My body jerked. “What?”
Cody widened his eyes. “Oh, what? You didn’t think I’d do my research? I really should thank you. You’ve made this so damn easy.” He leaned in closer to me. “I wanted to go about this the right way. Give you a chance to be a family. But, oh no, Jensen Cole thinks she’s too good for me now.”
A sneer stretched across his face. “Instead, she’s slutting it up with some trail guide. You made the wrong choice going for him, Jensen. And now, this is the way it has to be. Five hundred grand. You have two weeks.”
My vision went unfocused. I stood frozen to the spot, only slightly aware of the tinkling of the bell, meaning that Cody had left. I began to shake.
“Jensen.” There was a voice from far away. “Jensen, are you okay?” A hand on my arm. “Let’s sit you down.” Movement. A chair. “I’m going to get you some water.”
Moments passed. “Do you want me to call someone?”
The bell sounded again, and I jolted, blinking furiously, trying to clear my vision to see if Cody had returned. Someone was in front of me.
“Wilder, what’s wrong?”
I couldn’t seem to get the words out of my throat.
The voice sounded just a bit farther away. “What the hell happened?”
I reached out, fisting Tuck’s coat. “Cody’s going to take Noah. He’s going to take Noah, and it’s all my fault.”
Tuck plucked me from the chair, then turned and sat, settling me in his lap. “Cody is not going to take Noah. Tell me what happened.”
Slowly, voice shaking, I recounted everything that Cody had said. Tuck’s body grew tighter with each passing word. “I’m going tokillhim.”
I tightened my grip on Tuck’s coat. “I have to get him the money. But I can’t just pull five hundred grand from my trust. It doesn’t work that way. I’ll have to ask my parents. They’ll help me, right?” My words came faster and faster.
Tuck cupped my face. “Breathe. Just breathe.” He mimicked slow and steady breaths for me to follow. “Please trust me to handle this for you. I’m going to take care of it.”
My gaze locked on Tuck’s. “Are you going to slit his throat and drop him off a ravine?”
Tuck let out a bark of laughter. “As much as I’d love to, no, I’m not.”
I burrowed into his chest. “I trust you.” I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Do you think you could not tell Walker? I don’t want him to lose it and do something that could cost him his job.”
Tuck tipped my head back and brushed the hair away from my face. “I won’t tell Walker yet if you promise to call Taylor and your mom right now and fill them in.” I opened my mouth to protest, but Tuck silenced me with a quick kiss. “You need support right now. They’re it.”
I nodded and pulled out my phone.
Tuck ran his hand under the fall of my hair. “I need to get some things in play to deal with Cody. Are you going to be okay if I leave?”
I straightened. “I’ll be fine. I just need to find my mad and hold onto that for a little while.”
“That’s my girl.” Tuck swept his lips across each temple and then my forehead.
I rose, and Tuck followed. “Be careful.” A feeling of dread settled in my stomach, and I couldn’t put my finger on why.
“Always.” And with that, he was gone.
29
Tuck
I keptmy cool until I reached my truck. When I got inside, I slammed my fist down on the steering wheel so hard it was a miracle I didn’t crack the thing in two. “Fuck!”
Cody had escalated things because I’d been careless. Making out with Jensen in a parked car like we were high schoolers. What had I been thinking? My gut burned. Just another reminder that Jensen deserved so much more. But I wasn’t sure I could walk away.
I blew out a long breath. I needed to focus on the task at hand. I’d made it sound to Jensen like I’d have this whole thing figured out no problem, but I wasn’t so sure that would be the case. The thing I hadn’t wanted to tell her was that shecould notgive this guy money. Could her family afford the payoff? Sure. But if she did that, he would keep crawling back for more. One payoff would never be enough for him.
