Page 132 of Stolen for Keeps
Silence settled between us.
Because we all knew the truth.
This wasn’t just some legal mess anymore.
It was a war.
And it was only a matter of time before Bozeman PD caught her.
38
MAYA
The fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting flickering shadows along the wood-paneled walls of The Sundown. Outside, the wind howled through the trees, carrying with it the distant scent of snow, a reminder that time was running out.
Dom was already at the dining table, unfastening his briefcase with the same calm intensity he probably brought to a courtroom.
Then I heard it, a shout from somewhere beyond the front door.
“Maya!”
I opened the door before Noah could react. “Sheryn?”
She stormed up the porch, fury written in every line of her body. “What the hell, Maya?” Her eyes didn’t even flick to Noah or Dom. She came straight for me. “You haven’t picked up in days. I’ve heard everything from ‘she’s been arrested’ to ‘she ran off to California.’ Do you know what that does to a bestie?”
“I’m sorry, Rynnie,” I said. I’d been such a mess that Iturned off my phone without even thinking of her. “But I’m still here.”
Her hands clamped around my arms like she could pin me in place. “What did you do?”
“Something I can’t tell you,” I said, meeting her eyes and hoping she’d hear what I wasn’t saying.
She followed me inside, not caring who else was in the room. “I can’t lose you again,” she said, her voice trembling. “I still remember the look on your face when they saidguilty.I visited you in that prison. I smiled, cracked jokes, and talked about weddings like it was normal, but it wasn’t. It gutted me. And fighting cancer without you there?” This time, her voice broke. “Nick tried. He really did. But he wasn’t the same. You were myperson.”
I wrapped her up in a hug and felt her clutch tighter than I expected. “You won’t lose me, Rynnie. I swear to God.”
She drew back and stared hard. “Then tell me why.”
I hesitated. “I took the necklace.”
“Why?” She grimaced. “Why would you go back for that cursed thing?”
“Because it wasn’t about the necklace anymore.”
Noah stepped in. “She used the diamonds to help a sick girl.”
Sheryn looked between us. “Maya…”
“Don’t ask more,” I said. “Please. For your own good. I hate asking this of you, but I need space. For now.”
Noah added gently, “She means it, Sheryn. Please.”
She grabbed a throw pillow and nailed him square in the chest. “You and your cowboy logic, annoying as hell.” Then she sighed. “Fine. Because I trust you both. But I want the whole story when this is over.”
“You’ll get it,” I promised.
She turned her gaze to Dom. “That the lawyer?”
“Yeah.”
