Page 16 of The Widow's Dom

She drove to her other bank and talked to Julie, a friend, but also the manager. She didn’t say why, just that she needed all the money from Trevor’s bank brought over and a new account opened there. The shaking worsened when Julie looked confused as she typed away on her computer.

“What is it?” Janessa asked.

“There must be some mistake,” Julie said.

Janessa fisted her hands in her lap. “Tell me.”

“Your account has been frozen.”

“What does that mean?”

“You can’t use it until the problem is resolved.”

“Can a bank just do that without reason?”

“It’s unethical, that’s for sure. It’s usually the FBI or some other official government office doing it, and that’s usually done if they find something illegal. You can’t think of one reason the bank would do this, or maybe it’s a mistake?”

Janessa knew but didn’t want to say anything until the problem was fixed. She blinked several times to dispel the tears that burned her eyelids. “I’m not sure.”

The manager looked sympathetic. “Janessa, get in touch with your lawyer as soon as possible. If Trevor Stenson does this for personal reasons, he could lose his job and even get arrested for tampering with a federal account without provocation.”

“I’ll check.” Janessa stood. “Thank you.”

“I’ll keep trying to move it over, and I’ll call if I can get it in your new farm account here or if something else changes.”

“Thank you, Julie. “

“Anytime, Janessa. Call if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

Janessa walked out of the bank and climbed into her truck. She leaned her head back and concentrated on breathing.

Why the hell was he doing this? He had to know how much trouble he could get in. He said he could do what he wanted to her account and make it look like an accident. Did he think she would bow down to his demands? Once she overcame this initial shock, he would quickly discover she wasn’t one to get pushed around. She wasn’t the timid little housewife, as most people saw her. She would fight back. She just didn’t know how yet.

Chapter Nine

Janessa pulled in and groaned when she saw Nick’s truck. She had forgotten he said he’d be here, and all she wanted was a long hot shower and to bury her head under a blanket.

She just wanted the problem to go away for a bit, and then she’d deal with it when she was stronger.

Nick sat on the side, of the stairs that led up to the kitchen, and studied her.

“I’ve been trying to call you. What took so long?” Nick asked, grasping her arm as she tried to move past him.

“Can we talk inside?” she asked.

“Sure.” Nick supported her as she walked up the steps and into the dim, cool kitchen.

She went to a cabinet over the stove and pulled down a bottle of tequila. She ignored his concerned look, poured a shot into a glass, and slammed it back. Tears came to her eyes, and she gasped for breath, but she went in for another, only to have Nick take the bottle from her and put it back in the cabinet.

“Hey,” she cried out.

He pulled her over to the table and sat her down, then himself. He turned her until his legs were on either side of hers, blocking her in, and rested his forearms on his thighs. She felt her personal space was being invaded, and he surrounded her.

“What happened?” he asked. “After you tell me, I want to listen to the recording.”

God, where did she start? She stared down at her hands, trying to get her thoughts in order.

“He said he had a lot of power over me, and I asked how. He said all the money in the farm account could disappear. All I had to do was give him a chance.”

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