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I was about to check the voicemails and see if they had more info, when my phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize.
Uneasiness clawed at me as I answered. “Hello?”
“Evie? Hey, this is Xander Haddar. I got your number from Alys.”
None of that made me feel better. “What’s up?”
“Did you decide to sell your hardware store?” He asked.
So much for small talk. Though given the question, I was glad he cut right to it. The acid in my gut was churning up a storm. “No.”
He muttered something I couldn’t make out over the road noise. “I have a series of alerts for several of the buildings on Main Street,” he said. “I like to keep an eye on the properties, so I know if they hit the market, things like that.”
That made sense.
“Your store went up for auction earlier.”
I couldn’t have heard Xander right. That wasn’t… I still had time. I had until the end of the month. Maddox was taking care of things.
The things I’d discovered online a few days ago rushed back. People with loans like mine, situations like mine, having their property sold out from underneath them. “What do I do? How do I stop it? Buy it? Something.”
Gage shot me a concerned look.
“You don’t.” Apology hung heavy in Xander’s voice. “Bidding closed at three. The winning bidder was one Sawyer Rawlings.”
What?
No.
“If you can find out how it happened, I might be able to help,” Xander said.
“I don’t know what happened.” But I did. Sawyer…
No.
This wasn’t right.
“I’ll let you know.” I managed to keep my voice cool. “Thank you for calling.” I hung up on Xander before I could hear his response. I wanted to be numb, but the disbelief was starting to ache.
“What’s wrong?” Gage’s voice barely penetrated the fog filling my head.
Everything. The world was ending.
No. I wouldn’t let it. I told him what Xander told me.
Gage pulled over to the side of the road, and turned the hazard lights on. “It can’t be right. Xander’s wrong.” He sat there, staring straight ahead.
“What else is there to think? There aren’t a lot of other explanations.” I didn’t want it to be true. I wanted so badly for Sawyer to be who he said. Who I saw when we were having fun.
“I don’t know.” Gage shook his head. “But he does. Did you listen to all his messages?”
No. I pulled up the first voicemail and let it play.
“You need to call me back the instant you get this. You’re about to lose your property. They’re selling it out from underneath you, and you need to put a stop to it.” Sawyer’s voice filled the cab.
That didn’t explain anything. He’d tricked me.
No. That wasn’t what the message said. I needed to call him back. I needed him to tell me this was bullshit.
