10. Micah

CHAPTER 10

Micah

T he next morning I walk into the coffee shop in town, breathing the deep, fragrant scent of my morning go-to. I haven't been able to sleep since I saw Colt outside of Heidi's place when I was driving past and then saw her confronting the ex.

My jaw tightens and I struggle with my own urge to hunt him down and beat the truth out of him. That man treated Heidi like shit. Said some of the nastiest things I've ever heard to a woman he supposedly loved. There's no way in hell he wants her back. Not that she's not worth it. Hell no! I would do anything to have her as mine. To convince her to give me a shot.

But that guy? He's an ass and he's selfish, self-centered. I just have this feeling that he's up to something and that something is not good for Heidi and her daughter. It's something that's beneficial for him.

I stalk up to the counter of Bella's Beans and smile at Bella behind the counter. The older woman grins at me. "Need some fuel this morning, Micah?"

I grin at her. "Yeah, Bella. It's been a long weekend. Now I've got to get back to work and my brain isn't working right. I need a cup of your fantastic brew to get me through today."

Her eyes sparkle and she turns around to grab one of her to-go cups and heads to the cappuccino machine. My go-to is a caramel cookie cappuccino. It's one of her specialties and it's fucking delicious.

She eyes me over her shoulder as she makes my coffee by rote. "You know, I wouldn't have expected a big guy like you to like this one. You must have a heck of a sweet tooth."

I cock my head and nod. "Yeah. It's why I spend at least an hour and a half at the gym at least four days a week even with my work. All of that is to work off your excellent coffee." Patting my flat stomach, I chuckle. "If I didn't I'd weigh about five hundred pounds."

She giggles and hands me the cup of coffee. I hand her a ten and tell her to keep the change and she waves at me as I walk out the door.

"Bye, Micah. See you tomorrow!"

Blowing on the steam pouring out of the lid, my eyes narrow when I see Colt standing by my truck. "What are you doing out here, Colt?"

He tips his chin at me. "I wanted to know if you've heard from Heidi since Saturday."

Shaking my head, I take a sip and grunt when I burn my tongue. "No. I haven't."

"I haven't either and I've done a little digging into her ex, Josh Crane's background."

Lifting my head, I narrow my eyes on him and nod. "What did you find out?"

"I didn't find out anything when I looked him up."

My shoulders sag. "Dammit! I was hoping that there was some explanation for what he's doing here. Or that there was an outstanding warrant and you could arrest him. You know he's not that interested in his ex wife and child."

"Yeah. He gave up custody. I looked up all the paperwork from court and it's quite clear that he didn't want anything to do with them and Heidi being Heidi insisted that she didn't want anything from him. So he doesn't even pay child support. There's no reason at all that he should be here bothering them."

I nod and take another hearty sip. And then I lift my head slowly when I see the way he's grinning. "What? What are you saying here?"

"I couldn't find anything when I looked him up. But I did find something when I looked her up."

Glaring at him, I snarl, "Would you mind telling the rest of the class, professor? You're being fucking annoying."

"You know…you guys at Wildwood C. aren't any fun at all."

"Dude," I growl, my temper spiking.

"Take a drink of your coffee and sit down. This might take a minute."

I sit down on a bench outside of Bella's. "Okay. Now what?"

"Has Heidi mentioned anything to you about her grandparents?"

"Not much. I don't think they have a close relationship."

"That's putting it mildly. I guess they were pretty pissed off about her father and they broke off contact with her mother. But they're actually worth a helluva lot of money. Or they were."

My head pops up. "What do you mean, they were?"

"They passed away a couple of months ago. And Heidi's mother was still the only child they had. The attorney that I talked to said that he's been trying to get ahold of her since they passed. She's her mother's only heir as well so their estate would pass to her."

"And he found Josh."

Colt nods with a grim smile. "And he found Josh."

"And Josh went looking for Heidi to try for another payday. Because that's just the kind of bloodsucker he is."

"Exactly."

I run my hand through my hair, setting my coffee down on the ground. "What the hell should I do about this? I should tell Heidi."

"She'll be pissed at you if you do."

"She'll be more pissed at me if I don't."

"I get it. You're gonna have to thread the needle though. One inch one way or another and she's gonna hand you your head."

Smirking, I pick up my coffee and stand up. "Ain't that the truth. She keeps life interesting."

"I'll catch you later. I'm gonna try to hunt that asshole down and let him know that I know what he's doing. Hopefully he takes that as a hint and gets the hell out of my town."

"I sure as hell hope so. I'll catch you later. I'm gonna be late for work."

"See ya later, man. I'll let you know if I see the son of a bitch."

"Thanks." I salute him and jump into my truck, heading for the site, my blood pumping, my heart racing. That asshole! I knew that he was up to something. His kind of guy just has no care for anybody but themselves.

I pull up and sigh when I see Heidi's truck. I'm glad she got her ride back but I honestly hate the fact that she doesn't need me.

I glance over and see her hauling ass up to the roof and groan. Now my damn heart is going to be in my throat all day. I know she can handle herself. But that doesn't mean that I'm not gonna care about her. I will never be able to stop worrying about her.