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Glancing down at my list, my eyes widened as a thought struck. I was scared to look, but I needed to know if I was right.
Going to the mortgage lender’s website, I typed in our information, holding my breath as I waited for the page to load. The air whooshed from my chest when I saw what I’d suspected, and I covered my mouth as tears blurred the words.
Paid in full.
Pendingwas highlighted beside the words, but that didn’t stop them from hitting like a punch to the gut. My entire body trembled as I struggled not to cry like something terrible had happened.
Someone had paid off our debts. The house, Momma’s medical bills, the past-due electric. When I checked, even the one small credit card I had was paid off, leaving only the regular monthly bills I would always have.
Leo.
There was no other explanation. No one else had that kind of money, nor any reason to spend it on us.
Onme.
Some of the bills might be in Momma’s name, but I was the one who managed them and worked for the money. I was the one responsible for the debt once I’d had the doctor give me the letter stating Momma wasn’t capable anymore.
My chest tightened as I tried to choke down the lump in my throat.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to sob. I wanted to throw things and rage at the way he’d taken the option of doing it on my own away from me.
And I wanted to drop to my knees and weep at the relief coursing through my veins. The guillotine of debt and worry had hung over my head for so many years I hadn’t noticed how heavy it was until it was lifted.
It took a moment to remind myself it wasn’t gone. The debt was still there. Simply… refinanced, under one lender.
I swallowed hard, straightening in my chair as the first of my coworkers returned from lunch. Blinking away tears, I pasted on a fake smile like all was right in the world, even though pressure was building inside once again.
The banks and companies I’d owed were known entities. Bound by legal constraints.
Leo was a law unto himself. I didn’t know what he wanted from me, or how far he was willing to go to get it.
And I couldn’t stop the thrill it sent up my spine knowing he’d already gone this far to have me.
Chapter Ten
Cadence
It was my night off from the diner, and since Leo still refused to answer my messages, I decided there was only one option left. Despite the weight of what I now owed him, I couldn’t fight the thrum going through my veins at the thought of seeing him again.
I waited until both Momma and Michael had gone to bed, and while I usually would have been trying to catch up on sleep, I found myself pulling into the parking lot outside the same warehouse where I’d sold my virginity less than two months ago. It took a moment before I could bring myself to exit the car and make my way to the opening that led inside.
When I approached the guards I had a second of worry, but I figured Leo knew I’d be coming at some point since it was the only option he’d left me. I definitely wasn’t going to go to his father’s office again, nor show up at his home.
Lifting my chin, I handed my ID to the guard standing in the doorway.
“I need to see Leo. He’s expecting me.”
I had to shout to be heard over the music pouring from the open doors, but it helped hide the tremble from the nerves. The guard glanced from me to my ID before catching his partner’s attention and jerking his head toward the inside.
Passing my license back to me, he turned and stepped into the club without a word. I hadn’t been sure my half-truth about Leo expecting me would work, but I was glad it did. I stayed on the guard’s heels, not bothering to look around as we made our way to the stairs that led up to the balcony, trying to block out the assault of noise and scents filling the lower floor.
I was expecting to follow him to the back and through the doors that led to the less public area of the club, so I was surprised when he angled in a different direction and took me to a seating area beside the bar.
Three couches framed a low table, alphas in suits reclining on each. When the guard stopped and nodded his head at the far one, it took a moment for me to get past my confusion and realize it was Leo sitting there.
The determination I’d had to talk to him melted away, replaced by the fear that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Maybe he hadn’t meant for me to come to him? Should I have waited until he was ready to contact me?
