I hold up my unchained hands. “Yes, but I’m a free nerd.”
As we drive off and make our way through town, I’m feeling elated. Never better. I might not have any scavenger hunt money, but I have something better. Something worth far more than any inheritance. Kayla.
With a grin I can’t control, I glance over at her. She adjusts the rearview mirror a few times and my nerves immediately stand on end.
“What?” I say.
She frowns. “I thought I saw that black car again.”
I look out the back window but there are no cars behind us. “Are you sure?”
“No. It was just a glimpse. It could have been a different car.” She checks the mirror again.
I inhale, feeling unsettled as hell. “There’s no one behind us now, though. So relax. You’re safe,” I say. “You have me, remember?”
She smiles at me. “You’re right.”
I smile back but every nerve in my body stands on end the entire drive home. When we get there, Kayla parks in the dark and I try to keep her distracted with trivial conversation as we climb through the window. But my mind is spinning and I can’t keep my eyes from darting around the dark house as I hold Kayla’s hand and keep her as near to me as possible without alarming her.
We head to the stairs and just as I prop my foot on the first step, a deep, unfamiliar voice says, “Hello, Kayla.”
We turn around and I instantly tuck Kayla behind my back as I face off with a tall burly man with greased back hair, a skinny mustache, and a large potbelly.
“Who the fuck are you?” I demand, lifting my chin so he and I are almost at eye level.
He presses his fingers together in a steeple. “My name is Big Joe and I am the private lender of a personal loan Gia Turner secured with me. In her passing, Kayla is now the responsible party and I’m here to collect.” He looks at Kayla, thrumming his fingers.
“Get the hell out of my house,” I say in a commanding voice that sounds more confident than I feel.
“I’m afraid that won’t be happening until I get my money,” he says.
“Get out or I will call the cops.”
He inhales through his nostrils. “I’m pretty sure that won’t be happening either, since you obviously don’t own this house and therefore have no right to kick me out of it.”
“I already told you, Joe,” Kayla says, half-hidden behind me. “I don’t have any money.”
“Well, you see, that’s a problem. Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money. It’s the kind of money that doesn’t get forgiven just because someone eats too many pills. So you will pay off your mother’s debt. And if you don’t have the cash, then I’ll settle for our alternate arrangement of you working for me without pay.” He steps closer to Kayla and smiles lewdly.
My voice is low and menacing. “Back the fuck up. Now.” He’s got a few inches and a few dozen pounds on me, but I will fucking tear him apart if he even breathes in Kayla’s direction.
He steps back, but only an inch. “You need to come back to Chicago with me, Kayla.”
“No,” she says.
“No?” He rubs his steepled fingertips together. “No is not an option. You can say no all you want, but that won’t keep me from getting my money. I’ll drag you back by the hair if need be.”
I flex my jaw and step right up to him. “You’ll be in a shallow grave before you get anywhere near Kayla’s hair.”
He eyes me. “Big words. I’m not a fan of shallow graves, you see, so unfortunately for you, I brought some insurance.”
He tips his head at something, and suddenly four figures creep out from the shadows of the house and surround the base of the stairs where Kayla and I stand. One guy I could handle. Two would be hard, but doable. But five on one? I can’t win with odds like that, and a fight would only rile this guy up. Who knows what he’d do to Kayla if he was angry?
“Say good-bye to your boyfriend, Kayla, before someone gets hurt,” Big Joe says. “We need to get on the road.”
One of the goons reaches for Kayla’s arms and I knock his hand away, stepping in front of her more fully.
I look at Big Joe. “Let’s talk this out. You need twenty thousand dollars, right?”
He nods.
“Will you accept payment in diamonds?”
“Of course.”
“And if you get your money’s worth, you’ll leave Kayla alone—forever?”
He shrugs. “I have no business with Kayla other than her mother’s debt. If she pays up then I’m gone for good.”
I nod. “Kayla,” I say quietly, without turning to look at her. “Go get my mom’s necklace.”
I hear her suck in a breath. “But Daren—”
“Nothing in this world is more important than you—especially not a piece of jewelry,” I say in a serious tone. “Go get it. Please.”
A beat passes then she hurries up the stairs. I hear her shuffle down the hall and through my room, my eyes on Big Joe the whole time. She comes back downstairs with the familiar box and hands it to me.
Our eyes meet when I take it and, right here, in this crazy moment, I know what real love looks like. What it tastes like, smells like. I know what real love feels like, and it feels like home. It feels like Kayla Tuner, believing in me. It feels like everything I’ve ever done right in a pair of bright blue eyes. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. No necklace, no amount of money, not even the very last breath pulled from my chest is more important than the girl standing beside me.
I hand the box over to Big Joe. He opens it and examines the string of diamonds with small noises of approval.
He slants his eyes to me. “This is a hefty piece of bling. You might be ripping yourself off here.”
I glance at Kayla. “Not even a little.”
I have the most priceless thing in the world.
Big Joe inhales through his nose again. “Tell you what. Me and my associates here will leave the two of you unharmed tonight, and I will arrange for these diamonds to be authenticated by someone I trust. If these are, in fact, real then the two of you will never see me again. However, if these diamonds are fake, and you’ve wasted my time, you will see me again and there will be much…” He eyes Kayla then me. “Harm. Understood?”
I nod, wishing I had the power to rip his limbs from his body. “Understood.”
“Very well.” He motions to his goons to leave then stretches a smile over his face. “Have a good evening.”
They exit the house and I immediately turn around to face Kayla. “Are you okay?” I touch her head, her arms. I know she wasn’t hurt but I just need to touch her. I lead her up the stairs and away from what just happened.
“I’m fine,” she says, looking at me in concern. “But you just gave away your mother’s necklace—your favorite memory.”
I shake my head as we reach my bedroom. “It was a token of a happy time with my parents, nothing more. There’s no amount of diamonds I wouldn’t give up for you.”
“Daren…”
“I’m being serious.” I step closer and hold her face, swallowing. “I know this sounds crazy, but I love you, Kayla Turner. And I’ve never loved anything more.”