La!, he’s as beautiful as ever. He’s one of those guys who only gets more handsome as he ages. The wrinkles around his eyes draw attention to the depths of his irises, and the gray at his temples makes him look sophisticated. But instead of sending butterflies dancing in my belly, the sight of him makes my whole body go tense. Because when Colton stole those paintings for me so Nelson couldn’t sell them, I promised myself I’d never return to the ethical muck of Tate’s world.

  But here I am.

  “God damn, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” he says, taking a seat across from me. “I’ve missed you, Ellie.”

  “I’ve missed you too,” I admit, dunking my tea bag. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me today.”

  “You think I’d have passed up this chance?” He frowns at my cup. “Since when does Ellie Courdrey drink tea in a coffee shop?”

  I open my mouth to provide an excuse, then shake my head. I need to get used to telling the truth. “Since I got knocked up. It’s decaf.”

  His eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. “You’re pregnant?”

  I nod and put my hand over my stomach, remembering the sound of my baby’s heartbeat. I’m doing this for you, peanut. “Crazy, huh?”

  “That’s wonderful. Congratulations. I didn’t even know you were married.”

  I drop my gaze to my tea. “I’m not yet.” Mustering all my courage, I meet his eyes. If he wants to judge me for this, he can. “I did things out of order, I guess.”

  “Pssh. Who says there’s a right order?” He studies me and shakes his head. “You’re going to make an amazing mother, Ellie. I have no doubt in my mind.”

  My chest warms. I’m trying so hard to do all the right things. I’m trying to be an amazing mother by saving my child’s father. By any means necessary. “Thank you, Tate. That means a lot to me.”

  “I mean every word, and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call. And I mean anything, Ellie.”

  “You’re too good to me.”

  His brown eyes soften
. “Do you ever miss the art world?”

  I shrug. “Sure. Art was my first love. Who doesn’t miss her first love from time to time?”

  “Have you ever considered coming back?” When I don’t answer right away, he says, “You have considered it. Of course. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

  “Kind of, but I’m not here for a job. I’m here because I’m looking to unload Bauer’s Discovery collection.”

  Folding his arms on the table, he leans forward. “You’re kidding me. The originals?”

  I shrug. I keep telling myself I’m doing the right thing. That this won’t come back to haunt me. Tate will sell them to an international buyer with a vast private collection, and no one else will ever know they exist. I can’t trust Nelson to take such care with my future. “Sure. We can call them that.”

  “You naughty girl.” He wets his bottom lip with his tongue, and I can see the hunger in his eyes. Other men get that look when they’re turned on. Tate gets that look when he thinks he’s going to score a priceless piece of art—or a convincing forgery. “And what exactly did you bring me here for?”

  “Would you be interested in obtaining the collection?”

  He bites his knuckle. “I want to grab this opportunity and run,” he says, “but instead I’m sitting here wondering what kind of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into.”

  “The worst kind of trouble,” I admit. “And this is the only way I know to get myself out of it.”

  Saturday, September 8th

  There’s a man at my door flashing his badge.

  My day was long, made longer by the fact that I haven’t been able to get hold of Colton since he stormed out of my house two days ago. I’m so worried about him, and I’m afraid Nelson’s already done something terrible. Despite Tate’s interest in my forgeries, he refused to buy them. Instead, he insisted that it wasn’t worth putting myself at risk to pay off Nelson McKinley because Nelson can’t be trusted. He insisted that I call the police and tell them that Nelson’s alive and threatening to fake his own death and frame his son.

  Tate was so worried about my safety and so convinced that Nelson would try to bring down Colton either way that he turned down the opportunity to more than double his investment on the Discovery collection.

  My hands are shaking so hard. I just have to keep telling myself that I’m so close. It’s almost over. Everything will be okay soon. I wanted to talk to Colton before I called the detective, but I can’t wait any longer.

  I open my door. “Hello?”

  “Ellie, my name’s Detective Huxley. Thank you for calling.”

  “Thank you for coming.” I pull open the door, and he gives me a soft smile as he walks in. I wrap my arms around myself. Everything will be okay soon.

  “Where’s Colton?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. He hasn’t been home in two days.”

  The detective arches a brow. “Like father, like son?”

  God, I hope not. I shrug. “I don’t know.”

  “I understand you have some details on Nelson McKinley’s disappearance.”

  “Nelson’s alive,” I blurt. I throw my hand over my mouth, but I’m already crying, tears leaking out of me just like the truth. “He’s trying to blackmail me, and I’m afraid he’s killed Colton or worse.”

  “It’s hard to kill a man you can’t find,” he mutters.

  “What?”

  “I’m sure Colton’s fine.” The detective smiles at me. “Listen, I need some information from you. I need to know where Colton hid the hard drive.”

  I frown. No one knows about the hard drive. I know I didn’t mention it when I called Huxley and asked to talk. I didn’t tell Tate about it or anyone else. “What hard drive?”

  “The one with the evidence he has against his father.” He smiles and squeezes my shoulder. “It’s okay. Colton told me everything.”

  I release a breath and feel the weight of these awful secrets lift off my shoulders. “When did you talk to him? I’m so worried about him.” Did Colton tell him about the hard drive? He didn’t even tell me. I found it locked in our safe deposit box after he stormed out. After my meeting with Tate, I decided to hide both the hard drive and the paintings. I can protect us from Nelson without turning over anything that would implicate Colton or myself.

  The detective is wandering around the living room, looking under the couch, behind the TV. “Don’t you worry. I’ll be sure to track him down.” He points toward the hall. “Bedroom is this way?”

  “I . . . Yes?”

  He heads down the hall and flips the lights to the bedroom. When I walk into the room, he’s pulled all the drawers from the dresser and dumped them out on the bed. Is this normal? If he’s looking for evidence, shouldn’t he be wearing gloves or taking pictures or something?

  “What are you doing?”

  “Colton has evidence I need.” He lifts his head, and I notice a red-rimmed glaze to his eyes that I’m all too familiar with. This man is high and growing more and more agitated with each drawer he dumps out. “Where the fuck is it?”

  The edge in his voice has me backing up a step. “It’s not here.” I wince when I realize I’ve said too much. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Bullshit.” He spins on me and brings the back of his hand against my cheek so hard that it sends a blinding flash of pain through my head.

  I cup my cheek in my hand. “I want you to leave.” Why did I let him in my house? Why didn’t I go to the police station? “I don’t have what you’re looking for.” I run back to the living room, heading for the door, but I feel him behind me.

  “Where is Colton hiding it? Where did he put it?” A smack across my face, and this time there’s something hard in his hand—the butt of a gun connecting with my skull. “I don’t want to have to hurt you.” Another smack and I fall backward, my head slamming against the floor. “I won’t let that punk ruin everything.”

  Ellie

  Sunday, October 28th

  Levi turned Colton in. Betrayal turns in my chest like a hot blade.

  I personally won’t believe that Nelson McKinley is dead until I see a body, but now they have evidence. They have reason to believe Colton is guilty of the very worst. I might believe it too if the evidence didn’t also implicate him in my assault. That makes me not believe any of it.

  I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t even notice we’ve passed the police station until we’re on the other side of Jackson Harbor.

  “Where are we going?” I turn to the detective, and his blue eyes flash with anger before he can hide it with a smile. “We’re just going on a little drive. Sorry I’ve been so quiet.” He waves a hand. “Go ahead and talk to me. What do you remember?”

  “Where the fuck is it?”

  The words. Huxley’s angry sneer. It’s a blip. Like the memory of a dream where the pieces don’t fit together. Huxley’s gentle smile and then his angry eyes. The back of his hand slamming into my cheekbone.

  I inch toward the door, desperate to put space between this man and me without letting him know what I remember. I slide my phone from my purse. “Not much, unfortunately.”

  “That’s all right. We’ll get there.” He pulls his gaze off the road for a beat and winks at me. So fucking suave. A charming and dangerous man. Not unlike Nelson. “Start at the beginning.”

  His radio squawks as the dispatcher says, “The Jackson property has been searched but there’s no sign of the suspect.”

  Huxley reaches forward and turns it off before I can hear more.

  I wake up my phone and settle it onto the seat beside my leg so Huxley can’t see me pulling up the text-messaging app.

  “Oh, here we are,” he says, hitting his turn signal. He pulls into the gravel lot of a storage facility. “Remember this place?”

  “No,” I lie. I do remember. Tate convinced me not to accept any deal with Nelson, so I got this storage unit and hid the Discovery collection and Colton’s hard drive. “
I’m so sorry.”

  He grins. “There’s a storage unit back here with a few of your belongings. I thought it might help you get your memories back.”

  I return his smile and pray mine is convincing. “What a good idea.” With shaking hands, I tap my screen to send my location to Levi.

  Just as I send it off, Huxley pulls into a parking spot. “Get out of the car.”

  Levi

  “She’ll forgive you,” Molly says. “Just give her some time to come to terms with everything.”

  My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I frown when I see the message from Ellie. “Why would she send me GPS coordinates?”

  Molly shrugs. “Maybe she did it by accident.”

  I tap on the link, and my phone automatically pulls up a map indicating a storage facility outside of town. I stand. “I have to go, Molly. I think she’s in trouble.”

  She laughs. “But she’s with Detective Huxley. Surely a member of law enforcement would be able to keep her safe.”

  Once, I might have thought so. But until we have more answers, I can’t trust anyone. I dial quickly and put the phone to my ear.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “The police.”

  “To tell them what? That Ellie’s been abducted by one of Jackson Harbor PD’s finest?” The smile falls from her face. “Is that really what you think? Huxley’s the bad guy?”

  I don’t answer. I’m already on my way out the door.

  Ellie

  “You’re smart, you know?” Detective Huxley unlocks the storage unit with a key on his key ring. “Getting this unit under your sister’s name? She has a different last name than you, and I never would have thought to look for it until I paid a visit to your mother. She was kind enough to let me search the belongings you left behind, and I found a key to this place. From there, it was as simple as going through storage unit agreements until I found one under a name that seemed familiar.”