Wild for You (Crave Book 2)

by C. C. Wood

  "Right now, you're going to eat junk food and let me cheer you up. Then, eventually, you're going to get through it. And Brody is going to realize that he's an idiot and kick himself in the ass. Repeatedly."

  If he didn't come to that conclusion on his own, I would be happy to help him reach it.

  "You think?"

  She sounded so sad that I really, really wanted to do something about it, mainly track Brody down and tell him what a horrible person he was, but I couldn't leave her right now. She needed me.

  "I know," I answered, tapping my drink against hers.

  We ate our pizza, drank our Dr. Pepper, and watched Food Network until late into the night. Finally, when Cam started nodding off, I cleaned up the mess on the coffee table and in the kitchen and tucked her into bed.

  I tried to go to sleep myself, but I couldn't.

  That's how I found myself with my phone in my hand a little after two a.m.

  I shouldn't text Ben. He was asleep and he probably wouldn't hear the message.

  Even as I listed all the reasons I shouldn't do it, I found myself typing out the message.

  I'm back in town. I'm ready to talk whenever you are.

  I was going to leave it there, on my phone, and send it in the morning. But my thumb moved of its own accord and hit the send button.

  Shit.

  Well, there was no taking it back. I waited for a few minutes and when there wasn't a reply, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it hadn't woken him up. He'd see it in the morning and realize how desperate I was, but it gave me a few hours to come to terms with it.

  I turned off the lamp and put my phone to the side, settling into the bed for a nice long night of insomnia. I figured I'd lie here for the next hour and try to fall asleep and if that didn't work, then I would read or something.

  I closed my eyes but they popped open again immediately when my phone chimed.

  I was afraid to look, I really was, but I did it anyway.

  I lifted the phone and saw that Ben had answered my message.

  Call me tomorrow. We'll set up a time to talk.

  I was both relieved that he'd replied but also freaked out by what he'd said. My brain immediately started ticking away, analyzing that short text and the possible subtext of his words.

  While I was glad he hadn't ignored me, I worried that this wasn't going to end well for me.

  I steeled myself. Either way, I had to find out. Knowing was better than sitting here torturing myself about what he might or might not say.

  I barely slept that night, as I expected. When I woke up and shuffled into the kitchen that morning, I found Colette there, eating breakfast with Cam at the bar.

  "Good morning, Sierra," she said.

  I tried to answer with real words but only managed a grunt.

  I shambled to the coffee maker and stuck a pod in the machine. I pressed the button and tried to blink my eyes back into focus. God, Cam was right. I had to start sleeping more than two or three hours a night.

  I jumped when Cam appeared beside me and stuck a mug beneath the spout just in time to catch the first few drops of coffee from the machine.

  "Thanks," I murmured.

  That would have been messy.

  "You okay?" she asked.

  My stomach twisted. Here was my friend, who had just had her heart broken, and she was asking me if I was okay. God, I didn't deserve such a good friend. "Too much pizza kept me awake last night," I lied.

  "You mean it wasn't the text you were waiting on that came through at 2 a.m.?"

  Tears filled my eyes. Crap. She'd heard. I looked at her, begging her with my gaze not to talk about it in front of her mother.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," she said, touching my shoulder gently.

  I gathered my strength and closed my eyes, willing the tears away. They were gone when I lifted my eyelids. "It's okay. I'm okay."

  "I'm sorry I dumped on you as soon as you got home. Whatever it is—"

  "Not right now, okay? I can't talk about it now. Go eat your breakfast before it gets cold." I shook my head and focused on the coffee pouring slowly into my cup.

  Cam gave my arm one more gentle squeeze before she went to sit back down at the counter and eat with her mom.

  I knew I should talk to Colette and Cam. Make polite conversation. But I just didn't have it in me this morning.

  I crossed my arms on the counter and bent at the waist to rest my forehead against them. I wasn't just physically tired. I was exhausted down to my soul.

  As soon as the machine quit hissing and spitting out precious caffeine, I added sugar and creamer to my cup and carried it out of the kitchen with me.

  After the coffee, if I was feeling better, I would work. Since I'd quit my job, I could put together plans and lists for Crave. Cam wanted to expand her business and if I could talk her into it, I'd be working with her. I knew she would want to pay me but that would mean a pay cut for herself. So, I needed to make sure that she wouldn't have to do that.

  I put my coffee on the nightstand, gathered my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head, and stretched out on the bed with my laptop in front of me.

  I needed to call Ben, but I was going to wait a little bit longer.

  Mostly because I needed to gather my courage.

  I would call him this afternoon, I decided. It would give me time to shore up my bravery.

  I had no idea how long I'd worked, but at some point, I'd dozed off.

  A soft knock on my door woke me.

  "Come in," I called.

  Cam stuck her head in the door and choked on a laugh. "You alive?" she asked.

  "Barely," I mumbled into the comforter.

  "Could I bribe you to look up something for me?" she asked. "I'll make you a cup of coffee."

  "Only if it's a big one."

  "That's what all the girls say."

  I had to bite back a smile. "Shut up and tell me what you need. Then go make me some coffee."

  Cam sat down on the bed next to my hip. "I got a letter from my mortgage company a few days ago saying that my loan had been sold. I didn't think much of it until I got another one today from the bank that carries my car loan. It's been sold as well. To the same company."

  I lifted my head. That definitely smelled fishy. "Well, that's interesting."

  "Think you can dig up some more information on who owns the company?" she asked.

  I shot her a sideways glance. "Contrary to popular belief, I cannot hack into any and all systems. However, you could probably Google the company and find that out on their website. Or at least who the CEO and COO are."

  "Gee, you're so helpful."

  Actually, I was helpful. And if I thought it was necessary, I would do more than use Google and social media. But that was Plan B. Plan A was to utilize means that weren't illegal. "Give me a sec and I'll see."

  I typed the name of the company into the search bar and started clicking through pages until I found a staff list, complete with pictures.

  I turned my computer toward Cam and asked, "Recognize this guy?"

  "Ronald Shelton? No, but—"

  Interesting. Okay, so she didn't know him. I turned the computer back around and opened another tab, this time to Facebook. I was betting Ronald Shelton was a Facebook man. "Hmmm. Let's see what social media has to say about Mr. Shelton."

  "Is my internet speed even fast enough to keep up with you?" Cam asked after I'd been typing away for a few minutes.

  I glanced at her. "I got this."

  I continued to search until I got to his photos. I scrolled through the few that were there and then huffed out a laugh.

  "See someone you know?" I asked Cam, turning the computer toward her again.

  I didn't know what Monica looked like, but how many Monica Murphy's could be involved when it came to Cam? Especially since Brody's ex was giving him shit, which meant she was spreading that to Cam by association.

  "According to the caption on this photo, Ronald Shel
ton is Monica's uncle. He owns several companies, including the loan company that bought your mortgage and car loan."

  "I guess this is the playing dirty thing that Monica mentioned. I honestly didn't think she had it in her. I mean, I expected something, but to me "playing dirty" is TPing someone's house, egging their car, or forking their yard. Maybe letting all the air out of their tires."

  Cam shook her head as she stared at the screen, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

  "Forking their yard? Sounds kinda dirty." I pointed out.

  "I'm surprised you didn't already know about that kind of thing. It's right up your alley. Lee's brothers did it to Coach Turner when she was in high school and he screamed at her after a track meet. You stick plastic forks in the yard and break them off in the ground. It can mess up your yard and lawnmower."

  "Whoa. What did the coach do?"

  "He caught them right after they finished the first box of a hundred. They spent the next day using needle-nose pliers to pull them out of the ground. Then they mowed and trimmed his yard," she answered, a smirk on her face.

  "I have got to meet Lee's brothers," I said. "They sound like kindred spirits. Avenging wrongs. The only difference is I don't get caught. And I usually mess with things like their email or social media accounts or lock them out of their bank websites. So what do you think her plan is?" I asked, looking back at the computer screen.

  "They're probably going to call in my loans," she answered, her voice dark.

  "Can you pay them off?"

  "My car loan, yes. My house, no way," she answered absently.

  I stared at her as my brain worked quickly. My first instinct was to offer to help, but I knew she would resist taking it. Cam was incredibly stubborn that way.

  "What?" she asked, her eyes wide.

  "I'm afraid you're going to get upset with me if I say what I'm really thinking, so I'm trying to come up with a better way."

  "Just spit it out," she said with a sigh.

  "Will you let me help you? Please? I have the money to pay off both those loans for you."

  "I can't take your money," she said with a shake of her head.

  I flung my hands up in the air and groaned. God, why was she so damn stubborn?

  "But I would be happy to set up a contract that includes a repayment schedule and an interest rate."

  Wait, what? I blinked at her several times as my brain tried to digest her words. Was she actually going to accept my help? Yes, she was.

  I smiled. "I'm okay with that. As long as you let me give you a really fair interest rate. Something low. How do you feel about zero percent?"

  "You aren't going to give me a zero percent interest rate."

  "Fine. One percent."

  "I'm paying four percent on my house right now and three-point-five on my car. I'm not taking advantage of you with one percent interest," Cam said with a roll of her eyes.

  It was time to bring out the big guns.

  "Okay, I'm going to be completely honest with you. No matter what interest rate or loan term we agree upon, any interest you pay me will go into a savings account and be spent on your Christmas and birthday gifts every year," I told her.

  "God, you're so cheap you'll use my own money to buy my gifts!"

  "Zero percent and you don't have to worry about me spending obscene amounts of your own money on you every year."

  "Why are we friends?" she asked, both frustrated and amused.

  I had to shrug. "I'm not sure. You're the only person besides your parents who's willing to put up with me."

  "Fine. Zero percent, but the term length will reflect the lack of interest."

  "Awesome! Then you'll have your house paid off in fifteen years instead of thirty."

  "How long do you think it will take to have the paperwork drawn up?"

  When I tried to answer, she wagged a finger at me and said, "We will have an official contract, drawn up by your business manager or lawyer, or whoever handles this sort of thing for you."

  "Well, I don't really have anyone who handles things for me except for Mr. McFadden who disperses my trust and keeps an eye on my investments."

  "Then ask Mr. McFadden if he can do it or recommend someone."

  "Look, Cam, I trust you to pay me back," I explained.

  "I know you do, but I don't want to take advantage of you, so we're going to do it this way."

  It was clear that this was a battle I wasn't going to win. "Fine. Can I go back to my contemplation of my inner eyelids?"

  "Of course."

  I started to lean back, then thought better of it. If the sale of her mortgage and car loans had gone through so fast, then Monica might decide to pull some shit before we could get our act together. "Actually, I'm going to call Mr. McFadden now. I have a feeling Monica will move quickly on this."

  "Maybe, maybe not. Brody broke up with me, remember? She probably thinks she's won." Cam took a deep breath before she said, "Because she did."

  She paused for a long moment then her entire demeanor changed.

  "That ass. I can't believe him. I can't believe he didn't talk to me about all this before it got this far," she murmured.

  "Who?" I had a feeling I knew who she was talking about, but I wanted to be sure.

  "Brody Murphy. He thought he was being all noble and saving me like some damsel-in-distress."

  Oh, I could totally see Brody doing something like that. Believing that he was breaking up with her for her own good, like some sort of white knight protecting his maiden. God, why were men so ridiculous?

  I smiled at her. "Are you going to set him straight?"

  "Damn, right."

  22

  Cam didn't go see Brody right away. No, she wanted to surprise him. It wasn't until the next day that she arranged to have a meeting with him just before lunch.

  I had to admit, I was impressed with her sneaky skills. Cam was usually so forthright and honest that I'd forgotten how manipulative she could be when she put her mind to it.

  It was probably my fault because I was a bad influence.

  After her "appointment" with Brody, she was going to meet me at the bank so we could handle the transfer of funds so she could pay off her mortgage. Mr. McFadden, bless his heart, had done what I asked with little fuss and quite quickly.

  He'd known me for years and knew that Cam was like a sister to me, so he didn't even bother to try and talk me out of my plan.

  I could tell she was keyed up when she came into the bank, but I couldn't ask her what happened. There were too many people in the bank and most of them were trying, and failing, to listen to every word we said without letting on that they were.

  It wasn't until we got home and had the door shut behind us that I turned on her and asked, "What happened? I can't tell if you're pissed or unhappy or if it all worked out."

  Cam huffed out a laugh and answered, "A little of all three." Her eyes were pained when she said, "I hate to ask for more since you've already given me so much, but I still need your help. And so does Brody."

  My eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure I want to help him," I answered honestly.

  "He's trying to protect me, but I won't let that bitch control his life for another second," she answered, her voice vibrating with anger.

  Oh, she was definitely more than a little pissed.

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What bitch?" I assumed she was talking about Monica, but I wanted a little more clarification.

  "His ex," she said, confirming my suspicions. "She wants him back and she's threatening his custody of Jacks to get him to fall in line."

  I couldn't control the lift of my eyebrows. That was shocking considering how much disdain she'd shown for him so far. "Seriously? That sounds like one of those TV dramas you're always watching."

  "I wish it was fiction," she answered on half a laugh and half a sob.

  "What do you need me to do?" I asked.

  "You know those hacking skills you mentioned?"

  I grinned and knew
I likely resembled the Cheshire cat. "What hacking skills?"

  "I know she's got secrets, Sierra," Cam said as she stepped closer. "Will you help me by digging them up? If we have something to hold over her head, we can get her to back off of Brody. And Jacks. She's hurting them both with her bullshit and it has got to stop."

  "Oh, hell yeah. No one fucks with my best friend and the people she loves."

  Cam visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

  I hated to point this out, but it had to be done. "You do realize that if I'm digging into his ex, I'll probably find stuff out about Brody too, right?"

  "I know," she answered with a nod. "Whatever you dig up, I'll deal with it. I love him enough to do that."

  I believed her. Cam had a good head on her shoulders and an even better heart. She was one of the most forgiving people I'd ever met. I only hoped that I didn't find out anything that would convince me that Brody Murphy wasn't good enough for my best friend.

  "Let me get something to drink and I'll get started," I said.

  "I'll get it. You want coffee or cherry Coke?" she asked.

  I really wanted coffee but any more of that and I would be bouncing off the walls. "Cherry Coke, please."

  I headed toward the bedroom to get my laptop. When I reached the mouth of the hall, she called my name. I glanced over my shoulder and she said, "Thank you."

  I shrugged. "Not necessary. What are a few felonies between friends?"

  This time when she laughed, it wasn't smothered with tears.

  It took seventy-two hours of digging through every crumb of Monica's personal life and even her parents' and uncle's lives. I catnapped a few hours here and there but I stayed at it until I got everything Cam needed.

  And I was more convinced than ever that Brody Murphy deserved a good woman in his life. And so did his daughter, Jacks.

  His ex-wife was a piece of work and not in a good way.

  When I finished my search, I hadn't slept more than a handful of hours in three days. My vision was blurry and my head ached. I wanted to call Ben because he'd asked me to call him days ago, but I was in no shape for the conversation that I needed to have with him.