17. Will

17

WILL

T he next morning Stella is quiet, and I kick myself for keeping her up. She's back on night shift tonight, and that means she can stay in bed all day as far as I'm concerned.

I leave her under the blanket while I go to take a shower.

While I wait for the shower to heat up, my phone buzzes. It's Bit Rate.

"There's something you need to see."

My skin prickles at his serious tone. "What is it?"

"Don't shoot the messenger, but I did some digging on your girl."

I let out a slow breath. "You don't need to do that. I found her."

"I know. That's the problem." There's the high-pitched squeal of one of his girls in the background, and he shouts at them to be quiet. "Damned kids. Don't have em, Judge. "

Too late, I almost say. "How did you know I found her?"

"I saw Maxine. She was having trouble with her laptop."

It surprises me how quickly gossip spreads on the side of a mountain.

"Did she speak to you about her niece?" Maxine's niece is returning soon from being an au pair in France, and I mentioned her to Bit Rate. She'd be perfect to look after his girls.

"I don't need another damned nanny. Not after the last one. Me and the girls are fine. It's not me you need to worry about. I did a little digging on your soon to be wife."

"Bit Rate," I growl, because I don't like where this is heading. "Is it legal?"

"Kinda. I found some interesting things in the almost public record."

I shake my head. "Not interested. Whatever digging you did could get me fired. I know everything I need to know about Stella." Even as I say it, I know it's not true. I don't know about her past. She doesn't talk about it, and I haven't pressed because it seems painful to her.

"You don't know about this." His tone gives me pause. What do I really know about my fiancé?

"Maybe you already know and you're all good with it, but if you don't, then you need to know. I'll email it over, and you decide if you want to look at it or not."

"Don't do that." The last thing I need is a trail of illegal hacking pointing straight to me .

"Already done it."

I sigh heavily. Just because he's sent it doesn't mean I have to look at it.

I end the call and step into the shower. Hot water cascades over me, making my skin tingle with the heat.

I won't look at the email. I'll delete it and let Stella tell me anything she needs to tell me in her own time.

But Bit Rate wouldn't send it to me if he wasn't concerned.

Still, it's none of my business. Whatever Stella did in the past is in the past.

My thoughts ping pong back and forth, and I stay in the shower until the water runs cold wondering what to do.

By the time I get out of the bathroom, I've decided to speak to Stella first. To give her the opportunity to tell me if there's something she needs to tell me. I step out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around me.

Stella's not in bed where I left her.

"Stella…"

I spin around the room slowly. Her clothes are gone, her purse is gone. There's no sign of Stella.

She's run away again.

I knew something was off with her this morning when she was so quiet. I shouldn't have left her on her own.

I sink onto the bed and pull up my email app. The message from Bit Rate is at the top. With trembling fingers, I hit open.

It's a report from the California corrections department. A criminal register for Stella Lipton. My blood goes cold. Stella's got a criminal record.

I scan the email, and my fists clench when I get to the felony.

Possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

The air explodes out of my lungs, and I can't breathe.

Stella's a convicted drug dealer.