“Being a grown woman has nothing to do with it.Someone broke into the cabin and left a disturbing message for you in the bed they somehow knew you slept in.That’s unsettling, Poppy.I won’t try to downplay that for you.I hate that we don’t know who it was, but I assure you that they won’t get close to you again.It’s okay to be upset about it.You don’t have to hide your emotions from me, Poppy.This is a safe place for you to feel all of the feelings you keep trying to push away.You’re always going to be safe with me, baby.I promise.”
She looked up at me as her lower lip trembled.Then she closed her eyes, tears rushing down her face as I held her in my arms and let her fall apart the way she needed to.
I didn’t know what time it was or how long Poppy and I had been asleep after she drifted off in my arms, but the sound of Travis snarling immediately woke me up.I jolted, my eyes quickly scanning the room as I gently pulled my arm out from beneath Poppy.She stirred slightly, rolling onto her side as I quietly got out of bed and grabbed the gun from my nightstand.
Travis stood, putting his full weight on the front of his body as he cowered and stared at the bedroom door.He snarled louder, this time waking Poppy.
She rolled over, her eyes quickly assessing the situation as she sat up and pulled the blankets with her.I lifted a finger to my lips to tell her to stay quiet as I took a few steps toward the door.Travis stood beside me, continuing to snarl.
Before we got into bed, I’d given Poppy the other gun, making sure both were fully loaded before we went to sleep.It had been a just-in-case precaution that now suddenly seemed necessary.She threw the blankets off as she climbed out of bed and grabbed her gun.
While the thought of someone trying to hurt her raced through my mind, I felt confident that she could handle herself.If Gage was willing to compliment her aim, I did not doubt what she was capable of.
I took a few more steps, moving slowly and keeping my steps light so the floor didn’t creak beneath me.While I had installed new carpet when I first moved in, it didn’t change the fact that the cabin was old, and the floors still creaked, regardless of how much padding I put down.
I took a deep breath, lowered my shoulders, and glanced at Poppy one last time.She had her gun steady between her hands with a look of confidence on her face that was sexy as fuck.I ignored the heat that rushed through me as I pulled the door open slowly and kept my gun aimed in front of me.
The hallway was empty as I stepped into it with Travis at my side.He kept his guard up, surprising me with how well-behaved he was and with the sudden protective instincts.I walked slowly, checking each room as Poppy followed behind.We worked pretty well together, both moving in silence while having each other’s backs.
I was about to check the guest room when I heard a loud bang on the door.I pulled back and swiveled, aiming my gun in that direction as I took the stairs two at a time.This inevitably triggered Travis, who began barking and howling.So much for staying in stealth mode.
I ran the rest of the way down the stairs, determined not to let whoever it was get away.I got to the door and blew out a frustrated breath when I remembered that I had boarded it up.I didn’t want to look out the window and get shot in the face, given I didn’t know who was waiting on the other side of the door.
The banging had been hard to distinguish whether they were trying to break into the house or—
Suddenly, the sound came again, a solid knock before I heard a voice.
“Poppy, this is Officer Kearton.I really need to speak with you,” the voice said from the other side.
I tucked my gun behind my back as Poppy rushed down the stairs and stood beside me.
“The door is secured.Give me a minute,” I said loudly, recognizing the voice and name of the female police officer who had come to deliver the news about Dale’s death.
I quickly worked to pull the wood from the door while Poppy kept her gun aimed and ready, just in case.While they sounded like Officer Kearton, it was hard to know for sure until we saw them.Not only that, there was no telling if she had come willingly on her own—and better yet, why she would come in the middle of the night.
I pulled the board off and looked at Poppy, who nodded before I unlocked the door and pulled it open.
“I’m so sorry to show up unannounced in the middle of the night, but I really need to talk to you,” Officer Kearton said.Her eyes were wide as she looked past me to Poppy.
Poppy lowered the gun but didn’t put it away as Officer Kearton stepped forward, not coming inside the house but just close enough so we could hear her.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what you mentioned about the offshore account Dale had opened with you as the sole beneficiary.I had a friend of mine who lives in Coyote Creek do some digging, and apparently, it wasn’t just an offshore account he opened.Several were opened under different business names at a bank in Coyote Creek.Recently, all of them were changed to remove his business partner, as well as his name.You were added as the sole owner instead.”
Poppy stepped forward, keeping the gun at her side before tucking it behind her back.Thankfully, Travis had stopped barking and laid quietly beside me.
“I didn’t sign any paperwork to be on any accounts,” Poppy said, shaking her head.“I only had one account there, and it was a checking account so that I could get direct deposit.The only time I ever stepped foot inside any bank in Coyote Creek was to open it when I first moved there and got hired at the salon.”
“Well, it seems you now have several.”
“Why would he remove himself from the accounts and leave me as the sole owner?”Poppy asked.
“My guess is because he caught wind of the FBI finding the offshore account.If he were trying to hide funds, then he would need to immediately remove his name from those accounts so they couldn’t be linked to them.Worse yet, if you were the only person on the account, he could turn around and try to frame you.”
Poppy shook her head as she tried to process the news.
“What does that even mean?”Poppy asked, more to herself than as an actual question.
“It means that Dale crossed someone and now they’re going to come for you,” Officer Kearton warned.
