Once again, the connection I felt with Nash was just so natural and felt so right. I didn’t quite know what to make of it, so I decided not to worry about it. I certainly had a long list of other worries.
Nash had gone down to his office and returned with a laptop. He was presently working while sipping his coffee. I was busy compiling a list of inns I intended to visit. Using Gabby’s list of recommendations as a starting point, I expanded from there.
My phone chimed on the table where Nash was sitting across from me. Spinning my phone around to glance at the screen, an unfamiliar number blinked at me as it continued to ring.
“Who is it?” Nash asked, his gaze alert.
“I don’t recognize the number. Could just be a robocall. Like everyone in the world, I get plenty of those,” I said dryly.
Nash sipped his coffee and commented, “Let’s see if they leave a message.”
Another moment passed after the ringing stopped, and then my phone chimed with a voicemail. I put it on speaker as soon as I realized it was Brett.
Mari, it’s Brett. I need you to call me a soon as you get this. Use this number.
My eyes met Nash’s across the table. “Well, should I call him back?”
“Absolutely. If you don’t mind, I’d like to call him back.”
“Feel free. I’ve about had enough of talking to him.”
“Mind if I call from your phone?”
“Of course not.”
Nash immediately reached for my phone and tapped to return the call. He put it on speaker, so I could hear the whole thing.
After two rings, Brett answered, “Thanks for calling back so quickly. Look, Mari—”
Nash cut in immediately. “This isn’t Mari, it’s Nash Reynolds. What do you need?”
“Why the hell are you listening to Mari’s messages and calling me back?” Brett asked quickly. I could hear the frustration in his tone and had to bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from snapping at him. As if he had any claim on me, or any right to have an opinion about Nash hearing my messages.
“The better question would be why the hell did you put her at risk?” Nash countered swiftly.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Look, Mari and I are in a relationship. I don’t know why you’re involved in the situation, but it’s none of your damn business.”
Catching Nash’s eye, I arched a brow in question, and he circled his hand in the air with a proceed motion.
I interjected. “Seriously, Brett? It’s none of your business why Nash is involved. He’s helping me because you fucking left me in one hell of a situation. You ran up all my credit cards and opened new ones. In my name. You also fucked me over on the lease on my apartment.”
“Mari, you don’t understand. I need you to remove that credit freeze, so I can have access to those credit cards. They’re jointly in our name.”
He was blatantly lying, and I knew it. “Stop lying, Brett. They’re solely in my name because we've been doing a little digging, pulling my credit report and I saw them. And no, I’m not lifting the credit freeze. As for acting like we have something here—that there’s still a relationship between us—that’s total bullshit. We dated for less than a year. In the last few months, for all intents and purposes we were hardly dating, and you damn well know it. I don’t know exactly why you’re trying to claim differently but it’s perfectly clear to me that you were just using me. Now, I’m worried about some loan shark coming after me since you put me smack in the middle of your mess.”
Thanks to Nash and what passed between us last night, I’d somehow managed to put my fear around that situation far in the recesses of my thoughts. Saying it aloud brought it back forcefully. Fear shafted through me, and cold dread coated the insides of my stomach.
Without a word, Nash reached over and curled his hand over mine. My hands had gone icy cold, but the warmth of his touch helped me catch my breath and put the brakes on the fear revving inside of me.
Chapter 19
Nash
Mari’s hand was icy cold, and I was fucking furious. Not at her, but at Brett and the mess he’d made.
“Brett, Nash here. What the hell is going on?”
Brett sputtered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just need some money. I had a good investment opportunity, and you passed on it. So now, I’m finding a way to deal with it myself. We don’t need you in the middle of this.”
“There is no ‘we,’” Mari exclaimed. “As soon as we straighten out this mess, I have no intention of talking to you ever again.”
I squeezed her hand, and she closed her eyes and took a slow breath.
“Brett, here’s the deal. Mari’s brother is looking into things on the backend. We know you hacked into her bank accounts and falsified applications for credit cards. Last night, I saw a guy who works for a local gang. Specifically, one run by a guy who’s well known as a loan shark. He is not the kinda guy you screw over. Tell me now if you borrowed money from him, because if so, and if you can’t pay it back on time, you’re facing a shit load of trouble. You’ve put a target on Mari in the process.”
Brett’s swallow was audible through the phone line. “I didn’t realize what kind of business it was. I don’t know what the fuck to do,” he finally said after a long pause.
“You’re a fucking idiot. If you didn’t know it before, you can rest assured if no place reputable will issue you a loan, only crooks will. I appreciate your honesty.” Mari’s eyes had gone wide, but I shook my head. She could talk, but I didn’t think it would be helpful at this point. She rolled her eyes and glared daggers at the phone. I continued, “I can be more helpful if I know exactly what the situation is.”
After a little bit of bluster, Brett broke it down. He was looking for money for his stupid investment plan and had made promises to a few other investors. As a result, he borrowed money from this guy to the tune of half a million. No shocker, but now it was coming due, and he didn’t know what the fuck to do.
I didn’t let on that we planned to send the police after him for what he did to Mari’s finances. For now, I needed as much information as I could get so we could figure out what to do on this end.
“All right then. You got yourself in one hell of a situation and put yourself and Mari in danger. I’ll take care of her, but you’re gonna have to take care of yourself. Meanwhile, keep the phone, whether it’s this one or another one, and stop calling Mari‘s phone.”
“How the hell am I supposed to get a hold of her?” Brett asked.
While he and I’d been talking, I had texted my private investigator who sent back a burner number. “Here’s the number to call. It goes to someone who works for me and who can get in touch with me immediately. In the meantime, lay low, and we’ll be in touch.”
After I hung up the call, I met Mari’s troubled gaze, worry creasing her brow. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.”
Mari bit the inside of her cheek and wrinkled her nose as she eyed me. “Brett is such an idiot.”
“I’m not gonna argue that point with you, but let’s just focus on getting through to the other side of this. What were your plans for today?”