“Rocky probably has those.”
“Rocky,” I mutter, because of course. I exhale. “I just… this isn’t like you.” Is this some sort of midlife crisis?
He pauses. His shoulders sag.
And the look he gives me—God. It nearly knocks the air out of my lungs.
“After we talked. I don’t know. I just felt like I had to do—something.”
We talked. He doesn’t have to spell it out.
My throat tightens. I turn away, fixing my gaze on the dresser, the mirror, anything that isn’t his face.
Because I didn’t mean it the way he heard it.
But I can’t take those words back.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. It’s small. Inadequate. All I have.
“Me too.” His voice is rough.
I hate seeing him like this, because it plants a seed of doubt in me.
He isn’t arguing. He isn’t trying to fix it. He’s just… being honest.
Like he’s still absorbing it. And I can’t right now…
“Well,” I say finally, swallowing hard. “What’s done is done.” I gesture toward the closet, pretending we’re still talking about the tattoo. “The first aid kit’s in my suitcase.”
I move before he can say anything else.
Right now, leaving is the only way I know how to breathe.
But when I reach for my laptop, Beckett’s phone—left on the desk—lights up with an incoming message.
Unknown Number:
Rec’d your email from Kemper to bypass PIPE Lock-up restrictions. To make the deal stick Candy wants more.
I read it twice.
I don’t know what lock-up restrictions are. PIPEs, I know, are some kind of investment. But… what deal? Of what? And who is Candy? Maybe it’s just financial language I don’t understand? Probably?
I set the phone back where I found it, my hand unsteady. “You know where the boys will be?” I call toward the bathroom, aiming for normal.
“By the kids’ water pad,” Beckett answers.
“Right. Okay.”
I slip into the hallway and let the door click shut behind me. Then I take my phone out and searchFinance PIPES.
The first result is a basic definition:Private Investments in Public Equity.
I kind of remember that… but… I key in:lock up restrictions PIPE
And that’s when my heart just kind of drops. Because the results list all kinds of red flags. Securities fraud, market manipulation. Insider trading…
What is Beckett involved in?
