Not today, though.
Today she only takes an egg and some cherry tomatoes.
All the times when she had nothing but a fucking apple for breakfast, she was watching her weight. Whether it was a conscious decision, I don’t know. I don’t think so. She was doing it from day one, before she remembered Alex.
It took me a while to make her eat three healthy meals a day. She started gaining weight when we were together, but now she’s back thinking she’s not good enough as she is.
And I have no idea how to fix it...
23
HAILEY
“We had this idea that Alex took you to the bank to either drop off the evidence, or show you that it’s there,” Broadway says, walking me through the night of my accident.
He grabs Ryder’s laptop, setting it beside my plate. In three clicks, he pulls up a map overlayed with a labyrinth ofXs and lines.
“This is where you crashed,” he says, pointing out a spot. “And this is your house. Now this... this is where the car was stationary for a few minutes.”
“The bank,” I say so he knows I’m following.
“Yes, exactly. It’s high rollers only. Deposit boxes, private vaults, top-notch security.”
My finger hovers over the spot, before trailing along a line that ends where we crashed. “I was with Alex at the bank...” I whisper.
“So it would seem,” Ryder confirms. “The car doesn’t stop anywhere else. Well, aside from the tree it wrapped itself around not twenty minutes later.”
“Yeah, and then Alex is dead, you lose your memories, and we’re hunting evidence,” Broadway finishes, slapping the laptop closed just as Carter comes out of the control room, his temper no longer scorching hot. “Do we need more reasons to check the one lead we have, Boss?”
“It all fits, Carter,” Koby chimes. “You can bet your ass Alex showed Hailey how to access the deposit box in case things went sideways.” He looks at me for support. “You said he was getting paranoid, right? That flashback you had at Noretto’s...?”
“I don’t thinkparanoidis the right word given he was right. Why do you assume he was dropping the evidence off? What if he picked it up?”
Carter moves Broadway out of the way, taking a seat beside me. “If he did, it would’ve been in the car when you crashed. You didn’t stop anywhere else.”
“So? Can we check the fucking bank now?” Broadway asks, raking a hand through his hair. “You know we should’ve done it ages ago. We need to start ticking things off the list. And if things go south and Vaughn does take it out from under us... I think I have an idea.”
Carter narrows his eyes at him, a nonverbal conversation passing between the two men. I have no hope of understanding what’s going on, but the other two catch on without an issue.
“Bold,” Koby muses, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth.
“What?” I ask, looking between them.
“Broadway’s suggesting using you as blackmail,” Carter explains, knocking the breath out of my chest.
Not because ofwhathe said, but because hesaidit. The cold, hard, brutal truth. Instead of discussing it without my knowledge, he’s letting me in, refusing to lie again.
“What would that look like?”
All four heads whip to me so fast it’s comical, their expressions ranging from deep shock to utter amusement.
“Damn... I didn’t think you could ever surprise me,” Ryder chuckles. “I was wrong.”
“I want this to be over as much as you do. Broadway’s right, we can’t wait for my memories to come back. My head’s not playing ball right now. And this place might be bulletproof, but it isn’t soundproof. I heard Broadway say Rhett’s nearly found us.”
“You’re safe, Hailey, I—” Carter cuts in, but I shush him with a wave of my hand.
“I stopped being safe the day Alex walked into my life. It’s worth checking the bank, but if you can’t access the deposit box and we risk losing the evidence, that’s not good. Would blackmailing my dad help?”
