Page 127 of Out on a Limb
Chapter Twenty-Six
Collette
“SO YOU HAVE to be able to forge one of the signatures on file?” Andrew stared across the table at me, a forkful of the fried rice he made us for dinner hovering in front of his mouth.
“Yup.” I bit off a chunk of the spring rolls I assembled while he made the rice. “Fucking stupid.”
“I mean, I get why they do it.” He stretched his long legs under the small table he’d set up in the conservatory on the back of his house. “But I would think showing ID would make more sense.”
“It would, but then we’d be totally fucked, so I’m not complaining.” I pulled a string of carrot out of my spring roll and dropped it down to where Phillip sat at my feet.
“We might be totally fucked anyway.” Andrew swallowed down a few gulps of the beer he’d been nursing. “They will probably notice you aren’t the guy whose name you sign.”
I shifted in my seat. “They would notice that.” This was where the only plan I could come up with got sticky. “But they wouldn’t question if it was a man who signed it.”
Andrew’s brows slowly climbed up his forehead.
Then he downed the rest of his beer.
“I can give you lots of examples to practice from.” I’d even brought them home with me.
Just in case I could convince Andrew.
“I don’t know that I’m the best option for this.” He wiped one hand down his face. “What about Grant?”
I hesitated to tell him the truth.
I knew it would make him feel like he didn’t have any other option, and that didn’t sit right with me. “Grant does his banking there. I’m worried they might know who he is.”
It was a possibility. Julia did say that was where Grant had his accounts.
But I didn’t imagine a man like Grant did much of his money management in-person.
I just didn’t trust Grant like I did Andrew.
“I don’t know, Pickles.” Andrew raked one hand through his hair. “What if I fuck it all up?” He stood and headed toward the kitchen. “What if they can tell I’m lying?” He opened the fridge and pulled out another beer. “Grant is so much better at things like that.”
“Are you arguing that Grant Servantes is better at breaking the law than you are?”
“He’s definitely better at it than one of us.” Andrew popped the cap off his beer.
I smirked. “Funny.”
“Wasn’t a joke.” The twitch of his lips said differently. “I was being serious.” Andrew sat back down across from me. “You’re turning out to be quite the lawbreaker.”
“Are you reevaluating our relationship?” I propped one of my feet onto his thigh. “Because I’m still willing to make good on my threat to hold you captive and use you as I see fit.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” Andrew’s fingers skimmed across the top of my bare foot. “But you should probably figure out what you’re going to do about that key first.”
I let my head drop back. “Ugh.” Why did it have to be Alan and my granddad? Why couldn’t it be someone else who had the box?
I sat up straight.
Whycouldn’tit be someone else who had the box?
“What if they’re not on the box at all?” How did this not occur to me sooner? “If they were on the box, then they would just have to prove ownership and pay a locksmith to open the box.” It’s not like the cost would matter to my granddad.
If he really wanted in that box he could get into it without the key.
