Hayden turned the radio on low as they cruised back to Coleville. He stopped prodding and asking questions, and she stared out the window trying to wrap her head around how things could’ve gone so horribly wrong.
“I have nowhere to go,” she announced out of the blue. All day she didn’t even think about not having a place to come home to. “I rented out my trailer to some guy.”
“Really?” Hayden asked with raised eyebrows. “You can stay with me. I actually have my own place now. An apartment on the north side of town.”
Stormy nodded with gratitude as tears filled her eyes, but all she really wanted was to go back home to the house Jett had bought her.
Hayden pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building about an hour later and pulled her bags out of his trunk. She followed him to his front door and then inside. His place was spotless and neat, though he didn’t have a ton of stuff. Some nearby boxes indicated that he had just moved in.
“My dad got me this place,” he said. “Just living here while I finish up my last year of school.”
“Thanks for letting me stay here,” she sighed. “Thanks for picking me up.”
“Stormy, you know I’d do anything for you,” he said. “Anything. Seriously.”
“I know,” she said as she nodded.
It was almost midnight and she was glad that the long day was nearing an end.
“Do you care if I crash on your couch? I’m so tired,” she said.
“Make yourself at home,” he said. He stepped down the hall to retrieve a pillow and blanket for her and stood with his hands on his hips as he watched her get comfortable. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll just be right down the hall.”
She flipped the light off and curled up on the couch. Never in a million years did she imagine she would be sleeping on her ex-boyfriend’s couch back in good, old Coleville. Just a day ago, she was lying in the arms of the man she thought was going to love her and take care of her the way that Jett did. Her life was just getting started again, and now she had taken ten giant leaps backwards. Grief, guilt, and remorse had gotten the best of her when she lease expected.
She reached into her purse on the floor and turned her phone on. She hadn’t bothered checking it since she turned it off after she first boarded the plane back in L.A. It felt like an eternity as the phone took its sweet time firing up. Once the signal was found again and the screen was loaded, she saw that she had no less than ten missed calls from Ryder and various text messages, all saying he needed to talk to her, he missed her, he was worried about her, and he was confused.
Her eyes burned hot again as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was too tired to cry any more than that, though, and passed out within minutes. She just wanted the day to be over.
The first thing she asked Hayden the next morning was to run her to the bank. She had seen Jett go into that bank many times before, but she never once asked him about their money situation. She knew he had some sort of account there, but she always let him take care of everything. He gave her cash anytime she needed it, which was all she knew. Given all the accusations and the shady business dealings he was involved in, she never found an appropriate time to even ask him about his money. The last thing she wanted was for him to think it mattered. It was never about the money with Jett. Never.
Her flats lightly clicked on the hard, tiled floor of the bank as she nervously approached a teller.
“May I help you?” the teller asked in a flat tone as she looked Stormy up and down.
“Yes,” Stormy said. Her mouth was dry and her hands trembled. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous, and she didn’t even know where to begin. “I needed to check into an account that was under my late husband’s name.”
“What’s the name?” the teller asked.
“His name was Jett Jacks,” she said. She hated saying the word “was”.
“I.D.?” the teller asked.
Stormy’s fingers fumbled around her wallet as she pulled out her driver’s license which clearly stated that her name was “Stormy Jacks.”
The teller typed in a few things on the keyboard and clicked a couple spots on the screen with her mouse. She picked up her phone and dialed someone and mumbled a few inaudible words.
“We’re going to have you meet with one of our personal bankers,” the teller said with an odd smile. She couldn’t even bring herself to take her eyes off the screen.
Stormy wondered if she was in trouble or if Misty had her account flagged or frozen.
“Mrs. Jacks?” she heard a man’s voice say. She turned to see a tall, slender, gray-haired gentleman in a navy blue suit and red striped tie standing in the lobby. “This way, please.”
His smile was nice, but he still made her nervous. She could feel her brow sweating and her heart was racing as she followed him to his office.
“Please, have a seat,” he said as he motioned to a chair and closed the door. “Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?”
“No, thank you,” she said. She was too scared to even think about drinking anything.
“Let me just pull you up here,” he said as he clicked around on his computer. “There we go.”
Stormy sat up straight in the chair and crossed her arms as she waited for him to say something.
“So,” he began. “You are what we call a Platinum Customer.”
“I am?” Stormy asked, puzzled. She felt a wave of relief rushing over her the minute she realized this private meeting was a good thing.
“Your husband left a pretty sizable account here, and you’re listed as his beneficiary,” he said. “Were you aware of that?”
“No,” Stormy said. “I wasn’t. I knew he had something here, but we never discussed dollar amounts.”
The banker turned his screen to show her and pointed to a little box that held the numbers: $397,699.08.
Stormy about fainted when she saw that Jett had left her an account with almost four hundred thousand dollars in it. She gripped onto the sides of the chair and repositioned herself as she cleared her throat. The banker could sense that she was uncomfortable.
“You really had no idea this account existed?” he asked, bewildered.
“No,” she said with a gulp. She couldn’t bring herself to say any more than that.
“Well, it’s all there,” he said. “Earning interest daily I might add. We have it enrolled in our highest yielding savings account, reserved only for our Platinum Customers.”
“So no one can take that money?” Stormy asked. “Like his mom?”
The banker looked confused. “No, you are his beneficiary. You are entitled to the full amount unless otherwise specified in his will.”
Stormy thought for a while and realized that if Misty had the chance to wipe the account clean, she would’ve done so two months ago when Jett first died. There’s no way she would’ve left that money just sitting there for the taking.
“If you want, we can have you talk to an investment banker,” the president stated. “We could get some good investments going and you could eventually live very comfortably off the interest of that money.”
“Thanks for the offer,” she said. “I need to do some thinking. Can you guarantee that no one can touch this money for now?”
“We can freeze the account if you want. Or we can split it into another account,” he said.
“Can you move it into an account that’s solely in my name?” she asked. Jett left her that money for a reason. He promised her she’d always be taken care of. It wasn’t even about the money for her, it was about creating a new life. This was a gift from Jett, and she was going to travel the world with it one way or another. She’d be damned if she let Misty even have a chance at taking it back. She had already taken enough from her. If Misty got any whiff of this money, she’d be knocking on Stormy’s door every day needing something.
“That we can do,” the banker said. He seemed pleasant and non-judgmental, and she appreciated that. He
grabbed a logoed pen and an application and sat it on the desk in front of her.
As she filled out the paperwork, an unusually warm, happy feeling came over her. It wasn’t about the money, it was about Jett taking care of her, just as he always promised her he would do. He was a man of his word until the very end.
As soon as she finished her business, she returned to Hayden’s Jeep which was waiting out in the parking lot.
“You all good?” he asked.
“Yep,” Stormy said with her best poker face. She was going to tell no one about the money; not Brooklyn, not Hayden, and not even her parents. She would wait until the time was right, but for now, she needed to figure some things out.
Four hundred thousand dollars could go a long ways in Coleville. She could buy a house, a reliable vehicle, and take her time finding a good job. She could start fresh, which was all she really needed anyway.
CHAPTER 23
Two weeks had passed since Stormy had returned to Coleville. She was still shacking up with Hayden, but things were one-hundred percent platonic. Hayden was doing a great job at keeping her spirits high and keeping her distracted from everything that was going on.
Her second day back in town, she showed up at Brooklyn’ place and got the much deserved lecture she so knew was coming to her. Brooklyn showed her some tough love, but ended her talk with a hug as always.
Her third day back in town, she showed up at her parents’ house. They were shocked to see her, but not shocked to hear that it didn’t work out. Amazingly they refrained from saying “I told you so” and pretended like nothing had happened. They asked very few questions and showed their support.
The rest of her days were spent paling around with Hayden, playing video games or watching movies with him, and engulfing books while Hayden was away at class. She helped decorate his place a little bit and cooked him some meals, but she kept her distance from him emotionally. He had become a good friend to her, which she hadn’t expected.
Ryder had called her every single day for the first week, but then the calls suddenly stopped. Stormy wasn’t sure if she was relieved or bummed that the calls stopped. She was as confused as ever. Her head told her to stay far away from him, but her heart missed him more than anything. He didn’t deserve to be left in the cold that way, but she had panicked. How could she explain that to him?
Most nights, she’d lie on the couch under the covers and think about all the sweet things Ryder had said to her or the passionate way he kissed her or how he wanted to take care of her. She thought about how he sought justice for Jett’s killer, even though they were estranged. He never stopped loving his brother. Then she thought about how dangerous the MC life was and how she needed to get far, far away from all of that. Still, for whatever crazy reason, she missed him, and it only got worse with each passing day.
She would never admit to anyone that she missed him, but it was all she thought about. She thought about him all day, every day. He was the first thing she thought of when she woke up and the last thing she thought of when she went to bed.
That Saturday night, Stormy and Hayden ordered pizza, drank cheap beer, and played video games. In the midst of one of the games, Stormy’s phone lit up and buzzed on the table.
“It’s that scumbag,” Hayden seethed. “Let me answer it.”
“No,” Stormy said, but it was too late. He had already picked up her phone and slid the bar across to answer it.
“Listen you little punk,” Hayden yelled. “Stop calling Stormy. She’s over you, man. Move on. You fucked up.”
“Hayden!” Stormy whined. “Why did you do that?”
Hayden pulled the phone away from his ear. “He hung up anyway.”
He sat the phone down and continued playing the video game like nothing had happened. For a split second, Stormy felt bad for Ryder. He probably just wanted to talk to her, to explain or apologize, and now he knew she was with Hayden. Obviously he didn’t know if they were back together, but she was sure he assumed it. And for another second, she worried that Ryder might send someone after Hayden, thinking they were back together. She knew what Ryder was capable of. He had a lot of power and influence and connections.
She chugged the rest of her beer and tried to forget about it for a bit, but she couldn’t help wanting to talk to Ryder. Her guilt and angst was fading with each passing day, and her self-control was wearing thin. She and Hayden were spending almost every single day together and she knew he would flip out if she reached out to Ryder in any way, shape, or form. He had grown more protective of her than ever, and she was even noticing a possessive streak.
“I think I’m going to go to Brooklyn’s later,” Stormy said.
“Oh, really?” he asked. “Are you sure? It’s getting late and you’ve been drinking.”
“I’ve had one beer,” she said. “I’ll be fine in an hour.”
Their eyes were glued to the T.V. screen in front of them as they kept playing.
“It’s kind of late,” Hayden objected again. He really didn’t want her to leave. He wanted to keep her all to himself.
“I know,” she said. “I won’t be gone that long.”
Hayden was quiet, which Stormy knew wasn’t a good thing, but then she had to remind herself that he wasn’t her boyfriend. Even if he was her boyfriend, it wasn’t his place to dictate when she could see her friends.
An hour later, Stormy was buzzing across town to Brooklyn’s apartment. The last couple weeks since Brooklyn had returned back from L.A., she’d been going out less and less. Stormy suspected it had more to do with her horrible experience with Zander than anything else, but she didn’t know for sure. Brooklyn was probably afraid to put herself out there again and trust another guy.
“How’s it going?” Brooklyn said as she let Stormy in. “No offense, but you look kind of rough.”
“Thanks,” Stormy said with a dry tone. She didn’t need Brooklyn to state the obvious. “I feel rough.”
Stormy took a seat in the recliner and released a big sigh.
“What’s on your mind? Spill,” Brooklyn instructed.
“Are you wanting to know if I’ve heard anything from Ryder?” Brooklyn asked. She nailed it.
Stormy nodded and looked at Brooklyn with pleading eyes.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but he has called me a few times. He’s super depressed,” she said, though she seemed annoyed. “He talks about you nonstop. He’s really confused.”
“Really?” Stormy said as a smile crept on her face.
“You’re not thinking of going back to him, are you?” Brooklyn asked. “Please tell me you’re not going back there.”
“I think I should at least give him an explanation, don’t you? I didn’t even give him that.”
“The douchebag put you in danger,” Brooklyn said as she crossed her arms. “Why do you want to go back to that? He put me in danger too.”
“Call me crazy, but I almost don’t think he’s a bad guy,” Stormy said as she cringed and waited for Brooklyn to bite her head off. “He had honorable intentions.”
“Honorable intentions my ass. You always do this,” Brooklyn huffed. “You paint people the way you want them to be and not the way they actually are. You’re ignoring the facts here. We almost got shot that night and you know it.”
“I think I know him a little better than you,” Stormy snipped. “He wouldn’t have let anything bad happen. He had it all under control”
Brooklyn said. “You asked for my opinion. I’m giving it to you. Don’t get mad.”
“Sorry,” Stormy said. “I just have a million thoughts running through my head right now. And I miss him.”
“Of course you miss him. He was your knight in shining armor. He rescued you when you were at your lowest. He promised you things and whisked you off your feet. Of course you miss that. You miss that fantasy life he projected to you,” she replied. “And he reminded you of Jett.”
Stormy picked at her nails as she avoided Brooklyn�
��s glare. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I’m not trying to burst your bubble. I just think you need to think long and hard before you let him back in your life,” Brooklyn reiterated. “I thought you wanted to get out of that lifestyle, but here you are thinking about delving right back in.”
“I better get going,” Stormy said. “Hayden doesn’t want me out late.”
“Hayden doesn’t want you out late?” Brooklyn scoffed. “What is he, your father?”
“He’s been really protective of me lately,” Stormy defended him. “It’s weird. Whatever. He’s letting me stay with him, so I try not to argue with him.”
“You know, you can stay here too,” Brooklyn said. “I don’t know why you’d want to stay with freaking Hayden of all people.”
The thought of staying with Brooklyn had never even crossed her mind until then. She loved her to pieces but never thought she could actually live with her.
“Would you want me to live here with you?” Stormy asked. “I guess I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Yes, for the love of God,” Brooklyn said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you away from Hayden. He’s freaking obsessed with you. It’s weird. He’s just trying to keep you all for himself. You’ve been back for two weeks, and this is the second time I’ve gotten to hang out with you alone.”
Brooklyn did have a point.
“Yeah, I probably do need to get away from Hayden,” she said. “It’s really confusing to be living with him, but I will say he’s been a perfect gentleman. He hasn’t even so much as tried to kiss me.”
“Aw, well isn’t that just lovely,” Brooklyn smirked. She was such a sarcastic bitch when she wanted to be. “Move in with me. Please.”
“Fine,” Stormy conceded. “I’ll bring my stuff over tomorrow morning. Let me break it to him gently.”
Brooklyn smiled big and wide as she was just thrilled to get Stormy away from Hayden one more time.
Stormy drove back to Hayden’s where he was sitting on the couch in the dark waiting for her.
Resisting Ryder Page 17