He brings the rim of the beer bottle to his lips and waits for me to continue.
“I spent two-thirds of my trust to buy the shop and kill the deal.”
“What the fuck?” he shouts.
I glance over my shoulder and look up toward the house to make sure nobody heard his outburst. “Christ, keep it down!”
“Logan. There was close to three fucking million in that trust.”
“I know. That’s why I forged the papers to say it was left to me instead.” I don’t tell him that since we’re married, Kelly and I both own it now. That crosses a moral boundary for Camden, and I don’t need to involve him any more than I already have. But in order to explain why I think the stalker is Billy, I had to give him something.
He turns back to looking over the water. “Who knows about the money?”
I take a sip from my beer. “Dad knows. And Billy.”
“How did you not kill that motherfucker on the spot?”
“I wanted to.Fuck, I wanted to. But between taking over the business, being there for Kelly after Clyde passed, not to mention my own fucking grief, I just didn’t have the energy. I needed to put my focus into Black Rabbit to make sure we didn’t go under.”
“Well, what’s stopping you now?”
“He was smart enough to take the money and run. Always talked about moving out west?—”
I nod. “When he sent that letter, guess where the PO box was?”
“Bozeman,” Cam answers.
“Not Bozeman, but a city less than two hours away.” I let my beer dangle precariously over the water, holding on to the lip by my fingertips. All the work I’ve put in the last few years has leftme in a similar position as the bottle in my hand, barely hanging on. “I’ve busted my ass to build Black Rabbit into something bigger. I had to in order to keep it afloat when Clyde Everhart was no longer the main draw. To keep his legacy going.
“We’re worth more now than we were years ago . . . I think he’s going to blackmail me for more money. He sent me a letter recently—well, he addressed it to Kelly—but it went to the shop instead of her house. I don’t think those messages about being replaced are meant for Kelly, I think they’re meant for me.”
“Shit.” Cam blows out a breath.
“He knows the best way to motivate me is through her.”
“Yeah, and you’ve proved him right by handing over millions, you stupid fuck.”
I shrug. In retrospect, I should have buried this whole thing.Would have been cheaper to fund a second funeral.I won’t make the same mistake this time. “I didn’t see any other choice, and I didn’t have time to come up with something better. It’s not like I could prove anything to his lawyers. I had to buy him out or we would have lost everything.Kellywould have lost everything.”
He takes a drink and tips his bottle. “What else do you know about the guy?”
I grasp my beer in my palm so it doesn’t fall. “Not enough. I’m hoping he’s out west and staying there. I can deal with the fucking DMs until then, as long as it’s nobody nearby who could hurt her. But I’m unable to do anything until I find out where he’s living exactly.”
Cam huffs. “Look, if he’s far, then you’ve got a little leeway. Don’t go all Lenny and the mouse on her. If she feels like you’re trapping her, then she’ll want to leave. I know your instinct is to protect, but you have to give her space to breathe, or you’ll lose her entirely. She’s probably freaking out as it is. It’s safer to give her a leash.”
I shake my head. I don’t like those options.
“Have you installed cameras at her place?” he asks.
I don’t tell him I’ve installed the attic door sensor. “Not yet.”
“Might want to do that sooner rather than later. Just in case,” he says. “Was Bozeman the last message you received?”
I nod. “Kelly is talking about going to the police in case it’s just some asshole in the industry trying to fuck with her.”
He shrugs. “She can go to the police, but . . .”
“But?”
