Page 75 of Rescued

She said in a small voice, “It’s in my bag.”

Of course it was. That great big damn Gucci bag that he thought she was clinging to because it represented all that was left of her old glamorous life.

She had her fucking stolen stash in it. Here at Outlaw Ridge, in his cabin. They’d had a way to get to Moreno all along, and she’d been sitting on it.

He said, “Show me.”

They didn’t speak as they walked down the mountain path, the air between them thick with anger, hurt and mistrust. Switch’s mind was still moving a mile a minute in all directions. What the hell could Bree have that was worth that much to Quentin Moreno, and how the hell had she thought she could cash in on it?

And why hadn’t she told him about it, or the damn phone? He’d thought she trusted him. Maybe even loved him.

Apparently not.

They walked over to the cabin and into the bedroom. Breanna got the bag out of the closet and dumped it out, then undid a zipper hidden in the lining. It seemed there was an envelope hidden right up against the stiff divider that cut through the center of the bag.

Silently, she held it out to him, then pulled it back. “This stuff in here is mine. I stole it from a guy just as bad as Quentin, who doesn’t deserve to have it. I’m buying Kimberly’s safety with it. If you try to take it from me or give it to Thanatos, I’ll stab you with a kitchen knife.”

He almost wanted to smile at how brave she’d gotten, but he was too hurt and pissed off. “Just give me the envelope so I know what the fuck we’re dealing with.”

She handed it over—reluctantly.

It turned out to be full of bearer bonds. About eighteen million dollars’ worth—issued through a tiny country whose banking laws and extradition treaties were not compatible with the US government’s preferences.

He whistled softly. Bearer bonds, popular in the late 1900s, had all but disappeared in the US and most European countries. Unlike regular stocks or bonds, they weren’t registered to an owner. They belonged to—and could be sold or cashed in by—whoever had their grubby little hands on them.

That meant they traded like cash without the bulk, or the inconvenience of banks asking why exactly you needed a suitcase full of bills. It also made them ideal for money laundering, tax evasion, and all kinds of other nefarious business transactions. Which was why they’d been outlawed in many countries when they began to crack down on that kind of thing.

“Holy fucking crap,” he said. “No wonder Moreno wants these so bad.”

Breanna nodded. “Quentin seems rich, but his legitimate businesses are in debt, and he had some recent problems with his not-so-legitimate ones. He needs money bad. That’s why he sent Kimberly and me to steal these from one of his associates.”

“And you kept them?”

“It was Kimberly’s idea. She figured they would set us up for life. All we had to do was get to this other country, where no one cares what you do. We got fake passports and everything.”

He looked at the passport from the envelope and raised his eyebrows. It was a damn good one. They might have gotten away with it, only Moreno was on their trail too fast. He wondered how he’d found them.

But that didn’t matter now. He said numbly, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I—I didn’t know how to tell you. First I thought it didn’t matter—you were going to send me away anyhow. As soon as it was safe I was going to find Kimberly and we could go cash them in.”

“If Moreno or the guy you stole them from didn’t catch you and kill you. And do you even know how to get money for these?”

She said, “There’s all kinds of passwords and protocols you have to go through. We got those too.”

Switch shook his head. He could think of sixteen different ways it could have gone badly for them.

She saw the look on his face and cried out in frustration, “Well, what else did I have? We would have eventually gotten caught stealing for Quentin. Being a party girl was getting me nowhere. I can’t rely on doe eyes all my life!”

He hated when she said that. “You have so much more than that! Who was the one, back up on the mountain, telling me all the stuff you can do?”

She said, “I didn’t know that then. And anyway, you don’t understand what it’s like, scratching for a living, never having anything or anyone to fall back on. I had to look out for me. Because who else was going to?”

That hit him in the heart, because that’s how he’d always felt. He’d been on his own since he was so young. He didn’t trust anyone either. Always a lone wolf.

His anger drained away, and he wrapped his arms around her. “I will.”

Breanna leaned against Switch, tears falling down her face, all the reaction from everything hitting her at once. She wanted to believe him, so bad. It felt so safe in his arms. But no one she’d tried to count on had ever come through for her.