Page 171 of Wild Card

Then another doozy slams into my memory. “That night at Tom’s… with Talon…the kiss… You told my brother.”

Bex shakes her head. “Not until much later. We still have a best friend code.”

“Okay, one more question. How did Mom know?”

“She most likely figured it out before I cut her off.” Chase’s assumption would mean Mom has known for a while.

“You deserve an award for Best Acting Performance.”

“Yeah, an award,” Chase grumbles. “Let’s not go there.”

“Is it alright, Wills?” Bex asks with returning uncertainty.

“I didn’t see it coming and may have acted a little selfish. Now I can’t think of anything more amazing. My gross brother and my beauty queen best friend make a picture-perfect couple.”

Relief and joy wash over her features and she leans into him. “He’s not that gross.”

“Thanks, babe.” He rolls his eyes. “Glad to know I’m not disgusting.”

“Added bonus, he has a precious little boy.”

“Yeah, it’s a package deal. Speaking of, where Is Wyatt?”

“He’s with Dad and Talon.”

“Talon’s at work.”

“Yeah, Dad took Wyatt up there to show him around the station. We have time. Put us to work.”

I glance around, gesturing to the boxes and bags. “We’ve mostly gotten it all. That is the last of the trash.”

“How much did Rylee destroy?”

His question shouldn’t shock me, but it does. “How’d you know?”

He cocks his eyebrow and shoots me his‘are you shitting me’look.

“Do you also know about paying Joseph? And she blames me for her downfalls?”

His stare doesn’t waver.

“Of course, you know all this. Dad is also using it to cover all the damage she caused as well as Wolf’s veterinary bills.”

“As it should be,” Bex snaps. “She should go to jail.”

“She still may. We cataloged the items she took and the amount she destroyed. Altogether, it’s worth about fifteen thousand.”

“Fuck,” Chase hisses. “I thought she took a few handbags and knick-knacks.”

“Dad made me log everything. She wrecked the main living areas, but it was my stuff she damaged. My bedding, toiletries, make-up, etc. I discovered she stole the jewelry Joseph gifted me. I’d put it away, not wanting a reminder of him. When we got in here on Tuesday, Talon had a list of things for me to inventory. The jewelry is gone.”

“And all that equaled fifteen K?”

“Well,” I leer sadly at a box on top. “She destroyed a lot of my clothes.”

Bex gasps, dropping Chase’s hand and yanking me into her. She understands I’m not saddened by the loss of my scrubs. “Your Lulu!”

“My Lulu,” I confirm.

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